Skip Flour And Breadcrumbs: Make Fried Chicken Extra Crispy With One Store-Bought Ingredient

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It's a lesser-known fact that fried chicken achieves its craveable deliciousness through culinary science. If you deep-fried a plain piece of chicken, it would become unbearably dry and tough. Covering it in breading not only builds an extra layer of flavor and texture but also insulates the tender protein from the boiling oil. Cool, right? 

To that end, we're always on the hunt for better, more effective ways to batter our chicken, from using boxed pancake mix in the dredge to skipping traditional breadcrumbs in lieu of rice flour for exceptional texture. Come to find out, one fantastic option for exceptionally crispy fried chicken breading has been staring us in the face all along — it's one of any number of frying mixes sitting on the shelf of your local supermarket. While using a bespoke frying mix for its intended use (frying chicken) doesn't sound revolutionary, it's a shortcut that not all cooks might think to take. And, yet, it can revolutionize the crispiness of your dinner. 

There are literally dozens of these products on the internet; one we've seen with a bevy of positive reviews is this Zatarain's variety. Those stumped by figuring out the proper ratio of flour and breadcrumbs to seasoning can rest easy, because all-in-one fry mix products take the guesswork out of the equation. When you want reliably crispy fried chicken and your DIY attempts aren't cutting the mustard just yet, a packaged product like this will give you crunchy, munchy fried chicken with no hassle and better results.

The stellar advantage of fry mix for cooking chicken is its reliability. Those struggling with achieving the ideal crispy texture of fried chicken can get routinely great results with fry mix and enjoy crispier chicken than they've ever had at home. These breading blends typically come pre-seasoned, which takes a lot of the experimentation and laborious web-searching out of the equation when it comes to finding a recipe that suits you. However, these mixes can satisfy even more advanced home cooks that already have some tricks up their sleeves. The customization here comes in how you marinate or sauce your fried chicken for a bespoke product that speaks to your kitchen prowess while you're still developing those breading skills.

Home cooks can put their own stamp on fried chicken easily when using a packaged product because fried chicken requires a lot of steps, and breading is only one. We've discussed the merits of marinating chicken in pickle juice for superior flavor, and that's very much still on the table even when using a boxed fry mix. If you prefer a good, long buttermilk soak, don't skip it! When the chicken emerges from the fryer brown and crispy, how about smothering it in your favorite Buffalo sauce, mixed up with love from a family recipe? The great thing about fry mix is that it's a tool for amateur chefs of every stripe and can be used with as many (or as few) tricks and hacks as you'd prefer.