Fried Chicken Is 10x More Flavorful If You Grab This Boxed Pantry Staple
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We love to chow down on some buttery, cheesy Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits that we've made at home with the company's boxed mix — and, if you're not already living the foodie dream, you can stock your pantry with a 12-count shipment via Amazon. More than just working as a foundation for scrum-diddly biscuits, this seasoned mixture has several culinary uses. Remember when we suggested following the social media trend and topping your next chicken pot pie with Cheddar Bay biscuits? (Yum.) Now, our quest to improve our homemade fried chicken has led us to use boxed Red Lobster biscuit mix in the breading, and we're pretty sure our poultry is never gonna be the same.
Reaching into the pantry past the breadcrumbs and/or all-purpose flour to mix up your fried chicken dredge isn't exactly new to us. Pancake mix, for example, makes a darn good fried chicken coating that almost always impresses. When we saw multiple TikTok food influencers whipping up fried chicken with Cheddar Bay biscuit mix, you could say that we were intrigued. Honestly, the idea even makes sense on paper.
The boxed mix contains several ingredients that we'd already use in typical fried chicken: enriched flour, buttermilk, spices, and seasonings. Interestingly, the mix contains a small amount of baking soda. Baking soda, being highly alkaline, changes the pH of the chicken's surface and allows the breading to become crispier upon contact with your frying oil. So not only does your chicken become insanely flavorful with that essence of Cheddar Bay biscuit that you already love, but it's more delightful textured as well! Sounds like nothing but wins in our book.
To cheese or not to cheese, that's the question
Many social media clips we watched prepared the dredge for fried chicken with Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuit mix prepared in a manner very close to how you'd make biscuit dough. Typically the seasoning packet is intended for flavored butter and the shredded cheese mandated by the recipe. Whether or not you want your fried chicken to have dairy in it is completely up to you. We have some concerns about the milk products burning in the oil, but your mileage may vary.
We also saw a range of creativity in preparing the fried chicken coating using other ingredients to really punch big flavor into the biscuit mix. Extra seasonings tended to be popular, including garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Will you dare to include some cayenne for extra oomph? An area where you don't want to follow the box instructions is when it comes to the amount of water in your mix. Too little water, and your dredging liquid will be too thick to work. We might get creative and pour beer into the boxed mix for an effervescent coating that combines two of our favorite hacks.
Once you fry up your delicious fried chicken, the only thing left to do is decide how to serve it. Will you use an extra box of mix and make some fluffy biscuits to accompany your entrée? If you want a little change of pace, we also know several ways to take canned biscuits to the next level, ensuring that your fried chicken dinner is special indeed.