Make Fried Chicken Maryland-Style For A More Tender, Juicy Cut

When we covered the best fried chicken restaurants in every state, Maryland's BRD got a shout-out. And, yet, as it turns out, Maryland fried chicken is more special than your average poultry. On its last day at sea, first-class passengers on the doomed Titanic ocean liner dined on "chicken à la Maryland" for lunch, proving that this is a refined dish indeed. In addition to being Insta-worthy and craveably tasty, Maryland fried chicken is also particularly succulent. We're here to tell you that you might just want to take a page from the Old Line State when it comes to your cooking technique.

A few key details distinguish Maryland fried chicken. First of all, unlike deep-fried specimens cooked up in other kitchens, Marylanders shallow-fry their chicken in just a little bit of oil. While we've creatively used Red Lobster biscuit mix or even boxed cornbread batter to coat our chicken, the Maryland version uses only seasoned flour. Furthermore, the finished chicken is generally served with a white pan sauce made from the chicken drippings that resembles a seasoned béchamel.

But the most interesting aspect of this fried chicken is the fact that, during the cooking process, a small amount of water is added to the pan, which is then covered so that the chicken can temporarily steam. This unique process — which seems counterintuitive for producing crisp fried chicken — results in meat that is singularly tender and juicy. None of the specifics involved in Maryland fried chicken are significantly more expensive or laborious than the "normal" kind, meaning that these techniques are achievable by home cooks everywhere.

Although its use isn't ubiquitous, many recipes for Maryland fried chicken incorporate baking powder. We've seen it used to coat the chicken before cooking as well as being incorporated into the flour dredge. One clue as to why this might be important? In fried chicken, baking powder promotes superior crispiness. Given the fact that steaming is an important part of making this kind of chicken, perhaps the fortification with baking powder helps ensure that the crust stays shatteringly crispy.

Another optional ingredient that we can't help but endorse is some Old Bay in the flour. This quintessential blend of 18 secret herbs and seasonings is almost synonymous with Maryland cuisine, especially its vaunted seafood. Old Bay tastes just as good on chicken as it does crabs, however, and we feel that you can't have "true" Maryland fried chicken without it. Because it incorporates several different players like paprika, celery salt, and black pepper, it can do some substantial heavy lifting in the taste department without the need for many ingredients being measured out.

When it comes to the gravy, we always recommend doubling the ingredients called for in your particular recipe. It's our humble opinion that one can never have too much gravy, and if you commit to full-send the Southern cooking experience and serve your Maryland fried chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and scratch biscuits, you're going to want plenty of the good stuff to smother the rest of your dinner.