So Many Batters, so Little Time

There are many people who prefer to cook their chicken without a batter, but there are many more who crave that crispy crunch of battered chicken. You can batter whole pieces, wings, or nuggets or breast strips… they all turn out delicious. People all over the world use batter on their chicken in one form or another. There are almost as many different batter recipes as there are chickens!

The World of Batter

Different batters can be made using different flours. Try corn meal, rice flour, wheat flour, or graham flour. Ethnic recipes for chicken often use different flours in the mix. Each area has their own special mixture of herbs and spices that give the chicken a distinctive flavor.

An example would be a batter recipe from India that combines nutmeg, red chili powder, ginger, cloves, and curds with graham flour. This batter is used on boiled chicken meat, which is then fried until crisp. A good taste of Asia can be found by marinating your boneless chicken in soy sauce, five spice powder, onion, and garlic and sesame oil. Batter the chicken in rice flour, salt, water, and baking powder. The result is a distinctive flavor of Asia with a crisp translucent coating.

Someone else may swear by beer batter. The yeasty quality of the beer makes a light batter with a tangy flavor. A different way to get the tangy flavor is to soak your chicken in buttermilk before dredging in seasoned flour. This creates a mixture that turns to a batter on the chicken before frying.

You can also find different ways to get that crunch. Some cooks prefer to use crushed cornflakes; others like seasoned breadcrumbs or crushed crackers. Some people prefer wet batters that fry up crisp on the chicken. Panko breadcrumbs from Japan create a lovely light, crisp coating. For those who want a light batter without the extra crunch, try tempura batter.

For those who like southern fried chicken recipes, there are almost as many of those to choose from as there are people who love fried chicken. Some southern batters are as simple as mixing flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Others are more complicated with herbs and spices added to the mix.

The Cooking Controversy

You will find many different opinions on whether you should deep fry your battered chicken, fry it in an oil-filled cast iron pan, or use a pressure cooker. Each method has its own fans that declare their way is best. Those who prefer deep-frying will say the quick cooking time and lack of spatter makes their way superior. The cast iron camp will talk about the perfect crisp to the chicken’s surface and the even heating. Those who prefer pressure cookers will need to brown the chicken first, and then cook it in the pressure cooker. The chicken is done in about 15 minutes in this method, but be sure you do not open the cooker before all the pressure has dissipated.

With all these batter choices, you will be busy for several years trying new recipes. Enjoy the flavors of battered chicken; there are so many different ones to try!