FeelingWow! Magazine

While some people believe that no batter should touch their chicken, many more love the crisp bite into a battered chicken. Batter can be applied to whole pieces, wings or cut up slices to make chicken strips or nuggets. Battering is a popular way to prepare chicken all over the world. There are almost as many chicken batters as there are chickens!

Batters From Around the World

Batter can be made with corn meal, wheat flour, rice flour, or graham flour. Ethnic chicken recipes often use different flours. Each region will have their own special blend of spices and herbs as well, giving the fried chicken a flavor that will be recognizable from that corner of the world.

Indian chicken may be coated with a batter made of graham flour, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, curds, and red chili powder. The batter is used on boiled chicken meat, and then fried until the surface is crisp. A wonderful Asian recipe uses a rice flour batter on marinated chicken. Marinate the pieces in soy sauce; five spice powder, sesame oil, garlic, and onion overnight. The next day, dip the chicken in a batter made of water, baking powder, salt and rice flour. The light colored batter is almost translucent.

Beer batter is the one preferred by many Americans. The yeasty taste of the beer adds a tang and makes the batter light. Buttermilk also adds a tangy flavor. Just soak your raw chicken in a bowl of buttermilk before dusting with seasoned flour. This mixture will turn to a moist batter on the chicken before cooking.

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 diners who prefer a southern fried chicken recipe, there are many to be found in cookbooks or online. While some are a simple combination of flour, salt, and pepper mixed with milk, others include many fresh or dried herbs or spices.

Cooking Your Chicken

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 battering options, you are sure to keep busy trying new recipes for several years. Enjoy your battered chicken; there are so many ways to prepare it!