Getting crispy chicken can be tricky.  I learned from Jamie that using crackers for breadcrumbs is a surefire way to make it ultra crispy.  I'm talking specifically about chicken cutlets, NOT southern style fried chicken pieces because that's a whole different approach.  For cutlets I put saltine crackers in the food processor and wiz until fine.  Add a little parmesan cheese, a little melted butter, a little minced garlic and salt/pepper for seasoning (careful, the saltines and the cheese have salt so season accordingly).  Dredge in flour, then egg, then the cracker breadcrumb mixture and pan fry in a little olive oil.  Medium heat.

Here is the KEY to keeping the chicken crisp.  When it's golden and cooked through remove from the pan onto a wire rack to cool!  Do NOT put it on paper towels, doing so will cause the crust to go mushy.  Serve while still hot.

do you have a deep cast iron frypan or even better a cast iron dutch oven, enamaled or not  doesn't matter.  If you do, you can shallow fry  the chicken then finish in a low oven over a rack to crisp up the skin.  Even a stainless deep pot will work . You do need to keep track of the temp of the oil  if you are using this method.

this link is a recipe I use  for a copy cat  of KFC. It is actually much better as I use better chicken and fresh spices. The fresh ground black pepper  I use really stands out

http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewto … 59#p227159

I try to limit it to only 1 or 2 times a year as the sodium content is truly daunting even without the deep frying but it is wickedly good.

cohphanta wrote:

if you  have a deep enough pan use that. Very cold chicken and hot oil.

I've never heard of this, what difference does cold chicken make?  I always bring my protein down to room temperature before cooking.

mark's kitchen wrote:

koukouvagia,
When I make a tempura batter I put it in the freezer to make it very cold. When the cold product hits the hot oil a chemical reaction occurs and the tempura reacts with a very light crisp texture. Perhaps the same process occurs when adding very cold chicken to hot oil?

Mark

I've never thought about it before.  I have never heard the recommendation of a cold protein, it feels counter-intuitive.