Need help with deep frying chicken...

[Hedgey]

I'm not a bad cook in most things, but I've never conquered deep frying, except maybe for french fries. I used to be pretty good at french fries! Eating them was my specialty :lol:

But I've been trying to deep fry chicken tenders, and geez, it's not going well.
They taste great, but the batter goes in every direction, it doesn't stick to the chicken. Then it winds up as billions of little over-cooked crumbs floating in the oil or stuck to the basket.

Maybe I'm missing a step? I take frozen chicken tenders and dip them in a batter made from Atkins Pancake mix and spices. Then I fry them a couple at a time at 350 degrees. I tried frying them at a higher temp, but while it seemed to cook faster, it didn't help the batter stick to the chicken.

Should I dredge the chicken in some of the mix powder first? I thought that would encourage the batter to separate...

Also, when you make chicken strips with parmasaen cheese instead of bread crumbs, do you dip the chicken in beaten eggs first?

Thanks!

[leshaimors]

the eggs really help! i find that baking is a better method if you do not use an egg wash. you should definitely use beaten eggs if you are using parmesan cheese as batter--you will be very happy with the nice crispy, tasty result!

[mclukey]

I made chicken wings tonight and just dredged them in soy flour and let them sit in the fridge a few hours. Then I just fried up in veg oil in my cast iron skillet and that seemed to come out well. The first time I actually fried some chicken that was edible!!!

[Zuleikaa]

When frying anything there are 2-3 steps.

Batter:
Coat with batter
Let sit for 5-10 minutes

Dry Mix:
Moisten with wetting agent (milk, egg, milk and egg) NOT water
Dredge with dry mix
Let sit for 5-10 minutes

You see that whichever method you use, the food then has to sit for 5-10 minutes. This allows the coating adhere to the food and dry enough to form a barrier to oil penetrating when fried in the oil.