All fried chicken lovers gather! We all love the crispy, juicy goodness that is fried chicken. If you know your fried chicken well– you already know a good piece of fried chicken can only be made with proper breading. Which, most of the time, is done with flour.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were halfway through the process of making fried chicken only to realize you didn’t have any flour? That leaves you wondering if you can fry chicken without flour. We have the answer for you. Keep on reading!
Can you fry chicken without flour?
You sure can! Breading of chicken is not only confined to flour. Rather, there are many alternatives to it.
All your questions are answered below.
How to fry chicken without flour?
Don’t have flour? Don’t fret. You can make fried chicken just as delicious even if you don’t have flour. There are many substitutes for flour. But for now, let’s talk about the method of frying chicken, and we’ll mention all the possible alternatives to flour later on. We’ve detailed the steps below to guide you!
Step 1: Wash your chicken
The first and foremost step is to prepare your chicken by washing it and removing any excess fat.
Step 2: Pat the chicken dry using paper towels
After washing the chicken, gently pat it dry with some paper towels or kitchen napkins to remove the excess moisture.
Step 3: Put the clean chicken in a bowl and add seasonings
Once you have prepared the chicken, put it in a clean bowl and season it according to your preference. If you are following a specific recipe, then you can add all the required ingredients at this point. And if you’re not, then you can add any of your preferred spices like salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. This will give a nice flavor to the chicken.
Make sure the marination has properly coated the chicken and no spots are left uncoated.
Step 4: Leave the chicken to marinate
If there is a time specified in your recipe, then you can leave your chicken to marinate accordingly. If not, then you can marinate them overnight or for a few hours. The longer you marinate, the better the flavor will be. One hour will do too if you are short on time.
Step 5: Pour oil into a deep pan and heat it up
Next, grab a deep pan and pour in the oil of your choice. Make you are using the oil that’s best for frying chicken. Allow the oil to heat up on medium-high heat.
Step 6: Add chicken in oil and fry
Add in your marinated chicken pieces one by one once the oil is hot enough. Fry the chicken until it’s golden brown and crispy.
Step 7: Remove excess oil and serve
Pat away any excess oil from the chicken, and there you go! Your crispy fried chicken is ready to eat!
What to use instead of flour to fry chicken?
You can use corn starch or baking powder to coat your chicken as a substitute for flour. Lightly dust your chicken with corn starch or baking powder and fry as you would normally do. Both will give a light, airy texture, and your chicken will taste incredible!
What will happen if you fry chicken without breading?
When you fry chicken with a coating, it acts as a protective layer to keep excess oil out and prevent moisture from escaping. When there’s no breading, there is a chance that your chicken might be greasy or dry. However, the right temperature of the oil can prevent this from happening.
Moreover, the extra fat can be absorbed with the help of a paper towel, and that will help prevent the chicken from getting excessively greasy.
Related FAQs
Is frying chicken without flour healthier?
If you want carb-free fried chicken, then frying it without flour will be a slightly healthier option. However, it will not reduce any fat content.
What are healthy substitutes for flour?
The following are some healthy substitutes for flour:
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour
- Oat flour
- Quinoa flour
- Buckwheat flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Brown rice flour
- Chickpea flour
- Potato flour
Can I use pancake mix as flour?
Yes! You need to remember the ratio of 1:1. You can substitute a cup of pancake mix for every cup of flour that you need. The base ingredient in the pancake mix is flour, so there won’t be any notable flavor changes.
Can I use cornstarch instead of flour?
Yes. Corn starch can be used as a substitute for flour while making fried chicken. It will work the same as flour and absorb less frying oil. However, cornstarch cannot be used to substitute flour in baked goods.
Can plain flour replace all-purpose flour?
Plain flour is just the same as all-purpose flour! It is only another name for it, so it doesn’t matter if you use plain flour or all-purpose flour because they are the same.
Concluding our thoughts on frying chicken without flour!
No flour? No worries! There are many alternatives to flour, as mentioned in this article. You can make the delicious crispy fried chicken even if you don’t have any flour available. Simply choose the substitute that suits you best, which will help you achieve the texture and flavor you are looking for.