Deep frying super thin chicken?

[FeChef]

I am shocked i could not find any info online on how long to deep fry very thin chicken breast strips/pieces. We are talking 1/8 inch, breaded and deep fried in 350F oil. I have digital thermometers but its hard to get a temp on a piece of meat so thin and breaded. In my own experience 4 minutes results in rubber chicken, One minute produces very tender, juicy chicken but the breading is still white and im not sure if the chicken is cooked to a safe temp in that amount of time. Thoughts?

Would like to mention that the chicken is sliced partially frozen to 1/8 inch. During the cooking process the chicken plumps up to 1/4 inch.

[gfweb]

Why not toast the breadcrumbs to brown them and then bread the chicken?

[FeChef]

Why not toast the breadcrumbs to brown them and then bread the chicken?

Im not using breadcrumbs. Im using flour breading bits. But I was thinking maybe deep fry for 1 minute, then freeze and fry again for another minute? Thoughts? Do you think its safe?

[Norm Matthews]

I always pan fry chicken strips in a cast iron skillet. I get good results. I only deep fry thick chicken pieces like legs, thighs and breasts.

[FeChef]

Ok, but the dish calls for crispy thin chicken with a lightly breaded crust with breading bits. Not going to get those results in a pan. Maybe a super hot wok with oil, but thats pretty much the same thing as deep frying.

[scubadoo97]

I just cooked thin slices of chicken breast in simmering chicken stock. Cooked through in around 2 min. Pulled a few pieces and they were cooked through. No pink and tender but any lookef would have been like rubber. Pieces were between 1/8-1/4" thick so in a hotter medium less time. With breading hard to get good browning in the short amount of time. Although breading would add some insulation

Maybe you could use a torch to give a quick hit of color

[FeChef]

I just cooked thin slices of chicken breast in simmering chicken stock. Cooked through in around 2 min. Pulled a few pieces and they were cooked through. No pink and tender but any lookef would have been like rubber. Pieces were between 1/8-1/4" thick so in a hotter medium less time. With breading hard to get good browning in the short amount of time. Although breading would add some insulation

Maybe you could use a torch to give a quick hit of color

Good to know that 1 minute is a safe temp for very thin chicken. I think a torch would either burn or over cook the chicken. I think flash freezing and frying for another minute will solve the browning issue without over cooking the chicken. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with cooking thin chicken.

[KennethT]

I would think that cooking something so thin should use a higher temp - at least 375 so that the crust browns while the inside cooks through...

[FeChef]

I would think that cooking something so thin should use a higher temp - at least 375 so that the crust browns while the inside cooks through...

My deep fryer only reaches 375 but drops to 350 when i add the chicken. Since it only takes a minute, its not enough time to get back to 375. I could add smaller batches i suppose to get it to stay at 375 or close.

[gfweb]

I had a few fryers like that. Worthless to me. Small oil volume and won't get hot enough. A dutch oven and a bunch of peanut oil are more adaptable.

[Keith_W]

If you want a golden coloured crust, try adding some sugar or honey into your batter.

[FeChef]

I had a few fryers like that. Worthless to me. Small oil volume and won't get hot enough. A dutch oven and a bunch of peanut oil are more adaptable.

I actually have a double fryer but I bought it specifically to build a SVS clone. Well, technically is better since my clone has built in circulation.

But on topic, I dont fry alot of foods so i cant justify the cost of a larger fryer, but my fryer does hold a gallon of peanut oil, so its not what i consider small. I think I should just fry smaller batches since it only takes a minute.

[FeChef]

If you want a golden coloured crust, try adding some sugar or honey into your batter.

Good idea. Its not a batter though. Its basicly tenderized thin chicken slices in a papain paste that gets tossed in a mixture of flour and batter bits. The batter bits are flour mixed with water and blended into the dry flour and crumbled to make tiny bits. I suppose i could try adding some sugar to the flour batter before crumbling into the dry flour.

[dcarch]

------------ In my own experience 4 minutes results in rubber chicken, One minute produces very tender, juicy chicken but the breading is still white and im not sure if the chicken is cooked to a safe temp in that amount of time. Thoughts?

-----------------------

Not trying to be a wise guy. Have you tried 2 minutes? 3 minutes?

dcarch

[David Hensley]

Relax, I have your solution! After slicing, freeze the chicken, and when its frozen through, bread it, and go straight to the fryer. This should get your coating nicely browned, and also assure that the chicken has cooked through, but not gone over.

I hope this helps you...

Also, freezing may eliminate the need for the papain, unless its doing something other than tenderizing.

Edited September 15, 2013 by David Hensley (log)

[Keith_W]

Well, I think that eG has found your solution! Deep fry cold frozen chicken in a batter made with a bit of sugar (maybe brown sugar) in it.

[Lisa Shock]

Some fish & chips shops add a touch of turmeric to their batter to make it more golden. You might want to try adding some to the mix somewhere along the line.

[Norm Matthews]

You can get crispy chicken fingers in a cast iron skillet. Oil can get just as hot or even hotter on the stove than in an electric fryer. Adding corn starch to the flour or even using it instead of flour adds crispness. When you submerge chicken in oil, it cooks from all sides at once but in shallower oil, the moisture that hinders crispness has a way to escape while cooking.

PS sugar aids browning but that does not always also mean extra crispness.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Dejah]

Use crackermeal. Used to buy it in 50lb bags. Now that I am no longer in the restaurant, I break up soda crackers and whirl them in a small processor until fine crumbs. They are crispy already and would brown quickly. Coupled with frozen chicken, it should work well.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Dejah (log)

[Norm Matthews]

Or Panko. Dip in flour, beaten egg, then panko.

[FeChef]

Getting the oil really hot did the trick. I waited till the ready light came on and turned the fryer off for a minute, then turned it back on until the ready light came on again. It got around 400F. I only put a few pieces in at a time and they got i nice golden color in only 1 minute and floated to the top. Bingo.

[scubadoo97]

Cooked thru?

The color looks nice

Edited September 15, 2013 by scubadoo97 (log)

[FeChef]

One minute seems to be enough. No pink, just tender and juicy with a nice crispy coating.

[scubadoo97]

Great. I figured as much and glad it worked out for you