SaurabhFried chicken is definitely a favorite dish for most of us. Whether for parties, work gatherings, special occasions, and for just normal days, we would always crave for a crispy bite of delicious fried chicken.
Other than being delicious, it’s very easy to cook, too! All you need is cooking oil and the perfect breading mix. The breading mix’s key ingredient is flour.
But what if you ran out of flour though? No problem because you can fry chicken without flour by simply frying it with baking powder in an air fryer. Yep, you heard me right.
Here’s a quick recipe that you can try to follow at home!
“Easy No-Flour Chicken”
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of chicken wings (cut and separate the drum and flat parts)
- ½ tsp Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 ½ tbsp baking powder
Instructions:
Step 1
If your chicken wings are still frozen, make sure you defrost them for about 24-36 hours in the fridge. Make sure that you cook the chicken after defrosting for proper food safety and handling.
Step 2
Wash your chicken thoroughly and pat it dry with a clean towel or kitchen napkin. Ensure that the chicken is dry so the marinade mixture will coat nicely once you start marinating it. Place the chicken in a clean deep bowl and prepare to marinate.
Step 3
In a separate clean bowl, mix the following seasonings: Himalayan salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and the baking powder. Incorporate everything well so the flavors will spread out to the chicken when marinating for later.
Step 4
Start coating your chicken with the marinade mixture. You can coat them altogether or coat the chicken one by one to make sure that no spot will be left uncoated. You can also toss the chicken so it will evenly coat with the marinade mixture.
Step 5
Seal the marinated chicken wings with a cling wrap or foil wrap and marinate it in the fridge for 24 hours or overnight will do as well. If you’ve got no time, it’s okay to marinate it for an hour and you can already start cooking the chicken wings.
Step 6
Take out the chicken from the fridge and sprinkle it with a little bit of olive oil or vegetable oil. Adding some cooking oil is optional if you’re trying to cut on you.
Step 7
Get your air fryer and set the temperature at 390-400 degrees. You can use a food thermometer to make sure that the temperature is ready and exact before you fry the chicken wings.
Step 8
Fry the chicken wings on each side for about 13-14 minutes for a medium-sized cut. This will also depend on how big your chicken wings cut are. If you brought a smaller piece, fry it for about 10-11 minutes on each side and 15 minutes on each side for larger pieces.
Fry them in batches so they’ll cook well on the inside. Do not overcrowd the air fryer to prevent the chicken wings from being undercooked.
Step 9
You may now take it out from the air fryer and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve it with a homemade low-calorie dip and pair it with your favorite sides either french fries or mashed potatoes.
Store leftover chicken wings in an airtight container or ziplock bag for 3-5 days. You don’t need to heat it up in an air fryer again but instead, you can use the microwave oven. You can only heat it once and once heated, make sure to consume immediately.
Flour Substitute for Fried Chicken
Cornstarch
This is probably the second-best option other than baking powder. Cornstarch is famous for its ability to crispy any fried dishes be it meat or vegetables. Mix cornstarch with water plus other and coat it after you marinate your chicken. It works best when deep-fried,
Other types of flour
For regular fried chicken recipes, most cooks use all-purpose flour for the breading mix. But know that you can also use other flours such as potato starch, cornflour, and even rice flour.
It does the same trick with the regular flour. Just be cautious since some types of flours absorb oil too much or burn easily when cooked over high heat.
Do not use flour at all
It’s actually possible! Just don’t take out the skin of the chicken. Marinade it with your choice of seasonings for at least a day. Deep fry the chicken and you’ll be surprised how light, tasty and crispy the chicken is without the flour.
Fry it on a skillet or Use a Dutch pot
Just marinate your chicken evenly and cut into bite-size pieces. Fry them in batches. You don’t need to use a lot of oil. Just put enough that can cook each side. Cook it for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Use eggs and bread crumbs
If you’re a fan of the crispy Japanese tempura, then you might ditch your typical flour over this power combo. All you need to do is beat the eggs and place them in a wide bowl. Place the bread crumbs on a wide plate.
Using your left hand, dip the marinated chicken in the egg mixture and coat well. Drop the egg coated chicken on the bread crumb mixture and use your right hand to coat them well.
This will prevent both of your hands from getting sticky and wet. Only use your other hand when coating the chicken with eggs.
Fry, it frozen
After marinating the chicken, freeze it overnight and deep fry as soon as you take it out from the freezer. The chemical reaction from the cold chicken and hot oil can result in a crispy golden chicken. No need to defrost. Make sure the temperature is in the right settings.
Can you use a pancake flour mix for fried chicken?
Based on my personal experience, yes it won’t hurt to use it. Just take note to use an unsweetened pancake flour mix or your fried chicken will taste like a pastry. Also, take note that the exterior is not as crispy and cakier on the side.
When using a pancake batter mix, just use a little amount of mixture that just coats the chicken a little bit. A thin coating will make the chicken crispier. Although it doesn’t have the same results as coating with flour, it’s still worth the try.
Is there a specific cooking oil to use when frying no-flour fried chicken?
To be honest, I would always stick to canola oil or peanut oil. Both oils work well with fried dishes, especially chicken. Other than crisp flying the dishes, it also adds a savory taste to the dish.
You can also reuse the oil until it’s a little dark in color. Once it’s too black, just discard the oil. Frying with an overused oil will result in a bitter and burnt color fried chicken.
Also, I don’t recommend using olive oil or sesame oil, those types of cooking oils that burn too quickly. Once the fried chicken is burnt, it will taste bitter and has a risk for intaking carcinogens, which causes cancer.
Why is the chicken still not crispy with or without flour?
Some people are struggling over this issue with their fried chicken. Really, it’s a temperature issue. The heat on your oil is either too high or too low.
Check the temperature at all times with a food thermometer. Another thing is cooking the chicken in big batches. Do not overcrowd the air fryer or deep fryer. Instead of frying the dish, it will instead steam it.
