Breading and frying chicken is a popular way to add flavor and crunch to chicken. The breading is typically made from a mixture of flour, spices, and sometimes breadcrumbs or crackers. Flour helps the breading mixture stick to the chicken and also helps achieve a crispy texture when fried. So can you skip the flour when breading chicken? Let’s take a closer look.
What is the purpose of flour in breaded chicken?
Flour serves multiple important purposes when breading chicken:
- Acts as a binder – Flour helps the breading mixture stick to the chicken. Without flour, the breading would likely fall off the chicken during frying.
- Provides structure – Flour gives the breading coating structure and thickness. Using flour in the breading leads to a crispier, more substantial coating.
- Helps browning – Flour browns nicely when fried. The flour in the breading helps the chicken achieve a golden brown, crunchy exterior.
- Absorbs moisture – Flour absorbs surface moisture from the chicken, allowing the breading to adhere better. If the chicken isn’t dried properly, skipping flour can lead to mushy breading that slides right off.
So in summary, flour acts as the “glue” that makes breaded fried chicken work. It sticks the breading to the chicken, provides a substantive coating, and leads to desirable browning when fried.
What happens if you don’t use flour?
If you don’t use flour in your breading mixture, here is what you can expect:
- The breading won’t stick to the chicken as well. It will tend to fall off easily in the frying oil.
- The breading will lack thickness and structure. It will be very thin and insubstantial.
- The chicken will likely fry up pale and blond rather than golden brown.
- Any surface moisture on the chicken will prevent the breading from adhering. The breading will slide right off.
- The final result will be chicken that is unevenly breaded or completely bare in spots.
The bottom line is flour-less breading has poor adhesion and lacks the crunchy, golden texture of proper breaded fried chicken. Some breading will stick but the end results are likely to be pale and uneven at best.
Can you use alternatives to flour?
There are some alternatives that can be used in place of flour when breading chicken:
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch can mimic some of the adhesion properties of flour. It also browns well during frying. The texture will be a little different than flour though.
- Cornmeal – Super finely ground cornmeal can adhere to chicken quite well. It provides crunch but not quite as much browning.
- Breadcrumbs or crackers – Using very fine dry breadcrumbs or crushed crackers in place of flour can work in some cases. But adhesion tends to be poorer.
- Instant potato flakes – Replacing some flour with instant mashed potato flakes can provide adhesion for breading. But this changes the flavor.
While these alternatives can work decently in some recipes, for best results most experts recommend not skipping flour entirely when breading chicken. A blend of flour and some of these alternatives could provide a good middle ground in terms of binding power, texture, and flavor.
Tips for breading chicken without flour
If you do want try breading chicken without flour, here are some tips:
- Make sure the chicken is very dry before breading. Pat off any moisture with paper towels.
- Use very fine, dry breadcrumbs rather than coarse ones. Panko breadcrumbs are a good choice.
- Really press and pack the breading onto the chicken. Don’t just dust it on lightly.
- Let the breaded chicken sit for 5-10 minutes before frying to allow breading to adhere better.
- Fry the chicken at a lower temperature, around 325°F. Hot oil makes flour-less breading prone to sliding off.
- Blot fried chicken pieces with paper towels to soak up excess grease, which can loosen the breading.
With these tips, it is possible to minimize the issues with flour-less breading on chicken. But it still won’t have quite the same texture and crispiness as chicken breaded with flour incorporated.
Conclusion
Flour is an important component in breaded fried chicken. It acts as a binder to make the breading stick properly, provides a crispy fried exterior, and gives the chicken a nice golden brown color. Skipping the flour will likely lead to breading that is pale, falls off easily when fried, and lacks the satisfying crunch of properly breaded chicken.
While there are some substitutes like cornstarch and breadcrumbs that can mimic some of flour’s adhesive properties, for best results it is difficult to completely skip flour when breading chicken. Using a bit of flour blended with other ingredients can still provide good binding power and texture without compromising on flavor. With some adjustments to the frying method, it is possible to bread chicken without flour but will require special care to avoid a ragged, uneven coating.
References
[1] America’s Test Kitchen. (2018). Bread Crumb Crusts That Really Work. https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/8741-bread-crumb-crusts-that-really-work
[2] Betty Crocker. (2023). How to Bread Chicken. https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/how-to-bread-chicken
[3] CooksInfo. (2023). Substituting Cornstarch for Flour. https://www.cooksinfo.com/substituting-cornstarch-for-flour
[4] Crafty Baking. (2018). Cornmeal Breadcrumbs. https://craftybaking.com/learn/baked-goods/breading-and-coating/cornmeal-breadcrumbs
[5] Fine Cooking. (2013). Cornstarch: A Flour Substitute? https://www.finecooking.com/article/cornstarch-a-flour-substitute
[6] Fisher, M.F.K. (1954). The Art of Eating. New York: World Publishing Company.
[7] Fulton, G. (2022). What’s a Substitute for Flour When Frying Chicken? https://oureverydaylife.com/substitute-flour-frying-chicken-40238.html
[8] Riell, H. (2017). The Science of Frying Chicken. https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/07/the-food-lab-how-to-fry-chicken.html