Buzz
Many foods fry beautifully—pickles, potatoes, cheesy bites—but nothing quite compares to fried chicken. When done right, it’s tender and juicy inside, with a crisp, golden crust outside. While frying chicken isn't particularly difficult, it’s a bit time-consuming and leaves an oily residue throughout your kitchen. If you're going through all the trouble, you might as well get it right, and that starts with choosing the proper oil.
There’s no one-size-fits-all oil for frying chicken. While many oils are great options, the ideal chicken-frying oil should meet three key requirements: it should be affordable, have a high smoke point, and remain flavor-neutral.
The oil for frying chicken should be inexpensive.
Fried chicken that's overly expensive goes against the very essence of the dish, and who fries just a little bit of chicken? If you're going to fill your home with the scent of sizzling oil—far less pleasant than it may sound—you might as well ensure you get a generous (and satisfying) amount of fried chicken from it.
Frying a lot of chicken means needing a lot of oil—usually at least a quart or two, depending on the size of your pot. And you'll probably still need to fry in batches. Don't waste your cash on fancy oils. While frying in chicken schmaltz might sound appealing, it's usually far too expensive (for most) and likely won't deliver a superior taste, which brings us to the next point...
Choose an oil with a smoke point that exceeds your frying temperature.
One of the worst mistakes when frying food is cooking at too low a temperature, resulting in soggy, disappointing pieces. But using oil that's burnt is equally bad. For that perfect crispiness, aim for an oil temperature between 325℉ and 350℉. That’s your target range. However, depending on how skilled you are with controlling stove heat, your temperature may drift a bit. Adding cold chicken to hot oil will lower the temperature, so be ready to adjust it as needed to keep the oil within range (and remember to cool it down when you overcompensate).
Choosing oils with smoke points around 325℉ (like schmaltz) or 350℉ (such as unrefined coconut oil) might seem fine since they’re in the right range. But trying to maintain 325℉ with schmaltz results in soggy breading, and even small temperature spikes above 350℉ with unrefined coconut oil can cause smoking and a burnt, unpleasant flavor. Skip all that trouble and select an oil with a higher smoke point, around 400℉ or more, for some extra breathing room.
The simpler the flavor, the better.
I love swapping out basic oils like canola or vegetable for fancier, more flavorful options like pistachio or olive oil in recipes, especially with boxed mixes. But when it comes to fried chicken, these oils don’t belong. Not only are they expensive, but the unique compounds that give them their taste won’t survive the high heat they’ll be exposed to. They’ll burn off or worse, they’ll burn and leave your chicken with an unpleasant taste.
What you need is a refined oil, one that’s been processed to eliminate anything that might smoke or burn at higher temperatures. Vegetable oil, canola oil, lard, and vegetable shortening (like Crisco) are all great options. Extra virgin olive oil is a bit tricky—it has a smoke point that can vary from 350℉ to 410℉, but it's best to avoid it altogether because of its cost and strong flavor. Refined peanut oil is another solid choice, with a smoke point of 450℉ and no noticeable peanut flavor, though it’s a bit pricier. (If it’s your preferred oil, you can maximize its use by cleaning it with gelatin between frying sessions.)
When you’re uncertain, just grab something inexpensive and practical. Fried chicken isn’t meant to be fancy.
