FOOD NEWS
The Magic Ingredient For Crunchy Fried Chicken Is Potato Starch
BY MATTHEW SPINA
When it comes to making fried chicken that’s super crispy and stays that way for longer, take note from East Asian cuisine and use one secret ingredient: potato starch.
Potato starch absorbs moisture and concentrates it, making it easier for water to escape while cooking. Also, it stops the formation of gluten in flour, preventing a chewy crust.
Furthermore, starch molecules bond with each other in a porous network, creating that brittle crunchy texture. Of your scratch choices, potato starch does the job the best.
Potato starch cooks faster than cornstarch, which helps it incorporate into batters quicker as it cooks, producing a more coherent texture. Just be sure to mix it 50-50 with flour.