Why does this chicken recipe result in a glutinous mess?
Countless times I've tried to prepared a recipe that calls for dredging chicken tenders in flour, dipping them in beaten egg (or a mixture of egg and water), and then coating them with a bread crumb mixture.
It just doesn't work for me. In the process of dipping the chicken in egg, much of the flour gets wiped off and ends up in the egg; the flour that remains sticks to the chicken in gooey clumps, and those clumps tend to resist coating with bread crumbs. After the third or fourth chicken tender has been treated, the egg has become a mess because of all the flour that's been washed off.
I've finally given up on that method and I simply do the egg and bread crumb part of the recipe, which seems to work just fine.
So why would I put flour on first - what's the advantage? And what am I doing wrong that makes it work so badly?
Best Answer
The reason for the flour being part of the breading process is to create a barrier between the meat and the breading, which will during the frying step allow for the formation of small steam pockets and a crisper crust. In a Wiener schnitzel this leads to the characteristic wrinkled surface. On the other hand, it’s the flour-egg mix that acts as „glue“ for the breadcrumbs or whatever you are using.
The amount of flour that is needed to achieve this is minimal. If you end up with flour in the egg, then I suspect you aren’t shaking off the excess flour.
The proper procedure starts with dry meat. This ensures that only little flour actually sticks to the meat when you then shake your meat to make sure all extra flour falls off. In this way you prevent the formation of what you describe as “glutinous mess”.
Then you proceed with the egg (again, let the extra drip off) and breadcrumbs.
Shallow-fry and serve immediately to ensure the crust is still crisp.
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How do I flour chicken without making a mess?
Using your right (wet) hand, turn the chicken to coat in the egg. Shake off the excess, then drop it into the breadcrumbs. Using your left (dry) hand, turn the chicken in the breadcrumbs to coat both sides, pressing them on to coat. Shake off the excess breadcrumbs, then transfer the coated chicken to the clean plate.Do I dip chicken in egg or flour first?
The standard breading procedure, and it's simple to do! The initial dip in flour helps the egg wash stick better to the food's surface. A little bit of oil in the egg wash helps thin the liquid coating, and the extra fat browns the breadcrumbs better underneath.How do you get the crust to stay on chicken?
First of all make sure the chicken pieces are dry, coat them with flour (I like to use Wondra instantized flour) or cornstarch and shake off any excess. Then dip them in beaten egg or buttermilk, or a combination of the two, and finally coat them with bread crumbs, panko, cornmeal, or cereal crumbs.What does coating chicken in egg do?
It's lighter and crisp in a way that brings to mind a cornmeal crust. Using egg whites to adhere the coating to the chicken ensures that the crust stays put, even if your chicken sticks to the bottom of the frying pan.Uncle Roger DISGUSTED by this Egg Fried Rice Video (BBC Food)
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Images: Sarah Chai, Karolina Grabowska, Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen