Healthy Fried Chicken | The Gracious Pantry | Healthy Chicken Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What's the healthiest way to eat fried chicken? ›

That trick is a sprinkling of baking powder, and it'll get you the crispiest, crackliest bites of fatty, salty skin imaginable, whether you're cooking just one thigh, a plate of wings, or an entire bird. Baking powder, it turns out, is good for quite a lot more than baking.

The oils in which the chicken is fried can contain trans fat. Also, fried foods are high in fat, calories and salt, raising the risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. While most things in moderation are fine - fried chicken included - it's in your best interests to find healthier ways of cooking your meals.

Coconut Oil. Benefits: Coconut oil has high levels of lauric acid and healthy fats, making it a healthier option for deep frying than other oils. The oil is also odorless and flavorless, which protects the flavor of your chicken and prevents flavor transfer.

But there's a healthier, equally delicious way to eat comfort food like fried chicken. And it's all thanks to your oven. By cooking chicken in the oven, you'll use little oil, which will minimize heart health risks. Aside from being healthier for your heart, this chicken is also high in protein (8 g per serving).

Marinating chicken with milk helps to tenderize the meat, making it juicier and more flavorful.

All-purpose flour gives the buttermilk and seasonings something to stick to, while ensuring a wonderfully crispy crust. This crispy fried chicken recipe calls for paprika (which helps with browning), salt, and pepper. You can add more spices and seasonings to taste.

These enzymes and acids work together in order to break down the proteins allowing the chicken meat to become tenderer. This is the reason why chefs soak chicken in yogurt or milk overnight before cooking it. The marinade will yield for a better result especially when you plan to fry the chicken.

My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.)

Is cornstarch or baking powder better for crispy chicken? ›

The baking powder raises the pH of the surface, allowing it to crisp better*), and tossing in plain cornstarch to absorb some surface moisture and create a rougher texture for the batter to adhere to. *See more on the science of baking powder and chicken wings in this article on oven-fried buffalo wings.

It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond. This then velvets your cuts of steak and chicken before they're thrown on the grill, in the oven or your favorite stir fry.

Consuming foods fried in unstable oils can have several negative health effects. In fact, eating them regularly can put you at a higher risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Therefore, it's probably best to avoid or severely limit your intake of commercially fried foods.

As a general rule, food of this type twice a week or more should not be consumed. Doing so presents numerous health problems, including increasing the potential for many types of cancer.

Increased risk of type 2 diabetes

Another key risk factor is having high cholesterol, specifically elevated LDL levels. So, if eating fried chicken regularly has caused you to become overweight and increased your cholesterol levels, you may be even more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Deep frying requires cooking at high temperatures of about 350 to 400 degrees with oils that can withstand high smoke points to create a crust, so the oils do not get absorbed. Heart healthy oils for deep frying include peanut oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil.

Although chicken can certainly fit into a healthy diet, some types are loaded with extra calories, fat, or sodium. Here are a few types of chicken that you should limit or avoid: Fried chicken. Because it's typically deep-fried and breaded, fried chicken is usually high in calories, carbs, and unhealthy fats ( 11 ).

Consuming foods fried in unstable oils can have several negative health effects. In fact, eating them regularly can put you at a higher risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Therefore, it's probably best to avoid or severely limit your intake of commercially fried foods.

Deep-fried foods

Making foods like french fries, onion rings, and fried chicken involves large amounts of oil. The food absorbs lots of the oil, drastically increasing the amount of calories. Fats are the least filling and most energy-dense macronutrient.