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Rubbery Chicken
I cook my chicken pan fried with a light amount of oil on medium heat, half covered. I cook the thighs for 30 min, they come out perfect. I cook the winglettes for 20 min, perfect. But... the drums and the drummets always seem to come out rubbery and tough. I cook the drums for 30 min and the drummets for 20. What am I doing wrong with the drums and drummets?
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Maybe give some free advice about: Cooking?
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There are two things I can suggest.
1. Do not cover the pan when frying ever. This reduces the amount of steam that is escaping causing it to return to the oil. This not only cools the oil but can cause splattering and injure you or cause a fire . If you are concerned there are splatter guards you can purchase to fit over the pan that will allow the steam to escape. The oil will also remain at the proper cooking temperature.
2. Not knowing what order you cook the different pieces in. Make sure the oil has returned to a proper frying temperature before you put the fresh pieces in the pan. You want your oil at 350 degrees for proper frying. If it is not the chicken pieces will absorb some oil and you will get some rubbery chicken. Do not over crowed the pan.
I might also suggest if you do a lot of frying you consider purchasing a countertop deep fryer. For Christmas my son gave us a Fry Daddy (a Large one). My wife and I immediately noticed the difference in everything we fried from potatoes to chicken. Everything was less greasy and the chicken is much crisper.
The difference I see is the oil is at the proper temperature as we now can see the temperature of the oil. We also use the basket to drain the oil from the item being fried before turning it out on the paper towel. It was immediately noticeable on the towel that there was much less oil on the food.
I/we had never given this any thought before. Know knowing the difference I would have saved up for the deep fryer if I had needed to. My wife and I have decided that regardless of how little we may have to fry we will use the fryer. wW also believe it is healthier than pan frying.
One other thing food cooks in less time in the fryer because it is at the proper temperature so you will have to adjust your cooking times so not to over cook things.
Until you decide to purchase a deep fryer:
1. Do not cover your pan, buy a splatter guard if you want to protect you and your stove from grease splatters. They are inexpensive and can be found in the grocery store.
2. Make sure your oil is at least 350 degrees before placing food in the pan.
3. Try reducing the cooking time by 5 minutes. If the oil is at the right temperature you food will cook faster. This will also depend on the thickness of the food being cooked so you will have to adjust the time for thicker legs.
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