How to Bread Chicken With Flour & Eggs for Pan Frying

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Things You'll Need

  • Whisk

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 bowls

  • 2 cups self-rising flour

  • 1 tbsp. salt

  • 1 tbsp. pepper

  • 1 tsp. paprika

  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder

  • 1 tbsp. onion powder

  • Vegetable oil

  • Heavy-bottomed or cast-iron frying pan

  • Chicken

Pan-fried chicken can be made with a thin or thick breading.

Frying breaded chicken in a pan is a quick and easy way to fry chicken if you don't have a deep fryer or want to use less oil. Chicken tenders, boneless chicken breasts or bone-in chicken can be breaded in flour and eggs to pan fry. It's important to use a vegetable oil so that it can get at least 350 degrees before you begin cooking. Hot oil creates an instant seal on the breading and makes a crisp crust. Cold oil will result in oily breading that falls off the chicken. Safflower, soybean and peanut oils are all good choices of oil for pan frying.

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Step 1

Whisk two eggs and 1 cup of water together in a bowl so that the egg whites do not string when stirred and it is one smooth liquid.

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Step 2

Put 2 cups of flour in another bowl and add 1 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. pepper, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tbsp. garlic powder and 1 tbsp. onion powder. Mix it together with a fork until it is a consistent mixture.

Step 3

Pour oil in a frying pan until it is an inch deep and put it on medium heat to heat up. Sprinkle a little flour in the oil to check when it's ready. When the flour sizzles and dissolves quickly, the oil is ready.

Step 4

Dredge the chicken in the egg-wash mixture and then into the flour. Lightly toss the chicken in the flour so that it is coated on all sides. Do not press the chicken in the flour to avoid hard breading. Place it directly in the hot oil. Repeat this until all the chicken is breaded and fried.

Tip

This recipe works for about 3 1/2 lbs. of bone-in chicken, or about 5 lbs. of boneless chicken. To make the breading thicker, double-bread it by dipping the chicken back in the egg wash and again in the flour before pan frying. Place the chicken in the oil away from you so that any splashing oil does not splash at you.

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