What is the best oil to fry chicken in?

Author: Eda Yundt  |  Last update: Thursday, July 10, 2025

Think vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Don't use olive oil or butter—they both have lower smoke points. The ideal temperature for frying chicken is 350˚ to 365˚, and you'll want to make sure that you bring the oil back to temperature between batches.

What is the best oil to make fried chicken with?

The best oil for frying chicken is one with a high smoke point and neutral flavor, such as canola oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil. These oils can withstand the high temperatures required for frying, resulting in crispy, golden-brown chicken.

What is the best oil for frying?

Typically, the best oil for frying is a stable, neutral oil with a smoke point higher than 375°F.
  • Peanut, safflower, soybean oil (450°F)
  • Grape seed oil (445°F)
  • Canola oil (435°F)
  • Corn, olive, sesame seed, sunflower oil (410°F)

Is it better to use canola or vegetable oil to fry chicken?

Both of these oils are great options for various cooking methods such as frying, sautéing, and baking. Whether you are frying chicken or peanuts, baking a Hummingbird Cake, making a tasty stir-fry, or whisking up a simple vinaigrette, canola oil can be used in place of vegetable oil or vice versa.

What is the secret to good fried chicken?

Double frying is key, but the secret is to assault your chicken after it has cooled a bit from the first fry. Hitting the chicken with a wooden spoon will loosen up the crust and create small air pockets, this will add to the overall crispiness.

Best Oils for Frying Chicken

What is the trick to getting crispy chicken?

7 Tips for Getting Fried Chicken Extra Crispy
  1. Start by tenderizing.
  2. Don't skip the brine.
  3. Season the flour.
  4. Mix things up a little.
  5. Put some muscle into it.
  6. Fry it twice. (Yes, twice.)
  7. Leave plenty of room.

How to keep chicken juicy when deep frying?

Soak It in Buttermilk

Marinating your chicken in buttermilk the day before you fry it is an essential part of deliciously juicy fried chicken. The buttermilk's acids and enzymes break down the proteins in the chicken, making it extra tender. Try making buttermilk chicken tenders in your kitchen.

What oil does KFC use?

Kentucky Fried Chicken had the latter in mind when selecting which vegetable oil it would fry its famous chicken in. As of 2007, KFC uses low-linolenic soybean oil for all of its frying needs. Different from typical hydrogenated soybean oil, the low-linolenic variety has less linolenic acid.

What kind of oil does Popeyes use?

Popeyes operates under a "Never Frozen" policy, only serving fresh, prime-quality chicken. They use a 75% beef shortening blend and 25% vegetable oil to fry their chicken pieces. The beef tallow blends and vegetable oil are formulated to achieve the perfect breading and crispiness their customers crave.

What oil does McDonald's use?

For Frying, McDonald's Uses A Canola Oil Blend

The fries are cut, blanched, pre-fried, and frozen by suppliers, and once they're ready to be served to customers, they're finished off in a canola oil blend of non-hydrogenated rapeseed and sunflower oil.

What oil does Gordon Ramsay use for frying?

Global culinary icon Gordon Ramsay is known for his fiery personality, his hard-fought Michelin stars and his deep and abiding love of olive oil. Nearly every Ramsay recipe, from his early days on Boiling Point to Uncharted and the current critic's darling, Scrambled starts with "just a drizzle" of his beloved EVOO.

How long to fry chicken?

This usually equates to around 10 minutes for wings and 12 minutes for breasts, thighs and legs. For the best tasting fried chicken with a beautifully even golden crumb, turn your chicken pieces with tongs (being careful not to splash yourself with hot oil) every 1 – 2 minutes.

Which oil should not be used for frying?

However, if you do need to deep fry your food, our long-standing advice is that oils like corn and sunflower oils are not recommended for high temperatures. These oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats which can form undesirable compounds when heated at high temperatures.

What is the tastiest oil for frying?

Canola oil is one of the best choices when frying (and it's our top choice as the best oil to fry fish). It has a neutral flavor, and it's quite affordable, particularly if you are preparing large amounts of food.

How long to fry chicken in canola oil?

Fry chicken pieces until golden brown, about 12 minutes for large pieces and 10 minutes for the wings. Internal temperature should read 165°F (74°C). Place chicken pieces on a wire rack until all pieces have been cooked.

Is Crisco good to fry chicken in?

Fried chicken recipes are a culinary staple, and nothing makes them better than using Crisco.

What oil does Chick-fil-A use?

According to the Chick-fil-A website, they use “100% refined peanut oil.” They go on to state that “refined soybean and peanut oil are not considered major food allergens.” In fact, refined peanut oil provides a perfect medium for creating crunchy foods at high heat without off flavors.

What oil does Taco Bell use?

Sister brand Taco Bell also said Monday that its U.S. restaurants have completely switched to an oil with zero grams of trans fat. All 4,200 single-brand Taco Bells were converted to a canola oil, and all 1,400 multibrand locations switched to a soybean oil, the fast food chain said.

What is the best oil for frying chicken?

Here are the five best cooking oils for frying chicken:
  1. Canola Oil. With a high smoke point and neutral flavor, canola oil is excellent for frying chicken. ...
  2. Vegetable Shortening. Vegetable shortening is a solid fat that is commonly used for frying chicken. ...
  3. Lard. ...
  4. Peanut Oil. ...
  5. Coconut Oil.

What oil does Panda Express use?

Panda Express entrees and sides contain zero grams of trans fat per serving and adds no MSG in their food. Panda Express uses only 100% pure soybean oil in the preparation of recipes.

What is the secret to the best fried chicken?

When people want fried chicken, they tend to want it now. But if you can plan ahead, make time to soak the poultry in a brine — a solution made from water, salt, and sugar—before you fry it. This will help deepen the flavor of the meat and keep moisture inside the chicken, resulting in a juicy, tender result.

Why is my fried chicken always raw in the middle?

Undercooked Meat

This occurs when the cooking oil is too hot and the exterior of the fried chicken is done before the meat has a chance to cook all the way through.

How do restaurants get their chicken so moist?

Brining: Some restaurants brine the chicken, which means soaking it in a salty solution. This not only adds flavor but also helps the chicken retain moisture, keeping it tender when cooked. 3. Cooking methods: They might use techniques like grilling, roasting, or sous-vide cooking.

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