What's the effect of using milk in fried chicken?

[surfol]

If I dredge chicken in milk before coating it with the flour and deep-fry it, what effect would it have?

Will I have a less crispy coating? or crispier coating?
Also, will I have a thicker coating in the end?
And, will it cause the chicken to brown faster?

 

[Andy M.]

If you marinate it in seasoned BUTTERmilk overnight, it will have a better flavor and be tender.

 

[Wyogal]

Probably has to do with enzymes or lactic acid acting as a tenderizer.
O.K., where's the science guy?

 

[ChefToddMohr]

Probably has to do with enzymes or lactic acid acting as a tenderizer.
O.K., where's the science guy?

You're correct. Acids break down connective tissue and tenderize proteins during marinating. This is obvious when you take something highly acidic like red wine and marinate beef overnight. Not so obvious when you use buttermilk to marinate chicken, but the effect is the same. It's not a tremendous effect, but does help retain moisture, give flavor, and tenderize slightly. Regular Milk has very little acidic qualities, only buttermilk does.

Why stop at buttermilk? Try infusing all kinds of flavor into your fried chicken. Perhaps marinate in white wine, garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs overnight. Now, dredge and fry. Viola! The flavor of Garlic and Rosemary fried chicken without actually having garlic or rosemary IN the item.

 

[Dillbert]

settle for science gal?

www. finecooking . com/articles/marinades-flavor-tenderize.aspx


take out the spaces....I'm not yet legal

 

[Andy M.]

The link doesn't work. Here is the new link.

Marinades Add Flavor but Don't Always Tenderize - Fine Cooking Article

It talks about the fact that acids don't always tenderize. Dairy marinades do.

 

[ChefToddMohr]

That's an interesting article, but basically says a mild acid is better than a strong acid. I agree with this. Think about Seviche', it's fish that has it's proteins "cooked" by acid.

I always say, "put two chefs in a room, you'll get 5 opinions."

That's the great thing about cooking and especially these forums, I love learning new things! This little bit of information will probably find its way into my cooking for the next few weeks, as I try different combinations of dairy products for flavor and texture.

Thanks for the inspiration provided by that article.

 

[Uncle Bob]

And, will it cause the chicken to brown faster?

Yes, and the finished product will tend to be darker than had you not used the milk/buttermilk.