I don't know, but you're making me hungry. :-)

Try this.....soak the pieces of chicken in milk or buttermilk for at least an hour or so in fridge to get them good and moist then roll them in the flour and seasonings.
Or you could try doing this but then repeating by rolling in flour and then dipping back into milk and rolling in flour again until you build up a thick breading.

Or use the chicken fry method where you dip the pieces in beaten eggs and then roll in flour and back into eggs and into flour again.

Let me know if either of these methods help any.

I am sure there are others who have even better suggestions.
G.M.

Thanks, merryheart. I usually use the milk dredge, and have tried the milk/breading, milk/breading routine to no advantage. I'll try the egg dip next time.

I got to thinking in bed last night (don't know why, my mind just reviews things at the end of the day) and I got to wondering if the fact that I'm using skinless chicken may have something to do with it?

I've never fried skinless but this is the recipe I've always used. Beware of bringing this to family functions, because it might be the only thing that you get asked to bring, lol.

Perfect Fried Chicken
3/4 cup all purpose flour
4 TB Garlic Powder
1 TB Salt
1 TB Paprika
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1, 2 1/2 to 3 pound ready to cook broiler-fryer cut up
Oil or fat for frying

Combine flour and seasonings in paper or plastic bag; add 2 or 3 pieces of chicken at a time and shake. Place on rack to let coating dry. Heat oil or fat (1/4 inch deep in skillet) till it will sizzle a drop of water. Brown meaty pieces first; then slip others in. Don't crowd, no touching- you may need two skillets. Brown one side; turn with tongs so not to pierce. When lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, reduce heat; cover tightly.(If cover isn't tight, add 1 tablespoon of water.) Cook until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover last 10 minutes to crisp. FOR EXTRA CRUSTINESS, add 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs to flour for the coating.
WARNING:After you've cooked this if you cover this chicken for very long -to keep warm) the coating will become a bit soggy.

I mix milk and egg before rolling in flour and then I do like lora said and let it dry (usually on a brown paper bag) before coating it again. I also think the right temp is key. I've never tried frying skinless chicken, though.

Hi Plaid,

I have fried chicken skinless, and think the breading material does have a harder time adhering to skinless chicken. Somewhere in one of my cookbooks there is a recipe for skinless fried chicken. I'll look for it this evening, and post it when I find it.

In the meantime, here is the recipe that is our current favorite. I cut out this recipe a year or two back. I think it was in Taste of Home magaazine. It differs somewhat from more traditional recipes for southern style fried chicken because it has a wet flour batter and a dry flour batter. The breading is thick and crisp and flavorful. It is my son's alltime favorite home-fried chicken recipe.

Dawn

CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon paprika
3 teaspoons pepper, divided
2 and 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 broiler/fryer chickens (3 and 1/2 to 4 lbs. EACH, cut up)
oil for deep-fat frying

In a large resealable bag, combine 2 & 2/3 cup flour, garlic salt, paprika, 2 & 1/2 teaspoons pepper and the poultry seasoning.

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs and water. Add the salt and the remaining 1 & 1/3 cup of flour and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, then place it in the bag with the dry ingredients, a few pieces at a time and shake until all pieces are well-coated,

In a deep-fat fryer heated to 375 degrees, fry the chicken, several pieces at a time, until golden brown and crispy and the juices run clear. Drain on paper towels and serve.

I think maybe it has more to do with the temperature that you cook at than how you prepare the chicken. I just roll my rinsed chicken in flour with salt and pepper in it, that's how my mom and grandma and all my aunts always made it too. Heat your skillet first, then add the oil (my mom always used bacon drippings and my aunts used lard, but I use oil)and heat it to the point where it pops and sizzles when you splash a tiny bit of water in it, then put your chicken in the pan and put the lid on. Cook over medium heat until one side is browned (you'll be able to see the brown along the edges). Then carefully turn the chicken over and leave the lid off, cook until that side is brown, too. You're making gravy too, right? What time do you want us all over??

Ilene,

I made fried chicken on Thursday night for my family using a firehouse recipe in the latest edition of Paula Deen's cooking magazine, and it was good, but still not as good as my mom's or grandmother's fried chicken that I remember eating in my younger days. It was very, very crispy and crunchy but the crust was not quite flavorful enough. I told my family then that I think it is probably the vegetable oil that I use, and that I wish I had enough bacon grease/lard to fry the chicken the way my mom did. Gravy! Yum!

Every time I read this post, I want to eat some fried chicken, so I have been wanting fried chicken every day. lol

Plaid,

Here's the recipe I have for skinless fried chicken. It is good and has a crispy crust. It is from Fannie Flagg's Original Whistlestop Cafe Cookbook, which came out shortly after the movie version of her book FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLESTOP CAFE came out. It is one of my favorite collections of southern recipes, so if you need a good recipe for any old southern favorites (like Roast Possum or Tomato Aspic or Cone Pone or Cracklin' Corn Bread, etc.), let me know. I have lots of old southern recipes that no one makes much any more!

Dawn

SKINLESS FRIED CHICKEN

8 chicken breast halves
salt
ice water
2 cups buttermilk
2 to 3 cups SELF-RISING (not all-purpose) flour
vegetable oil (or, if you have it, and you are not concerned about choleterol or fat, use a combination of lard and bacon grease!)

Remove the skin from the chicken breasts halves. Place them in a large container with a cover. Pour salted ice water (using about 2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water). Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Up to two hours before cooking, drain the chicken and pat it dry. Place in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk over the chicken and refrigerate until time to fry. Drain the chicken. Dredge the breasts in the flour, packing flour in to the crevices and coating it well. Deep-fry in hot oil for 10 minutes OR until well-cooked. Drain in a single layer in a large, shallow baking pans. Yield: 8 servings.

(If you want a more flavorful crust, add some of your favorite seasonings like salt, pepper, seasoned salt, etc. to the flour.)

Another thankyou Dawn, I've used the recipes above and could'nt get them to stick well to skinless chicken either. Will try your recipe within the week. Great thread.
vickie

I'm frying chicken today for Sunday dinner. Bumping this back.

I am not much of a cook (disclaimer here) but I used to make chicken fried steak. I found that drying the meat with paper towels before starting the process whether egg, buttermilk is the most important part. Now this is just patting the meat not resting it on the paper towel as it wil soak up the juices and the meat will be very dry.

Just my 2 cents.............