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I'm an (very) amateur chef who's just started cooking chicken. I've tried cooking chicken by boiling and frying it.

I've managed to cook it right by boiling. The chicken is soft and tender.

But no matter what I try I just can't seem to cook it right by frying.

My fried chicken is all rubbery. I thought I'd increase cooking time to cook it more from inside. But that burnt it from the outside.

Does rubbery mean it is under cooked? Is it possible to make this rubbery-ness go away by frying it more?

(I am currently deep frying my chicken. Would frying it with less oil make a difference?)

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Rubbery chicken is normally a sign that it is overcooked.

Frying is a challenging method to cook chicken, because it is very rapid, and easy to overcook the chicken.

Some of this, you will simply learn by experience, based on the typical size of the parts you are frying, and the type of breading you use. You will learn to recognize from the pattern of bubbles and how the breading looks when it is done.

In the mean time, if you have a quality instant read thermometer, you can take a piece out and measure its temperature.

White meat should be about 158 - 160 F, dark meat about 165 - 170 F (depending on your preference).

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  • I agree about frying being hard. I am thinking of boiling it to cook it properly and then frying it to get a little crispiness. Would this combination method work?
    – Kshitiz Sharma
    Aug 20, 2013 at 14:58
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    Boiling is actually an extremely aggressive method of cooking, as the specific heat of water is very high. It is easy to overcook this way. Modern sous-vide methods are effective, but not practical for everyone. Poaching is another method that can be effective, as the heat is much more gentle. However, for crispy but not overcooked, there are easier things to do. I recommend oven roasting dry. Approximately 45 min to 1 hr (depending on size of the chicken parts) at about 350 (for white meat) to 375 (for dark meat), skin side up, can do wonders. But the trick is monitoring.
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Aug 20, 2013 at 15:02
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I had the same problem many years ago, not with frying chicken but making curries. No matter what I did, my chicken would turn out very rubbery and dry. Thr trick was to use the right kind of chicken pieces, at least it worked for me! I was using chicken breast and over cooking it would just make it very dry. So I started using chicken thigh and it has never disappointed me. My chicken is still very moist and delicious now that I am using chicken thigh.

As this link explaines, chicken thigh has more of both fat and collagen than the chicken breast and so their cooking temperatures and times are different.

Having said that, you still should consider the nutritional value of both:

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrition-chicken-breasts-vs-thighs-1815.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/418813-the-nutrition-of-chicken-breasts-vs-thighs/

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  • Dark meat chicken is ammenable to higher temperatures and longer cooking times than is white meat, but even it will become rubbery if sufficiently overcooked. I do agree it is a better and more flavorful candidate for many curries and similar type dishes.
    – SAJ14SAJ
    Aug 28, 2013 at 14:43
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I brine my chicken before frying or roasting, and that keeps it oh so tender and flavorful. Overnight brining will give you the best ever results but if you're in a hurry, 2 hours is acceptable. In the brining solution, I add salt, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, coriander seeds, and lots of crushed fresh garlic (because I love garlic). Make sure the whole chicken (or cut-ups) is covered. Cover tightly.

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