Why does the breading always come off of my oven fried chicken?

Question

I love fried chicken, but have been trying to cook oven fried chicken instead due to the lower caloric content. I usually use chicken that has been soaked in buttermilk overnight, drain excess moisture, and then roll it in a flour/breadcrumb mix. After the initial coating I do a dip in egg wash, and back onto the breading mix. I then place it on a non-stick pan with some Pam sprayed on it and stick it in the oven. When I flip the chicken halfway through about 30 minutes in, I lose half of the coating almost every time. I have tried cooking at a higher temperature and coating longer before flipping, both to no avail. I have also tried those pre-made mixes like baking magic and it still comes off.

What do I need to do differently to ensure that the breading will stay on?

Answer 1

The longer you let the flour/breadcrumb mixture set on the chicken before cooking, the more the gluten network will set up, which will improve adherence to the meat, as well as make the breading stay intact as a shell. The issue is that when you cook the meat, the breading and meat expand at different rates and are pulled apart. A longer set time will make the breading hold up better. Also make sure you're baking on silicone mats or parchment paper. Any amount of sticking to the pan will make the coating peel off - non-stick pans are great, but nothing is non-stick like parchment paper is, for baking.

I'd recommend trying to bread the chicken then let it sit in the fridge overnight so the gluten network can set up more. If your breadcrumbs get soggy try doing the egg wash and bread crumbs as the very last step - apply the buttermilk, flour, let it sit, then add the egg wash and bread crumbs just before baking.

Answer 2

Try removing the chicken from the buttermilk, dipping in egg wash (literally just whisked eggs), dip in flour/breadcrumbs/panko (or a combo of the three), then in the egg wash, then back in the flour and then onto a plate until ready to cook. You just need more binder between your chicken and the first layer of breadcrumbs. Eggs form a protein structure that acts as a binder, it is pretty important to do egg wash before dry products. Egg wash can be made by whisking just eggs, eggs and milk/cream/buttermilk, or eggs and water. There just has to be a high ratio of egg to other liquid, from my experience about 75% egg works really nicely.

Answer 3

Dip the chicken in the flour 1st pressing down to make it stick. Then in the egg wash and last in the breadcrumbs. Bake at proper temperature and turn halfway through. I use non stick aluminum foil to line a ceramic pan and then use Pam Olive oil spray on the foil and top of chicken. Produces a very moist chicken breast every time