Fry Chicken Legs! Crispy and Juicy [Easy Guide]

Fried chicken is every family's meal or snack, but the preparation process can be messy. Chicken legs are also known as drumsticks.

They are the lower part of the chicken body. Many times, when we talk about chicken drumsticks, we think of a whole chicken. Not many have tried cooking the drumsticks on their own. 

Chicken drumsticks cook in the oven in a few minutes. The meat comes out tender and juicy.

The drumsticks can be coated with flour before baking, and baked at high heat. The high temperature helps to keep the chicken skin crispy and sweet.

Chicken Legs Fry Recipe - How to choose the chicken legs to fry

Choosing the best chicken legs will ensure you come out with the desired result. You have to know how to make the combination of crispy, tender, and moist meat.

Choose chicken legs that have bone and skin. The skin makes sure the meat cooks with its fat, making it more delicious. The bone helps it to lock in moisture to keep the juice intact.

Ingredients

• Chicken drumsticks
• Rosemary
• Seasoning cube
• Dried oregano
• Onion powder
• Mustard
• All-purpose flour
• Cornstarch
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying

Making frying safer and less messy

Frying can go wrong as all cautions come with cooking with hot oil. There can be a splatter, overflow, or displacement of the oil, resulting in a kitchen accident. These are some tips that can help to address these issues.

• Use a dutch oven for frying: This is to prevent the overflow of oil. A shallow pot can easily overflow.
• Set up a proper frying position: in this spot, your dutch oven should be there. You should also have a deep-fry thermometer, your plate of seasonings, your chickens, cooling rack set for cooling the chicken after frying. You should also have a plate, aluminum foil, or baking sheet for placing greasy spoons or forks during frying.
• Use the right tools: the use of proper tools helps to reduce the oil that splashes out of the pan. You can also use a long tong to put the chicken into the oil and to turn it while frying. The long tong gives room for excess oil to drain out of the chicken before carrying it out, instead of on your stove.
• Cover the pot of oil after frying to allow it to cool off. Then you can pour it out and wash your pan.

Pick up the pieces

Since you already know it is drumsticks you want to fry, you can just get the parts instead of buying a whole chicken. You don't have to go through the stress of cooking the whole chicken, that will take a long time. Just get the pieces of the drumsticks and fry.

Filling the oil

Carefully fill your pot with oil. It is safer to use a dutch pot; this is to prevent overflow and splashing. Do not fill the oil to the brim as it can spill over when you lower your chicken into it. The taste of your chicken depends on the kind of oil you use for frying. You can either use peanut oil or sunflower oil.

To use any other oil, make sure the smoke point is greater than 400°F. While pouring the oil into the pot, do not over pour. Just pour the amount you know will be enough. Most deep fryers come with lines to show levels, make use of them.

Heating the fryer

Turn on your deep fryer at constant temperature till the oil gets hot. You need a temperature of about 350-375°F for your chicken to fry well. Some models of deep fryers have a thermostat in them; you don't have to fuss over the temperature setting.

Make the Breading

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Black pepper
• Seasoning salt

Mix the seasoning salt and black pepper in a reasonable amount. Add flour and any other seasoning you wish to.

Use the breading on the chicken

You can use the breading on your chicken without dipping into any liquid if your chicken is wet. However, using a thick dip helps to give the chicken a soft body and maintains the softness of the chicken legs.

Make sure to bread the chicken legs right before you put into the oil. Do not leave it to stay for too long; if not, your chicken will become moist.

Fry the legs

Put the chicken legs into the hot oil and leave for about 15 minutes. Do not allow the chicken legs to over fry.

Check for the internal temperature (optional)

It takes about 15 minutes to fry chicken legs intensely. To be sure the meat is properly cooked, you can use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken.

Insert the thermometer into the chicken's hardest part and measure the temperature. If the temperature is 165°F, the meat has cooked.

How long to deep fry chicken legs

It takes about 15 minutes to deep fry chicken legs. But they will most likely appear to be done after a few minutes, say 5 minutes. Do not be moved; the meat has not cooked yet.

As mentioned earlier, you can also use a thermometer to know when the meat has cooked. It is just to be sure your meat is safe to eat. But on the general, it takes 15 minutes to deep fry chicken legs.

Going Low-Carb and Skipping the Breading

We are saying again do not skip the breading. For this, it makes crispy crunchy and preserves the meat moist.

The good order of breading is flour, semi-optional brine, beaten egg and buttermilk as well as more flour; the next step is the buttermilk or egg.

It is important as it helps the coating of the bread which cooks up perfect. You may mix cornmeal with the second use of the flour for extra crunch or texture.

One thing is important, for every step season it well, as they may not be sprinkling the uncovered meat with the pepper or salt. With the flour mix little cayenne or Tabasco to the buttermilk or egg.

It offers the egg and the buttermilk something to grip to. The last step is doing no stir the excess flour, rather pack it on. Then you will get craggy, great crust view of Perry.

Using Oil with a Low Smoke point

Oil is very useful for the fryers. But do not use extra virgin olive oil for your fryer. This is just waste of time for your fryer.

This will make a bitter taste for your bird for the low smoke point. Use natural oil to get more high smoke such as canola, peanut oil or vegetable oil.

Do not keep things up to the Fortune: You would better to use a thermometer to see the exact temperature of the oil. You are going to get the temperature up to 350 degrees.

Spicy Fried Chicken Legs

How to fry chicken legs (FAQs)

1. How Long Should Chicken Legs Fry?

Deep frying chicken legs take about 15-20 minutes. Breading the chicken legs does not affect the cooking time.

2. What kind of oil should I use for Frying Chicken Legs?

Whatever oil you choose, make sure it has a high smoke point. You can use peanut, sunflower, or canola oil. The type of oil you use determines the taste of the chicken legs

3. How do I know when my Chicken is done Frying?

When the color changes to a golden brown, it shows the meat is ready. You can also cut the hardest part of the chicken legs to know when it is cooked. The meat and the juice should be transparent.

4. Do I have to Cook Chicken Before Frying?

It's not necessary to cook the chicken before frying. You can just soak the chicken in a marinade of spices and buttermilk.

5. Do I Cook Chicken at low or High Heat?

Start at medium heat and reduce to low heat when you put the chicken in the oil.

Conclusion

Chicken legs are delicious and tasty. They are not hard to prepare. If you know it's drumstick you want to eat, and it is better to get the pieces from the market instead of a whole chicken. Making the drumstick does not take time as the entire chicken.

However, frying chicken requires you to be careful. Anything that has to do with hot oil can be dangerous, but once you're careful, you're safe.

Frying chicken legs in a deep fryer prevent oil spillage or overflow. This, in turn, prevents kitchen accidents. Frying in hot oil can also get messy, but once you have a napkin with you and take precautions, you can avoid the mess.