I’ve been really into fried chicken lately – fast food fried chicken is my new favorite. I can’t blame myself, I’m chicken-rich now and someone has to eat it. I need a break from frying though, so I’ve been baking and air frying. That doesn’t mean I’ve been missing out on deliciously crispy coatings, oh no. I’ve even come up with a “breading” I’ve never tried before and the result is light, crispy, and potato-y.

During a separate fried chicken kick last year (my kicks are cyclical), I wrote about the benefits of double frying chicken and using potato starch. Potato starch has a higher starch content than flour and can help create a coating with an incredible crunch. Plus, there’s a subtle and pleasant potato flavor dancing in the background. A reader commented on the post asking about using potato flakes and I got to wondering. Why not? Potato flakes would definitely make a great coating.

I didn’t use the flakes to double fry my chicken like in the karaage method mentioned in the other post. Instead, I decided to start at step one and try a standard breading technique: flour with egg and egg with potato flakes.

I always like to brine my chicken, especially if it’s white meat. Even if it’s just for a half hour, I’ll brine that bird. I use pickle juice as a ready-made and flavorful choice, but you can also use olive brine or another salty and acidic solution. While your chicken is marinating in the refrigerator, set up your breading station.