Fried Chicken Chains Don't Want You To Know This Secret For The Flakiest, Juiciest Chicken Of Your Life

The secret to the lightest, flakiest, most finger-lick-worthy fried chicken is lurking in your liquor cabinet...

Whether it's a specific pan to use, a certain kind of flour to dredge with, or oil to fry in, every great cook has their trick for crispy fried chicken. Here at Tasty, we've tested dozens of them in the quest for the perfect plate of fried chicken.

As for the results? We found that one food science-backed ingredient was super effective — and you won't find it in most chicken dredges.

Most fried chicken dredges use wheat flour, which creates that signature scraggly, flaky crust. The one thing that can sabotage this crispiness? Gluten. When wheat flour meets water, gluten forms — perfect for chewy sourdough, but not ideal for a crunchy chicken coating. To achieve that golden, flaky texture, keeping gluten development in check is key.

🍸How do we do that? A bit of booze!

Adding a splash of vodka to your fried chicken dredge isn’t just an excuse to mix up a Moscow Mule while you're cooking dinner, it's science, baby. Vodka has a lower boiling point than water and evaporates faster; it zips away during frying, leaving behind a dry, crispy crust.

Curious about our other tips for the crunchiest fried chicken? You can find our tried-and-true recipe (as well as a video that dives into all the methods we tested) by downloading the free Tasty app and searching for "The Crispiest Fried Chicken" — no subscription required!