Do You Need Eggs For Fried Chicken? [Are They Necessary?]

Are you confused about whether eggs are required while cooking fried chicken? There are various recipes that show with and without eggs and leave you to wonder which is the most appropriate process while frying chicken.

Eggs are not necessary for frying chicken. However, using eggs to fry chicken will give your chicken a thicker and crispier texture as the egg sticks well and can hold more amount of flour. Eggs are necessary while coating with breadcrumbs to get a crunch in fried chicken.

In this article, we shall look into some of the aspects of using eggs in making fried chicken. Are they essential also if you can fry a chicken without the use of eggs?

Should I Use Egg When Frying Chicken?

It is not compulsory to use eggs while frying chicken. Using eggs in the recipe completely depends on your choice or what the recipe calls for. If the recipe uses eggs and you have run out of eggs then you may skip them, instead of buying. However, it will result in a lighter coating for the chicken.

What Does An Egg Do For Fried Chicken?

Coating the chicken with eggs or using a milk-egg wash will help to cover and layer the chicken with a coating. This coating will be thicker than other options that you can use. Also, it allows the breadcrumbs or cornmeal to stick well to the chicken. So, the resultant will be a thicker, crunchier coating, which will give you a crunch when you take a bite.

Also, you can achieve thicker coatings with superior crunch on your chicken by dipping the chicken in the egg wash and coatings the breadcrumbs twice. Another great addition of eggs to fried chicken is it does not let your chicken become dry from within.

Can you stick breading to fried chicken without eggs?

If for any reason you wouldn’t like to use eggs in your recipe then you should know that it is possible to stick breading to chicken without the use of eggs. Breadcrumbs can be stuck on the chicken by making use of greasy ingredients and also that aren’t too runny.

Cream, melted butter, honey, dijon mustard, maple syrup, dairy and non-dairy milk that are thicker in texture, and yogurt are some of the options that will help the breadcrumbs to stick. However, they will not fluff up as dipping the chicken in eggs as the egg batter fluffs up while frying.

If you would like thicker coatings that egg batters can provide then I have had very good results with frying the chicken in chickpea flour. If you do not mind the earthy flavor of this flour then it is a good option. However, the flavor can be made mild by adding yogurt or milk instead of water to this batter.

Can you fry Chicken without eggs?

You can absolutely fry chicken without eggs and by using just flour. There are a variety of flour that are available and are perfect for getting a crispy coating. All-purpose flour is one of the easily available options that are there.

Flours that work well to fry chicken without eggs

Following is a table that shows some of the best flours that can be used to fry chicken as well as the texture and flavor that you will get by using them.

Sr. No.	Type of Flour	Reasons
1	All-purpose Flour	The most common flour is used and gives a nice crisp.
2	All-purpose Flour + Cornstarch(1:1 Ratio)	A better option than just all-purpose flour as the mix gives a better amount of crispiness
3	All Purpose Flour + Cornmeal or Semolina	Turns the chicken crispy as well as crunchy
4	Rice Flour	gives a light coating and crispier texture
5	Whole Wheat Flour + Cornstarch / Potato Starch in (1:1 Ratio)	Deeper flavor with the crispiness
6	Whole Wheat Flour + Semolina /Cornmeal	Deeper flavor with crispiness and crunch
7	Chickpea Flour	Earth flavor with a thicker coating compared to all other flours

However, if you are looking for a better understanding of the various flours you can click on the article link below.

Related Reading: Best Flours To Use For Fried Chicken! [A Deeper Understanding!]

Steps To Fry Chicken With Just Flour

1. Take 1 whole chicken and cut it into big pieces.
2. Dip the chicken in buttermilk completely (Alternatively, you can use egg, melted butter, brine, or yogurt).
3. In another bowl add 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp salt ( paprika is an added option).
4. Coat the chicken well with the flour so that there aren’t any parts left without the coated flour. If needed pat it on the chicken. Let it sit for about 10 minutes if you aren’t in a hurry. Shake off any excess.
5. Check the temperature of the heated oil in the pan. It should neither be too hot nor too cold. Dip the chicken in oil and fry. Do not crowd the pan with the chicken.

Related Reading: Using Self-Rising Flour To Fry Chicken [ Can It Be Done?]

Some Substitute for eggs in fried chicken

1. Whole Milk
2. Heavy Cream
3. Greek Yogurt
4. Honey
5. Maple Syrup
6. Melted Butter
7. Sour Cream

More Related Articles:

Here are a few more articles that might interest you!

1. What Cream to Use for Pasta? [With Table and Examples!]
2. Is Pizza and Pasta Flour the Same? [Here’s the Difference!]
3. Can You Use Heavy Cream Instead of Milk in Macaroni and Cheese?
4. Should You Put Egg in Mac and Cheese? [Here’s What to Do!]
5. Why is My Mac and Cheese Dry? [And Here’s How to Fix It!]
6. What is Tempering Eggs? [Complete Beginner’s Guide!]
7. Does Pasta Contain Egg? [A Complete Guide!]