Fried Chicken Vs Baked Chicken [Which to Choose?]

Do you have the option to choose between fried chicken and baked chicken for your dinner? Wondering what to choose? Well, we all know that baked chicken is healthy, but does it really make a difference?

Baked chicken is the healthiest and the most nutritious form of chicken mainly due to the lack of the cooking oils and breadcrumbs that form the major component in fried chicken. Also, baked chicken takes longer to cook than fried chicken thus more nutrients are retained in the cooking process.

In this article, we shall see the major differences between baked chicken and fried chicken. Also, the calories that each dish has and which is healthier.

Difference between Fried Chicken and Baked Chicken

The table below shows some of the major differences between Fried Chicken and Baked Chicken and the parameters that they are based on.

Sr. No.	Parameters	Fried Chicken	Baked Chicken
1	Method of Cooking	Fried by immersing in oil	In the oven use dry heat
2	Way of Processing	Skillet or Frying Pan	Electric, wood-fired, or gas ovens
3	Time Taken for cooking	About 10 minutes	About 30-45 minutes
4	Texture	Crispy, crunchy and soft	thoroughly cooked crisp and firm skin, falling off the bone
5	Method of Seasonings	Batter and Dry flour with seasonings	Only rubbed with seasonings and a little oil, at times roasted with vegetables
6	Flavor	Spices are not very pronounced	Spicy and flavourful
7	Fat Content	Very High as its fried in oil	Hardly any, as very little oil is used in the marinade
8	Calories	Very High in Calories-350 per 100 grams approximately	Not high in calories-200 per 100 grams approximately

Method of Cooking

The method of cooking is the biggest differentiation between fried chicken and baked chicken. Fried chicken is made by immersing the chicken in oil partially or fully. To cook the chicken you need at least 3-4 inches of oil in the pan or skillet. Baked chicken is put into the oven at a temperature of 325f directly without using any medium to cook.

Way of Processing

Fried Chicken is fried in a skillet or a pan. Baked chicken is cooked in the oven using dry heat.

Time Taken for cooking

Since the temperature of oil reaches higher degrees of 325F thus the chicken cooks faster in about 10 minutes. Whereas the baked chicken takes longer to cook about 30-45 minutes.

Pro Tip: Never put chicken taken directly from the fridge in the hot oil. As it lowers the temperature of the oil and the chicken takes longer to cook. Also, it ends up absorbing more oil than the chicken fried at higher temperatures in oil.

Texture

Fried chicken is moist and tender from within, and crispy and crunchy from the outside. Whereas baked chicken is soft, almost falling off the bone in texture compared to fried chicken. This happens as the chicken is cooked for a longer duration slowly and using dry heat and does not dry as there is some amount of moisture in the oven dish.

Method of Seasonings

Although the seasonings and spices used are generally similar, however, the method of seasoning is very different. Fried chicken is dipped in seasoned flour or at times coated with seasoned batter. Whereas, in the baked chicken the spices are mixed into a marinade with a tablespoon of oil and rubbed on the chicken also some sauces are added to make a sauce at times.

Flavor

Spices in the fried chicken are subdued and not very pronounced. Whereas in a grilled chicken the spices take a dominant role and the right kind of spices in the right quantities is essential. Also, it has a smoky flavor after being cooked.

Fat Content

The fat content in fried chicken is very high and is due to the fact that the coating and the breadcrumbs soak in a lot of oil while being cooked in oil. However, in baked chicken, this is not the case. The fat content is very low.

Calories

Fried chicken has approximately 250 – 380 calories in 100 grams. This varies on various factors such as the type of oil used, ingredients, and the number of times it has been fried. However, compared to fried chicken grilled chicken has about 180-200 calories per 100 grams of chicken.

Is Baked chicken healthier than fried chicken?

Baked chicken is healthier than fried chicken as it has less amount of oil that is applied to the chicken. Frying with unhealthy fats increases the risk of LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol in the body leading to higher chances of cardiovascular diseases and hardening of arteries leading to a heart attack.

However, unlike grilled chicken baked chicken does not have harmful carcinogens produced in the cooking process. This also leads to the fact that baked chicken is the healthiest form of chicken.

Which chicken has more nutrients – Baked chicken or fried chicken?

Following is the table that shows the nutrient value for 1 serving of chicken – fried and grilled.

Parameters	Fried Chicken	Baked Chicken
Calories	377	218
Total Fats	21g	12.8g
Proteins	40 g	23.3g
Cholesterol	126mg	93.3mg
Sodium	180mg	70mg

As we can see that there are 159 more calories in fried chicken than baked chicken per serving. Also, the total fat content is high at 21 grams per serving. The cholesterol is higher compared to baked chicken at 126mg. The sodium content is almost double the amount in fried chicken than baked chicken.

Conclusion:

Baked Chicken is one of the healthiest and most nutritious forms of chicken. It is better than frying or grilling chicken. Chicken can be baked whole or in pieces. Also, sometimes vegetables are added to make chicken with roasted vegetables called pot roast. Thus, making baked chicken even more nutritious and healthy.

Fried Chicken Vs Baked Chicken [Which to Choose?]