The Controversial Hack That May Just Yield The Crispiest Fried Chicken

If you're the type of person who believes that fried chicken can never be crispy enough, you're bound to be interested in TikTok's latest food hack. A recent clip features a technique that involves dipping a piece of chicken into water after breading it to make it ultra-crispy. In the video, a person is seen dredging the chicken in seasoning and flour before dunking it into a small glass of water. The chicken leg then heads to the hot oil and is joined by another piece that has not received the water bath treatment.

Upon taking both pieces of chicken out of the oil, the poster claimed that the skin on the water-dunked chicken was lighter than the other drumstick, and additionally described the conventionally prepared chicken as "perfect." However, both pieces appear uniformly crispy, and the poster found no significant differences during his subsequent taste test. Like lots of cooking tips gleaned from TikTok and other viral sources, it appears that your mileage may vary if you choose to experiment with the latest fried chicken hack.

Perhaps due to the popularity of fried chicken, lots of people on TikTok are giving the frying hack a try. One video shows a woman seasoning the chicken, adding breading, then taking a piece and dipping it into water. The end result appears quite tasty, and the poster claims that the chicken is delightfully crispy while remaining tender and juicy inside.

Another TikTok video claims to have achieved equally rewarding results while using the water hack, which the person states was taught to her by her mother. In addition to boosting the crispiness, the poster also claims that this method reduces splashes and keeps the frying pan clean when combined with ultra-hot oil. At the end of the video, the chicken does appear quite crispy and golden brown, but it's not clear whether that's attributed to the dunking hack alone. Despite these positive reviews, safety must remain a priority if you want to test the technique out in your kitchen.

In one TikTok clip featuring the viral fried chicken and water hack, a disclaimer appears warning the viewer that "Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt." It should be noted that the man in the clip makes it a point to allow the water to drain from the chicken before putting it into the hot oil. Additionally, he claims the wet fried chicken is only slightly crispier than the chicken fried using the standard method.

Testing out new cooking techniques is certainly fun, but frying food always requires a degree of caution. According to BBC Good Food, placing wet food into a deep fryer is a major no-no. Doing so can result in oil splatters, which may lead to severe burns. Accordingly, it's recommended food should be blotted with a towel prior to being placed into the fryer.

While this viral hack definitely has its fans, the jury is still out regarding whether it's actually as effective as purported. Fortunately, there are other methods you can employ to make your chicken a crispy masterpiece. For instance, dunking the chicken into flour not once, but twice creates thicker breading, which sets the stage for optimal crispiness.