Julia Child's Breaded Chicken Trick For Perfectly Crispy Crust

Food maven Julia Child became an industry legend for her effortless ability to break down recipes and techniques for home cooks, simultaneously demonstrating both expertise and humility. Looking back on footage of her cooking demonstrations from the 1960s puts into perspective just how many nuggets of cooking wisdom she would offer up in one seemingly quick demo, all delivered with a sense of humor and a smile. This could not be more apparent than in her breading technique for crispy chicken.

In territory that could stray to almost condescendingly straightforward, Child instead imparts gold, starting with her explanation of a standard flour, egg, and breadcrumb coating technique. She talks about the importance of the egg as the "glue" that allows the breadcrumbs to really stick. She then drops in the addition of her tools of choice for this task, which are to use a fork and spoon to deftly maneuver the chicken, rather than getting your hands caked with the ingredients. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is her advice for achieving that perfect crispy exterior, which is to rest each coated piece of chicken on a wire rack set over a plate or baking sheet to let the breading dry before cooking.

Letting the air do some of the heavy lifting as it hardens the crust is key to Julia Child's take on perfectly crispy chicken. Just that bit of extra attention in letting the crumb coat firm up makes a tremendous difference in the finished product. This drying time also lets you bring your cooking oil up to proper temperature, so that your three-step crumbing investment stays firmly in place. A focus on making time for proper prep work is just one of Child's most memorable cooking tips, in addition to seasoning your pans and not sweating your mistakes, that have become foundational to home cooking success.

Child was certainly known for her prowess in making chicken. Her coq au vin episode on "The French Chef" is legendary; but this breading technique staple is one that can be tucked in your pocket and applied in a variety of tasty dishes, from classic chicken Milanese (perhaps with a honey twist) to chicken parmesan with burrata. While Child espoused a classic breadcrumb mixture for her chicken coating, you could also mix it up with other more modern breading takes like cornflakes or even the flavor bomb of falafel mix.