How A Food Storage Container Makes Prepping Fried Chicken 10x Easier

Fellow home cooks, we've all been there. The oil is hot, and you're ready to start the process of finishing a simple classic fried chicken recipe. You pull your chicken out of the marinade and place it into your seasoned flour bowl, shaking off the excess before it hits the pan and you hear that first glorious sizzle. You reach back for the next piece of chicken, and then the next one. Before you know it, your fingertips are covered in some kind of buttermilk-flour disaster, and you find yourself awkwardly trying to wash off in the kitchen sink, trying not to touch anything with your raw-chicken-hands. Thankfully, there's an easier way, and it's as simple as putting your dredging flour into a sealable container and shaking to your heart's content.

It sounds almost too good to be true, and if you're anything like me, you're going to kick yourself for not thinking of this hack on your own. Simply grab a large-ish kitchen storage container (enough to hold your dredging flour and a few pieces of chicken at a time) that has a lid. Place your flour and seasonings into the container, add a few pieces of chicken, and shake away. Remove the chicken and place it into the oil (use tongs if you'd rather not do the whole hand washing song and dance every time you put a new batch into the fryer).

Of course, the point of the dredging process is to make your chicken as crispy as possible, and shaking it in a container can help to make sure each piece of chicken is fully coated before it hits the frying oil. You'll also want to consider what, exactly, you put into the container to coat your chicken. For the crispiest fried chicken, you'll want to add some cornstarch to your dredging mixture. Cornstarch actually works to limit gluten development, which can help you get a coating that's crispy and light. Add 1 cup of cornstarch for every 2 cups of flour to your dredging container and shake away (or customize the ratio or your liking). You can also try adding some crushed-up crackers — like Cheez-Its — to the mix to boost both the flavor and the crispy factor.

Shaking your chicken in containers instead of trying to dredge it using a dish on your kitchen counter can certainly simplify the process, but you don't have to stop there. If you'd prefer an option with even less cleanup, try shaking your chicken in Ziploc bags. When you're done, simply toss them into the trash. No matter what you decide to add to them, dredging your chicken in a shakeable container — instead of on a plate or bowl — can make the process of frying chicken far less messy.