Ludo Lefebvre's Tip You Should Use For Extra Flaky Fried Chicken

When it comes to fried chicken, one of the first words on anyone's mind is "crispy." But, have you ever considered that "flaky" might be just as delicious? In an interview with Food and Wine, Ludo Lefebvre, who once astounded Los Angeles with his food truck LudoTruck, shared his method of using only cornstarch to cook the flakiest chicken possible.

Eschewing fried chicken standards like buttermilk and flour, Lefebvre insists that cornstarch is the best and only ingredient you need for a great breading. Not only is this gluten-free, but it also gives your poultry a lighter, more delicate coating that shatters rather than crunches when you bite down. Many fried chicken recipes call for a touch of cornstarch mixed in with flour, but using only cornstarch helps prevent those gummy patches that develop between the meat and breading, ensuring a more even texture.

To try it at home, use a foolproof fried chicken recipe and just substitute cornstarch for the flour. Southern fried chicken recipes may call for double-dipping your chicken for a thick breading, but Lefebvre swears by marinating chicken, letting it drain, then packing the cornstarch on thick in a single coating like you're forming a snowball. His method may be a bit unconventional, but this French chef promises that it works great.

Flour may be a good cornstarch substitute, but each has its own strengths when it comes to frying. Cornstarch, in particular, has some incredible science behind why it creates such a light, flaky coating on fried proteins.

When starch molecules absorb water and are exposed to enough heat, they swell and separate. As water evaporates from a fried food, those molecules lock into place, creating a porous crust that's shatteringly flaky. Cornstarch and flour contain the same distribution of starch molecules with 25% amylose starch and 75% amylopectin. However, cornstarch is entirely starch while flour also has gluten, creating chewiness and a firm crunch. Gluten-heavy breadings tend to absorb large amounts of moisture as it evaporates from the chicken, making them heavier.

Much like potato starch in fried chicken, cornstarch is a key ingredient to a top-quality breading. If you're still unsure of a 100% cornstarch coating, try mixing in rice flour to still achieve a more delicate flake. Rice flour has no gluten, so it absorbs less moisture and won't impede cornstarch doing the heavy lifting.