page_title: Fried chicken
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Fried chicken / Description
caption_attribution_description: Paschal's fried chicken
context_page_description: Southern fried chicken, also known simply as fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces which have been coated in a seasoned batter and pan-fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior of the chicken while retaining juices in the meat. Broiler chickens are most commonly used.
  The first dish known to have been deep fried was fritters, which were popular in the European Middle Ages. However, it was the Scottish who were the first Europeans to deep fry their chicken in fat. Meanwhile, a number of West African peoples had traditions of seasoned fried chicken. Scottish frying techniques and West African seasoning techniques were combined by enslaved Africans and African-Americans in the American South.
context_section_description: Fried chicken has been described as being "crunchy" and "juicy", as well as "crispy". In addition, the dish has also been called "spicy" and "salty". Occasionally, fried chicken is also topped with a chili like paprika, or hot sauce to give it a spicy taste. This is especially common in fast food restaurant chains such as KFC. The dish is traditionally served with mashed potatoes, gravy, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, corn and/or biscuits.
  The dish is renowned for being greasy, especially when coming from fast food outlets. It has even been reported that some of those who enjoy eating the food limit themselves to eating it only a certain number of times a year, to keep their fat intake reasonably low. Out of the various parts of the animal used in fried chicken, the wings generally tend to contain the most fat, with almost 40 grams (1.4 oz) of fat for every 100 grams (3.5 oz). However, the average whole fried chicken contains only around 12% fat, or 12 grams (0.42 oz) per every 100 grams (3.5 oz). As well as this, 100 grams (3.5 oz) of fried chicken generally contains around 240 calories of energy.
caption: Paschal's fried chicken, Atlanta, Georgia
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