Of course, all secret ingredients come with some controversy, and some people say its baking soda and not baking powder that you should use for frying chicken. It turns out we’re all right. Baking powder is better for frying chicken, as the ingredient has both an acidic and an alkaline element. Baking soda is best for baking chicken, mainly if you use some kind of acidic marinade (like lemon juice) in the mix.