Best Oils For Frying Chicken: Tested & Reviewed By A Chef

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What oil is best for frying chicken? The best oil to fry chicken can fry at high smoke points, such as avocado oil and vegetable oil. However, you could use sunflower oil, high-oleic sunflower oil, or oil blends.

As an ex-chef of over 12 years in many different restaurants and hotels, I can safely say I know what I’m talking about when it comes to choosing the best oil for cooking or frying chicken! My personal favorite is BetterBody Foods Pure Avocado Oil, hands down, every time!

Fried chicken is best when it’s crispy and golden on the outside but soft and succulent inside. If you cannot achieve this, you are likely using the wrong oil for frying your chicken. Or maybe leave the cooking to your other half…

Learn more about why these are the best oils for frying chicken, most can be used for oven baking or mixing in salads. Discover the one that is best for your taste and cooking skills.

The Best Oils For Frying Chicken

Avocado oil is organic, and avocado oil can be the most neutral safflower oil. The main thing to consider in a smoke-free oil is its ignition point and how well it can handle high temperatures whilst frying.

Here are the best oils for frying chicken that I have tried and can highly recommend:

Rank	Frying Oil Brand	Smoke Point
1.	BetterBody Foods Pure Avocado Oil	500°F
2.	Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil	450°F
3.	LouAna Peanut Oil	450°F
4.	Native Harvest Sunflower Oil	475 – 520°F
5.	Chosen Foods Organic Blended Oil	490°F
6.	Oléico High Oleic Safflower Oil	450°F
7.	Mazola Pure Corn Oil	450°F

Read on to view the in-depth review of each oil, the pros, and what makes each the best choice to use when frying chicken:

1. BetterBody Foods Pure Avocado Oil

BetterBody Pure Avocado Oil from Foods is not for people seeking an unflavoured flavor.

Avocado oil is known for its slightly nutty flavor that can be transferred onto the chicken after being cooked in it.

This avocado oil is perfect for deep-frying and pan-frying chicken because of its smoke point.

Another factor that distinguishes this oil is that it’s organically refined. This refinement process does not happen using chemical processes but rather mechanical methods.

BetterBody Foods avocado oil has a major advantage because it has a longer shelf life.

What makes BetterBody Foods Pure Avocado Oil the best choice:

• It’s gluten-free.
• There are no GMOs present in the oil.
• The taste is soft and smooth and enhances the flavor of other flavors.
• It can be used for various cooking skills. You can use it not just for frying but also saute vegetables, salad dressings, and more.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? It has a high smoking point of 500degF.

Advantages of BetterBody Foods Pure Avocado Oil:

• Due to its high smoke point, avocado oil is thought to be among the most secure oils for cooking and cooking at high temperatures generally.
• Therefore, it’s the best choice if you regularly make cook fried chicken.
• Another advantage of avocado oil is greater than 50 percent monounsaturated fats. This makes avocado oil ideal for cooking as it is more durable.
• Monounsaturated oils, unlike polyunsaturated fats, do not interact with oxygen after exposure to the temperatures. This is the reason why the oil is dangerous when deep-frying.

2. Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is an excellent alternative for those with a deep-fryer. The temperature of a deep-fryer for frying chicken can go up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

But, vegetable oil may be heated to 450 degrees F. This means that you won’t be able to reach the smoke point.

This oil is an excellent option for those seeking oil with a mild flavor.

So, when you fry chicken in vegetable oil, I’d consider putting spices in the chicken or the butter, whichever you prefer, and the outcome of the flavor will be fresh and super tasty!

There is no additional flavoring due to the oil.

Ensure that the vegetable oil is hot enough to cook crispy chicken that isn’t grease-y. If the oil temperature is sufficiently high, your chicken wings and thighs won’t soak up the majority of it.

Here’s why you should try the Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil when frying chicken:

• It’s light-tasting.
• It is ideal for deep-frying as well as other cooking needs.
• Soybean oil is said to be oil-free and non-greasy.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? Around 350degF, but vegetable oil can be heated right up to 450degF before properly smoking.

Advantages of Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil:

• While vegetable oils aren’t healthiest for deep-frying, there are many reasons that people prefer this in place of other oil.
• In the beginning, vegetable oil is great for cost-saving. If fried chicken is a popular dish with the whole family, using budget-friendly oils is always a wise choice.
• In its bland taste, vegetable oil isn’t something that can be utilized within the home kitchen. But, the same quality allows it to be used for cooking chicken without ruining the taste that butter and meat have.

3. LouAna Peanut Oil

LouAna peanut oil comes from 100% natural peanut oil that is 100% pure.

It is ideal for deep-frying turkey, chicken, or fish because of the extremely high smoke point.

In contrast to other oils, like canola and soybean oil, peanut oil has a beautiful aroma when frying. But it’s not like the other oils.

As you’d expect, peanut oil has a highly mild, nutty taste. You might or may not be aware of it. But, many people favor peanut oil over other kinds due to its mildly sweet, nutty flavor.

Here’s why you should try the LouAna Peanut Oil when frying chicken:

• There are no grams of trans fats per serving.
• It is 100% pure, with no additives.
• High smoke points make it ideal to deep fry chicken.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? Similar to vegetable oil in regards to being able to fry at high temperatures, it can reach 450degF before starting to smoke.

Advantages of LouAna Peanut Oil:

• Peanut oil is typically one of the cheapest oils. This is something to consider if making use of it for deep-frying.
• To deep-fry chicken, you require lots of oil. While in various sources, you’ll find that using oil in the future isn’t as hazardous as many asserts, not using it again is the best option.
• Therefore, your wallet will not be as impacted when you use peanut oil.
• Another reason that makes peanut oil the most suitable oil for cooking is that there is no flavor change after using the oil to deep fry.
• Flavor transfer happens when the flavors of food that has been cooked stay in the oil, transferring them to other foods you fry after. With peanut oil, you could grill chicken and fry French fries and onion rings all in one pot of oil.

4. Native Harvest Sunflower Oil

The Native Harvest sunflower oil is an excellent alternative for those searching for a mild-tasting oil.

The Native Harvest sunflower oil is expeller-pressed. That means no chemical solvents are used in the production of oil. The oil is extracted through the expeller press, which squeezes the oil physically.

This oil production method can also increase the number of oleic sunflower oils. This is an additional reason to choose this method over solvent-expelled sunflower oil.

Due to this production process, sunflower oil is healthier for your health than traditional sunflower oil. The Happy Belly expeller pressed sunflower oil is lower in fats. However, this makes it a healthier option but slightly more expensive choice.

Here’s why you should try Native Harvest Sunflower Oil when frying chicken:

• Free of GMOs and 100% natural-derived.
• It is a rich source of monounsaturated fats that make it ideal for cooking with high heat.
• It’s a subtle flavor that will not affect your food.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? Thanks to the high level of fats it takes this oil reach high temperatures of 475 – 520degF before starting to smoke.

Advantages of Native Harvest Sunflower Oil:

• One of the primary advantages of sunflower oils is that they are almost zero flavors. This makes sunflower oil an ideal choice for frying chicken if you would like to taste only the flavor of crispy skin and succulent chicken.
• Another benefit of sunflower oil is its smoke point.
• Since cooking chicken is a process that needs high heat, you need an oil that will be effective without burning or becoming burnt.
• This Native Harvest Sunflower Oil, with a 475-520degF smoking point, is one of the top oils to fry chicken and another of my favorites when splashing out.

5. Chosen Foods Organic Blended Oil

If you’re looking for a distinctive oil for cooking chicken and other poultry, then Chosen Foods Organic Blended Oil will be ideal for your pantry.

The blended oil comprises organic safflower oil, organic avocado oil coconut oil made from organic coconut. It has all three ingredients that are ideal for cooking at high temperatures. The Chosen Foods Blend Oil is perfect for frying chicken.

Here’s why you should try Chosen Foods Organic Blended Oil when frying chicken:

• The flavor is mild and subtle.
• It is packed with healthy fats with omega-9 fatty acids.
• There are no chemically modified ingredients and no artificial preservatives.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? 490degF

Advantages of Chosen Foods Organic Blended Oil:

• It is not a surprise that it is ideal for high-temperature cooking, as all of the oils included in this blend are high smoking points.
• Smoke points for safflower oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil range from 510degF to 520degF, 525degF, and 450degF. They are all taken together and can be used to cook chicken. The combination of the three ingredients makes it more delicious.
• As we’ve mentioned before, avocado oil is rich in monounsaturated fats. It’s also highly stable and suitable for use in high-temperature cooking.
• Coconut oil is another option that is healthier than deep-frying chicken. More than 90 percent of the fats found in the oil have been saturated. This means that it won’t create harmful elements when exposed to extreme temperatures.
• Last but not least, the Safflower oil used in this blend is an excellent complement to the flavorful oils. It is tasteless and has a high smoke point – two attributes that make oil ideal for cooking chicken.

6. Oleico – High Oleic Safflower Oil

Oleic Safflower oil is an excellent choice for those looking for a non-toxic oil for frying your chicken.

It is Oleic Safflower Oil expeller-pressed. This makes it more nutritious than other vegetable oils not produced by this method.

Due to this method of squeezing oil from the safflower seeds, this oil is rich in good fats.

Here’s why you should try Oleico Safflower Oil when frying chicken:

• It contains more than 75% monounsaturated fats, making the oil extremely stable and ideal for cooking at high temperatures.
• There are no GMOs.
• It’s pretty tasteless but also doesn’t smell.
• Safflower oil is rich in vitamin E.
• It’s versatile. If you’re not wanting oil to fry your chicken in, it is best to use it for other uses like baking or vinaigrettes.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? 450degF

Advantages of High Oleic Safflower Oil:

• High Oleic Safflower Oil is an excellent option for oils that have been subjected to hydrogenation.
• In contrast to expeller, pressed oils are rich in trans fats in hydrogenated oils.
• The Oleic Safflower Oil, made without the use of chemicals, has no milligrams of trans fat.
• Another benefit of high-oleic Safflower oil is its long shelf time. Therefore, if you do not fry chicken often, the oil might be the right one for you. It can be kept at the back of your cupboard and not worry about the oil going out of date.

7. Mazola Pure Corn Oil

Mazola Pure Corn Oil is corn oil that is suitable for both deep-frying and stir-frying.

It is among the most frequently utilized oils for deep frying due to its broad supply and appropriate cooking characteristics at high temperatures.

Although the temperature recommended for Mazola Pure Corn Oil should be 350degF however, the smoking point is much higher. Therefore, the odds that you’ll burn it are extremely low.

The ability of this particular oil to reach the highest temperatures makes your chicken crispy and light.

Here’s why you should try Mazola Kernel Oil when frying chicken:

• It’s free of cholesterol.
• There are zero grams of fat per serving of this oil.
• It is pure and has no added ingredients.

What Temperature Does It Start To Smoke? 450degF

Advantages of Mazola Kernel Oil:

• Apart from having a very high smoke point, Corn oil is an extremely popular choice for many because of its mild flavor. It is a light buttery flavor.
• Although corn oil isn’t one of the top choices on the list of best oils for cooking, it does contain vitamin E, which can slow down the process of oxidation. This is the case if corn oil has been heated on high heat for an extended duration.
• The oil of corn is versatile. It can be used not just to fry but also to bake cakes, salad dressings, and many other products.

How To Choose The Right Oil For Frying Chicken

There’s a wide variety of oils, and it can be difficult to pick the best oil that suits your needs and decide if you mind any oils that contain GMOs – GMO means a genetically modified organism.

Certain oils are also great to drizzle on salads or create a vinaigrette such as olive oil and some are suitable for cooking.

If you’re looking for an excellent oil for cooking chicken, used for pan or deep frying, here’s the information you need to consider.

Smoke Point

The best oil temperature for frying chicken should be about 350 deg (around 175 degC). Therefore, before choosing the right oil for cooking, you need to know the smoke point.

For deep-fried chicken, it’s essential to choose an oil with the highest smoke point.

Every oil has a smoking point. Once a specific temperature is attained, the oil begins smoking and burning. The result is burnt oil that stinks.

If the oil turns dirty, not just do they lose a lot of its properties, but they also lose its flavor.

If you prefer your chicken cooked not to be smoky, select an oil with an extremely high smoke point.

Flavor

Many people would prefer their cooking oil to be tasteless, mainly when they are working hard on the seasoning. For those who do, there are a variety of flavorless oils.

Some, however, don’t like the flavor of the chicken. A slightly nutty taste to this chicken’s meat is what many enjoy.

FAQs

What Is The Healthiest Oil To Fry Chicken In?

Olive oil and avocado oil are good choices for frying anything but are the best oils for frying chicken because of the after taste, flavor, and smoke point. Peanut and palm oils are not suitable, either for health or environmental reasons.

Can You Reuse Frying Oil After Frying Chicken?

Yes, you can reuse cooking oil after frying chicken. Once you let the oil cool, skim off any large pieces of remaining food or fried batter. Then start to drain the cooled oil from the fryer or pan and strain the used cooking oil to store it in a resealable container for later use.

Alternatively, you can strain the oil into a container, then put it back in the pan and keep it in the oven. Make sure you don’t switch the oven on when it is inside it!

How Many Times Can You Use The Same Oil To Fry Chicken?

You can reuse most oils three to four times, depending on what way the chicken is prepared for frying. Cleaner-frying items such as French fries, you will be able to reuse oil up to eight times and likely far longer, especially if you’re replenishing it with more fresh oil.

Is Canola or Vegetable Oil Better For Frying Chicken?

Canola oil is better for frying chicken as it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. Canola oil is excellent for frying chicken. Besides cooking benefits, it has high omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, making it a great healthy option.