Pieces of coating that fall off during the frying of chicken do more than deprive you of that scrumptious part of fried chicken; those floating bits also degrade the cooking oil, which means that successive batches tend to blacken rather than turn a golden brown. OH, the annoyance of it all!

Fortunately, there are some specific things you can do to help your fried chicken keep its coat on. Here are six tips from professional chefs; see if there’s anything here you don’t already know:

1. Make sure the chicken pieces are DRY. Take time to rinse them well, then pat dry with lots of paper towels. This makes a huge difference in how well the bonding agent (egg and milk or mayonnaise, for instance) can do its job.

2. Start with COLD chicken before coating. Then refrigerate the coated chicken for at least 30 minutes. This “sets” the crumb coating. It also helps to do a “double-dip” (dipping and coating a second time, a standard procedure in restaurants).

3. Completely coat each chicken piece with dipping before rolling in bread crumbs, flour, etc. Then be sure to completely coat each piece in the bread crumbs, flour, and so on.

4. Make sure your oil is VERY HOT and do not overcrowd the frying pan. Each time you add a piece of chicken, the oil cools quite quickly. Thus, wait half a minute or so, allowing the oil to return to its proper temperature, before adding another piece. Ignore the urge to save some time by adding all the pieces at once.

5. Because of this few-pieces-at-a-time cooking approach, you’ll want to place cooked pieces on a rack in the oven to keep them hot and crisp. This is especially important if you’re cooking a large batch. (Sitting the chicken on a rack is important; it prevents any remaining oil in the crust from turning the crust into a soggy mass.)

6. Finally, turn the chicken as few times as possible. The more you fiddle with it, the more likely it is that some of the coating will fall off. Aim for turning just once if possible.

Now, how about some advice as to what to coat the chicken in. Rather than milk, I’ve been coating my chicken in mayonnaise or ranch dressing. The extra oil seems to seal in the moisture of each piece and adds a nice flavor.

And what about the bread crumb mixture? Many cooks like using Italian seasoned bread crumbs—San Georgia is a brand that kept popping up in my research. Several professional chefs suggest finely crushed seasoned Panko crumbs.

Or you can make your own variation: To dry bread crumbs add a tablespoon of flour, some garlic powder, onion powder, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, parsley flakes, and salt. I think this comes awfully close to the Colonel’s secret recipe!

If you aren’t already practicing these tips, why not give them a try. It seems like the right thing to do—helping our chicken keep its coat on!