Deep-Fried, Pan-Fried, Oven-Fried or Air-Fried?
Different cooking methods can all produce good fried-chicken-style results. The best one depends on the texture you want, the equipment you have and how comfortable you are with hot oil.
Deep frying
Immersing food in hot oil cooks the exterior quickly and evenly, producing the classic crust associated with fried chicken. It also requires the most caution because of the volume and temperature of oil.
Pan or shallow frying
Pan frying uses less oil and works especially well with smaller or flatter pieces. The cook turns the pieces so both sides brown.
Oven frying
Oven-fried recipes use a seasoned coating and a small amount of oil to create browning in a hot oven. The texture is lighter than deep-fried chicken but cleanup is simpler.
Air frying
An air fryer circulates hot air around lightly oiled food. It works best when pieces are not crowded and the coating is designed for dry circulating heat.