IT IS the takeaway staple that conquered Britain and changed the face of our highstreets forever.
Now scientists have revealed the secrets behind the cooking techniques that have got the nation hooked on fried chicken.
Boffins from the American Chemical Society have released a video entitled "Fried Chicken's Deliciousness, Explained" which shows why cooking battered poultry fried in hot oil produces such a tasty snack.
The boffins started with a few puns, suggesting that cooking this ubiquitous dish should be on everyone's "bucket list" and insisting it should be prepared to a standard which "meets the thigh expectations" of chicken lovers.
Sadly, the chemists were not able to reveal details of "Colonel Sanders’ Secret Recipe", which is Kentucky Fried Chicken's top secret blend of herbs and spices.
The ACS's guide to cooking chicken skips over the preparation of batter and does not give details of the herbs and spices which allow KFC to change a piece of fowl from a minger into a Zinger burger.
Once the meat is marinated, flavoured and battered, it needs to be cooked in a deep fat fryer at a temperature of about 150 to 190°C.
As the oil is heated, it produces chemicals called triglycerides.
"These are the main component of human body fat so as you might imagine, it doesn't make fried chicken the healthiest picnic food," the ACS said in its video.
"But we're here for the flavour."
The first thing to look for is the bubbles which surround the chicken as it's fried.
These "rapid fire bubbles" are caused by water escaping from the chicken and forming a "steam layer" which stops the oil penetrating inside the chicken.
The water from chicken reacts with triglycerides in the frying oil, splitting them into free fatty acids and producing several other chemicals.
"This process is crucial in extracting the water from fried foods and gives the batter that amazing crunch," the ACS added.
But beware: frying chicken can easily produce chemicals that smell like FISH and render your chicken very unappetising.
One of the processes which causes this is called oxidisation.
"While gently browned friend chicken has a pleasant buttery, nutty flavour, the oxidation of certain fatty acids like linoleic acid can produce volatile compounds which are smelly and can easily go airborne and fly into your nostrils," the ACS added.
"These volatiles can rob your chicken of good flavours and aromas in exchange for a fishy scent."
One way of combating this is using a deep fat fryer, which is deeper and allows the meat to be fully submerged.
Changing the oil can help with the flavour, as free fatty acids build up in oil as they are released from the chicken.
Once the bubbles have stopped forming on the batter, take the chicken out of the oil and leave it to cool.
And that's it: with a bit of practice, you should be able to fry meat as well as anyone working at Britain's 70 gazillion chicken shops.
But please, whatever you do, don't go and open another one, because we've quite enough already.
If you want to hear more fowl tales, check out the amazing videos of the YouTube sensation Chicken Connoisseur whose reviews have caused price hikes as hipsters flock to his favourite takeaways.
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