Pressure fried chicken is chicken cooked in a sealed fryer that traps steam and builds internal pressure, typically around 12 to 14 PSI. This combination of hot oil and pressurized steam cooks the chicken faster, locks in moisture, and reduces oil absorption compared to standard deep frying. It’s the method behind KFC’s Original Recipe and the signature technique of Broaster-branded restaurants across the country.
How Pressure Frying Works
A pressure fryer looks like a deep fryer with a heavy, locking lid. Chicken goes into hot oil, the lid seals shut, and moisture escaping from the chicken creates steam that can’t escape. That trapped steam raises the pressure inside the cooking vessel to about 12 to 14 PSI, which in turn raises the boiling point of the water inside the meat. The result: the chicken cooks from both the outside (hot oil) and the inside (superheated steam) simultaneously.
Because the environment is pressurized, the oil temperature can be lower than in a conventional open fryer while still cooking the chicken quickly. The sealed chamber also prevents moisture from leaving the meat as rapidly as it would in an open vat of oil. Less moisture leaving means less oil entering, since oil absorption and moisture loss are essentially a two-way exchange at the surface of the food.
Pressure Fried vs. Regular Fried Chicken
The differences are measurable. In a study published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology, pressure fried chicken retained 56 to 58% moisture content, while conventionally fried chicken dropped to 49 to 52%. Total fat content told the same story from the other side: pressure fried chicken came in around 14% total fat, compared to 18% for open-fried chicken. On a dry weight basis, fat content ranged from 32 to 34% for pressure fried pieces versus 35 to 41% for conventionally fried ones.
The texture difference is distinct. Conventional deep frying tends to produce chicken that’s greasier on the outside and drier on the inside. Pressure frying flips that profile. The crust comes out crispier, and the meat stays noticeably more tender and juicy. Sensory panels in the same research rated pressure fried chicken higher for color as well, likely because the controlled temperature and sealed environment produce more even browning and caramelization across the surface of the batter.
Where Pressure Frying Came From
The technique dates to 1954, when an American inventor named L.A.M. Phelan combined parts of a deep fryer and a pressure cooker to speed up chicken cooking. He trademarked the term “Broaster” for his machine and “Broasted” for the food it produced, then formed the Broaster Company in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1956. The company still exists and licenses its equipment and branding to thousands of restaurants. If you’ve seen “Broasted Chicken” on a menu, that’s pressure fried chicken made with Broaster-branded equipment and seasoning.
Colonel Harland Sanders adopted pressure frying for KFC around the same era, though KFC uses equipment from Henny Penny, another major manufacturer. The two brands dominate the commercial pressure fryer market. Henny Penny’s machines use a counter-pressure system designed to cook food evenly on all sides, with automated controls that let kitchen staff set precise times and temperatures.
What Makes the Chicken Taste Different
Three things combine to give pressure fried chicken its characteristic quality. First, the higher moisture retention means the meat doesn’t dry out during cooking. You get a juicier bite, especially in white meat pieces like breasts that tend to overcook in open fryers. Second, because less oil penetrates the breading, the crust holds its crunch longer and doesn’t develop that heavy, greasy coating. Third, the sealed environment keeps volatile flavor compounds from escaping into the air, so more of the seasoning flavor stays in the chicken rather than dissipating as steam.
The browning on the surface is also more uniform. In an open fryer, the oil temperature fluctuates as moisture bubbles off and the heating element cycles. In a pressure fryer, the sealed system maintains more consistent conditions throughout the cook, which produces even caramelization across the entire piece.
Why You Can’t Do This at Home
A standard home pressure cooker is not a pressure fryer, and using one with oil is genuinely dangerous. Home pressure cookers are designed to handle water and steam. Their gaskets, valves, and safety mechanisms are not rated for the temperatures that hot cooking oil reaches. Oil also doesn’t produce steam the way water does, so the pressure regulation system won’t function as intended.
Research on pressure cooker injuries highlights that explosions commonly result from overfilling, premature lid opening, or improper pressure release. Adding hot oil to that equation dramatically increases the severity of any failure, since oil at frying temperatures causes far worse burns than steam alone, and an oil explosion can spray scalding fat across an entire kitchen. Commercial pressure fryers are built with reinforced construction, dedicated pressure relief valves rated for oil, and locking mechanisms that physically prevent the lid from opening while pressurized. Home pressure cookers lack these safeguards for oil use.
Some manufacturers sell smaller countertop pressure fryers designed for home kitchens, but they’re specialty appliances that cost several hundred dollars and are purpose-built for the job. A regular Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker is not a substitute.
Where to Find Pressure Fried Chicken
KFC is the most widely available source, since every location uses pressure fryers for its Original Recipe chicken. Beyond that, thousands of independent restaurants, grocery store delis, and gas station kitchens operate Broaster equipment under the “Broasted Chicken” brand. These locations are especially common in the Midwest and South. Many local fried chicken shops also use pressure fryers without the Broaster branding, so if a restaurant advertises unusually juicy chicken with a crispy crust and fast cook times, there’s a good chance a pressure fryer is involved.