Broasted chicken is fried chicken, but it’s cooked in a sealed, pressurized fryer instead of an open pot of oil. That single difference changes nearly everything about the result: cooking time, moisture, fat content, and texture. The term “Broasted” is actually a trademark owned by the Broaster Company, so restaurants can only use the name if they’re licensed and cooking with approved equipment.
How the Cooking Methods Differ
Traditional fried chicken cooks in an open vat of oil heated to around 170°C (340°F). The chicken sits in that oil for roughly 7 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. During that time, moisture escapes freely from the surface of the meat, and oil seeps in to replace it.
Broasting uses a specialized pressure fryer that seals shut during cooking. The oil temperature is actually slightly lower, around 160°C (320°F), and the chamber builds to a controlled pressure. Because the sealed environment traps steam released by the chicken, the whole process finishes in about 4 minutes. That’s nearly half the cooking time of conventional frying. The trapped steam also creates a barrier at the surface of the meat that limits how much oil can penetrate the breading and skin.
Why Broasted Chicken Tastes Different
The pressurized environment does two things at once that open frying can’t. First, it keeps moisture locked inside the meat. Research published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology found that pressure-fried chicken retains significantly more internal moisture than conventionally fried chicken, and that moisture retention is the main reason it scores higher in texture evaluations. Second, the rapid cooking and steam barrier produce a crispier exterior with less grease. The same research found pressure-fried chicken was rated crispier than open-fried chicken, while the meat inside required less force to cut through, meaning it was more tender.
The contrast is pretty intuitive if you’ve had both. Conventional fried chicken can end up greasy on the outside and dry on the inside, especially breast meat. Broasted chicken tends to be juicier throughout, with a crust that crunches without leaving oil on your fingers. Breast and leg pieces both come out more tender under pressure, though leg meat has an advantage in tenderness regardless of method.
Fat and Oil Absorption
Because the pressurized steam limits how much oil can soak into the breading, broasted chicken absorbs considerably less fat during cooking. Some estimates put the reduction at up to 50% compared to traditional deep frying. That’s a meaningful difference if you’re eating fried chicken regularly, though the exact number depends on the breading, the oil, and the size of the pieces. Either way, less oil absorption is a consistent finding across comparisons of the two methods.
The Trademark Factor
Not every restaurant with a pressure fryer can call its chicken “broasted.” The Broaster Company, based in Beloit, Wisconsin, controls the trademark and requires operators to meet specific conditions. Restaurants must cook in a Broaster-branded pressure fryer, use approved ready-to-cook Broaster food products, sign a licensing agreement, and display specified signage and packaging. If a restaurant pressure-fries chicken using different equipment or its own recipe, the result might taste similar, but it legally can’t be called Broasted Chicken.
This is why you’ll see “broasted chicken” at gas stations, delis, and small-town restaurants that all taste remarkably consistent. They’re using the same equipment, the same marinades, and the same breading mixes supplied through the Broaster program.
Which One Is Better?
It depends on what you’re after. Broasted chicken wins on tenderness, juiciness, and lower fat content. The crust is thinner and crispier, and the meat stays moist even when you’re eating it after it’s cooled down a bit. If you prefer a thick, craggy, well-seasoned crust with more textural contrast, traditional fried chicken gives you more room to play with breading styles, spice blends, and double-dipping techniques. Southern-style fried chicken, Korean fried chicken, and Nashville hot chicken are all variations that rely on open frying and wouldn’t work the same way under pressure.
Pressure frying also limits batch customization. Because the fryer is sealed, you can’t check on the chicken, adjust temperature mid-cook, or pull individual pieces early. That’s a tradeoff: you get speed and consistency, but less control over each batch. For home cooks, the question is mostly academic since consumer-grade pressure fryers designed for oil don’t really exist. Broasted chicken is something you get at a restaurant or takeout counter, not something you replicate in your kitchen.