Viennese Fried Chicken (Wiener Backhendl)
Wiener Backhendl Say it: BAHK-hen-del
Backhendl is Vienna's answer to fried chicken: a young chicken cut into pieces, rubbed with lemon, salt and pepper, then rolled in flour, egg and fine breadcrumbs and fried in lard until deeply golden and crisp. It appears on rustic tavern menus and Sunday lunch tables across Austria, usually with a mound of warm potato salad and a wedge of lemon. The crust shatters, the meat stays juicy, and the lemon cuts the richness — simple, generous comfort food.
Viennese Fried Chicken (Wiener Backhendl)
Wiener Backhendl
Pronounced BAHK-hen-del
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Chicken
Breading and frying
To serve
Method
Pat the chicken dry and cut it into 8 pieces: halve each breast, separate the thighs, drumsticks and wings. Rub every piece all over with the salt, pepper and lemon juice and leave to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
Set out three plates. the flour on one, the eggs beaten with a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl, and the breadcrumbs spread on the third. Roll each piece in flour and shake off the excess, dip it in egg, then press it into the breadcrumbs so they cling in a loose, craggy layer — do not compact them.
Rest the breaded pieces on a rack for 10 minutes so the coating sets. Meanwhile, melt the lard in a wide, heavy pot to a depth of about 1 1/2–2 inches (4–5 cm) and heat it to 340°F (170°C).
Fry the chicken in batches of 3 or 4 pieces, never crowding the pot, turning once. The oil should bubble steadily around the crust without smoking.
Fry the drumsticks and thighs for 15–18 minutes, and the breasts and wings for 10–12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices run clear (165°F/74°C at the breast, 175°F/80°C at the thigh).
Lift the pieces out with tongs and drain on a wire rack set over paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot.
Arrange on a warm platter with the lemon wedges and scatter over the parsley. Serve straight away.
Regional variants
For Backhendlsalat, the fried chicken is cooled, sliced and laid over leaf salad with a pumpkin-seed-oil and vinegar dressing. Some cooks work a little grated lemon zest or a pinch of marjoram into the breadcrumbs.
Cook's notes
- Keep the fat at a steady 340°F (170°C); too hot and the breadcrumbs darken before the chicken is cooked through, too cool and the crust turns greasy.
- Leave the breadcrumb layer loose and uneven — that ragged, crunchy surface is what makes a proper Backhendl.
- A wire rack rather than paper alone keeps the underside of the crust crisp as it drains.
Serve with
Warm Viennese potato salad (Erdäpfelsalat), a cucumber salad, and a glass of Grüner Veltliner or a light Austrian lager.
Make ahead and storage
Best straight from the pan; leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge and should be re-crisped at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes rather than microwaved.
