Broasted Chicken

These days, pressure cookers are in vogue again in the form of the Instant Pot. But back in the device’s heyday, people were getting creative with high-speed, high-pressure cooking. One result was “Broasted” chicken, a style and term trademarked by the Broaster Company of Beloit, Wisconsin. Despite the name, broasted chicken is neither baked nor roasted. It’s essentially fried chicken, but with a caveat: It’s made in a big, silver pressure-fryer that quickly pressure-cooks the chicken while it fries. The result, fans say, is flavorful fried chicken with less grease than poultry that’s been traditionally fried. Potatoes also often get the broasting treatment.

Not only is a gleaming “Broaster” essential, but the Broaster Company also requires that restaurateurs serving Broasted chicken use its trademarked coating and spices (such as the Broasterie marinade and Bro-tisserie seasoning). The broasted chicken footprint is centered in and around Wisconsin, where the Broaster Company is located. But there are a select few restaurants across the country that are broasting away.