Q:

How high (height-wise) should the oil be for frying chicken?

I thought the point of fried chicken is to have enough oil to deep fry it, but I've seen a lot of recipe discussing to fry the chicken for x-time, then flip over and fry for y-time. 
Does this mean for recipes that involve flipping chicken in fryer we don't want the oil too high (height-wise), or does it make a difference even when completely covered in oil to cook on each side.

A:

Deep fry and shallow fry both work.  At home, when using oil in a wok (safest way because of the sloping sides), I flip whether the oil is deep or shallow.  This is just to ensure even browning.  For shallow, I would use an amount of oil that is at least half the thickness of the chicken.

