A temperature of 350°F is commonly recommended for frying chicken in the United States.
Recipes commonly heat the cooking oil to about 350°F, or roughly 175°C, before adding the coated chicken. The temperature is high enough to brown the coating while allowing the meat to cook through.
The oil temperature falls when chicken is added, so cooks generally monitor it and adjust the heat. A thermometer is more reliable than judging the temperature by appearance alone.
The oil temperature is not the same as the chicken’s safe internal temperature. Food-safety guidance generally identifies 165°F, or 74°C, as the minimum internal temperature for poultry. Confusing these two measurements is a common cooking mistake.