Gluten Free Fried Chicken | Copycat KFC Chicken Recipe
Enjoy gluten free fried chicken that tastes just like KFC when you follow this recipe. I'm sure you'll agree that this gluten free KFC chicken recipe is a keeper.
Servings: 10 pieces fried chicken
Equipment
- Electric deep fryer or deep fry thermometer and large stock pot
Ingredients
- 4 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken parts (I used 2 split chicken breasts and 4 drumsticks) (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 cup plain yogurt (or you can use 1 additional cup buttermilk in place of the yogurt)
- 2 cups basic gum-free gluten free flour blend (184 g superfine white rice flour + 62 g potato starch + 34 g tapioca starch/flour) (yes, you do have to use this blend!)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Neutral oil for frying (peanut oil is ideal, but a mixture of half canola oil and half nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening works very well, too)
Instructions
- In a large, zip-top bag or large bowl, place the chicken parts, buttermilk and yogurt, and stir to coat the chicken parts fully. Squeeze out all the air if using a zip-top bag before sealing the bag. If using a bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 and up to 16 hours.
- Once the chicken has finished marinating, in a medium-size bowl, place the flour blend, pepper, salt, paprika, oregano, thyme, parsley, cumin, cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Pour all the dry ingredients into a large, zip-top bag.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Remove the chicken parts from the marinade, about 2 at a time, and place in the bag of dry ingredients, seal the bag and shake to coat the chicken parts fully.
- Remove the chicken from the dry ingredients and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Allow the coated chicken to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to allow the dry ingredients to form a thick paste on the chicken. This will help the coating stick to the chicken during frying.
- While the chicken is sitting, prepare the frying oil by placing about 3-inches of frying oil in a large, heavy-bottom pot, Dutch oven, or deep fryer.
- Clip a deep-fry/candy thermometer to the side of the pot or fryer, and place the oil over medium-high heat. Bring the oil temperature to 350°F.
- Place the coated chicken parts in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the oil. To prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pot, hold each piece with tongs or a spider in the hot oil just above the bottom for about a minute to allow the bottom skin of the chicken to seal.
- Fry until golden brown all over, about 7 minutes on each side.
- Turn the heat down to bring the oil temperature to 325°F and allow the chicken to continue to cook until the internal temperature of each piece reaches nearly 165°F (about 10 minutes more).
- Place the chicken on a wire rack placed over paper towels to drain and cool before serving.
Notes
On preparing the raw chicken parts.
For easier frying, and easier eating, try slicing each split chicken breast in half while it’s still on the bone. A large sharp knife and a swift motion will do the trick.
To make baked "fried" chicken instead of traditional deep-fried gluten free fried chicken.
You need the same same spices (freshly ground black pepper, kosher salt, smoked Spanish paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried parsley, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and granulated sugar) in the same amounts.
In place of the chicken, buttermilk, yogurt, and flour blend that you see below for fried chicken, you'll need the following ingredients:
- 4 pounds bone-in raw chicken parts (no skin, if possible)
- 1 cup (140 g) basic gum-free gluten free flour blend (92 g superfine white rice flour + 31 g potato starch + 17 g tapioca starch/flour)
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 egg (50 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (200 g) Panko-style gluten free bread crumbs
- Cooking oil spray
How to prepare your baked gluten free "fried" chicken
The chicken is prepared differently when you bake it, rather than frying it, since you want it skinless, but bone-in. And rather than letting the chicken soak in a buttermilk and yogurt mixture, and then sit in a flour mixture, you will set up a dipping station and dip the chicken parts first in flour, then in a buttermilk and egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs mixed with the spices. Here's how to do it:- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, place a wire rack on top and spray the rack light with cooking oil to grease. Set the pan aside.
- If you only have skin-on chicken, just carefully pull off the skin and discard it.
- If you have any large pieces of chicken like bone-in breasts, use poultry shears or a very sharp knife to slice them in half horizontally, through the short center.
- Set up a dipping station for coating the chicken three times before placing it on a lined prepared baking sheet/wire rack.
- In a medium-size shallow bowl or pan, place the basic gum-free flour blend.
- Next to it, place the buttermilk and eggs, and beat to combine well.
- Finally, in a separate, medium-size bowl or pan, place the bread crumbs, and all the spices from the recipe below, and mix to combine well.
- Dip the prepared chicken pieces first in the flour blend, coating evenly on all sides.
- Next, dip the floured chicken in the egg and buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drip off
- Finally, place the chicken in the bread crumb and spice mixture, pressing the chicken down firmly on both sides to ensure that the bread crumbs adhere to the chicken on all sides.
- Place the chicken pieces about 1 inch apart from one another on the wire rack in the prepared baking sheet.
- Spray the prepared chicken pieces lightly with cooking oil spray.
- Place the chicken in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown all over and breasts have reached 165°F on an instant read thermometer and thighs/drumsticks have reached 175°F.
- Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to sit for a few minutes before serving.
