The Best Gluten Free Fried Chicken Recipe Ever! | Fearless Dining (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good fried chicken? ›

Fried Chicken Secret #1: A Salty Marinade = Juicier Meat

A standard brine is a solution of salt dissolved in water (around 6% salt by weight). As chicken sits in a brine, the salt dissolves proteins in the meat's muscle structure, loosening it and allowing it to retain more moisture as it cooks.

Many recipes for batter-fried chicken recommend using wheat flour or a combination of wheat flour and cornstarch.

Not properly marinating or seasoning the chicken: Marinating the chicken before frying can help tenderise it and add flavour. Make sure you're using a marinade with acidic ingredients, such as lemon juice or vinegar, which can help break down the meat fibres.

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Here are the ABC's of gluten free frying:

The best types of fat for frying are oils with a high smoke point (the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke when it is heated up) and a high proportion of simple, unsaturated fatty acids such as palm kernel oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil or clarified butter.

The milk acts as a tenderizer, so if you can let the chicken soak in the buttermilk overnight, the crumbs will adhere well to the chicken and it will come out tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Cornstarch Is the Secret to the Crispiest Fried Chicken

You might keep cornstarch on hand for thickening gravy and making near-instant pudding at home.

Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the products less greasy. This is why rice flour is often used when making tempura because it produces a very thin and crispy, dry crust.

Think vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Don't use olive oil or butter—they both have lower smoke points. The ideal temperature for frying chicken is 350˚ to 365˚, and you'll want to make sure that you bring the oil back to temperature between batches.

There is a crucial element to getting any breading to stick to your soon-to-be fried chicken: egg wash. The egg wash acts as a binder for the bread crumbs, since the moisture from the chicken alone isn't enough. From there, you can pop the chicken in the deep fryer or air fryer, and it will come out perfectly crisp.

Should chicken be covered or uncovered when frying? ›

“Covering the chicken keeps the heat even and helps the chicken cook through,” Corriher said. “But you'll want to uncover it toward the end, to crisp it. Covering the skillet does make a racket, though — it's the drops of condensed moisture dropping into the oil that create all that carrying-on.”

Fried Chicken Will Be Bland Without Enough Salt

This allows the salt to absorb into the chicken, meaning that flavor builds not only in the coating but also throughout the meat. Brining helps keep the chicken moist as well. Salt plays a crucial role in the crispy coating, too.

Good substitutes for frying include cornstarch, potato starch, and rice flour. Alternatives in baking include rice flour, chestnut flour, and all-purpose flour. Keto-friendly substitutes include almond flour, chia seed flour, psyllium husk powder, hazelnut flour, coconut flour and flaxseed meal.

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

Brown rice flour is high in fiber and gluten-free. It has a very subtle, bland flavor, so it can work well in many recipes without having an impact on how the food tastes. It isn't the best option for baking, but it can be a healthy flour substitute for frying.

Millet flour.

It also works great with any dish that calls for dredging like this chicken fricassee.