Gluten-Free Fried Chicken

This is the most amazing fried chicken recipe! The coating was crisp, light, and not greasy, while the meat stayed incredibly moist with just a hint of coconut flavor. The seasoning in the coating was subtle but perfectly balanced, making every bite irresistible.

I used 3 1/2 pounds (1 3/4 kilograms) of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts cut in half to create 8 pieces. Marinating the chicken overnight made a noticeable difference in flavor and tenderness. Frying took me about 30 minutes, as I wanted to ensure each piece was fully cooked. With my instant-read thermometer acting up, I played it safe and gave the chicken a bit more time in the oil. My tasters declared it even better than “that take-out place,” and the fact that it was gluten-free was a fantastic bonus for someone like me who’s wheat-sensitive.

The real proof of success came the next morning when I found my husband rummaging through the fridge, hunting for leftovers. (I had hidden them for my daughter’s and my lunch!) He even tried bribing me with fresh coffee to reveal their location.

One small note: I ended up with nearly a full cup of leftover dredging flour, which felt wasteful. Next time, I’ll reduce the flour to 1 cup and bump up the Old Bay seasoning to 3 tablespoons for an extra kick. One thing’s for sure—I won’t be using regular flour for fried chicken again. This gluten-free version was so much better!

“Moisture galore” are the first words that we all thought of when we tried this gluten-free fried chicken. Even the chicken breast was juicy as can be, and the outside crust was, indeed, nice and crisp. Not one family member did not like this fried chicken.

I let the chicken marinate for about 6 hours in the coconut milk mixture. It covered the chicken perfectly, so I did not have to move the pieces around throughout the day. Once I started frying, I decided to first fry the larger pieces, meaning the breasts, and leave the wings for last. I was timing the whole process in increments of 5 minutes. The breasts took about 20 minutes while the wings were more like 7 minutes. Even with so little oil, the flour didn’t stick to the pot at all, and it also didn’t fall from the chicken, which in turn created nice, crisp chicken.

I let the chicken rest on brown paper bags after being fried, as they soak up some of the oil yet leave the chicken crisp.

I must admit that coconut milk would not have been my first choice to make fried chicken. Neither would making it gluten-free. But since my spouse is gluten-intolerant, I figured I would give this gluten-free fried chicken recipe a try. Let me tell you, I’m glad I did. The flavors are out of this world, and the crispness of the coating is spectacular. I also found it to be nowhere near as greasy as traditional fried chicken. The chicken was moist and tender, and all the juices stayed where they belong. The coating stayed intact without any greasy oil absorption.

This recipe is well-written, a breeze to follow, and the quantities and times are on the money. All the ingredients should be available in your local supermarket. I made no changes to this recipe at all. I marinated the chicken in the fridge overnight and them some—about 12 hours. I dredged all the chicken while the oil was heating and used the parchment paper to hold it. Using a cast-iron skillet, I was only able to fry 2 pieces at a time. The flour didn’t become soggy at all by the time the last pieces were fried, so no issue there. I kept the chicken warm in a 200°F oven. I recommend doing the dark meat and white in different batches because the times are a bit different. Also, using a meat thermometer is helpful because the coating browns quickly, and though the chicken may look done, it’s not.

I use only organic chicken in my cooking, as I find it has a nicer texture and flavor, but the downside is that you have to cut it up yourself. However it is worth learning how to do it. They are far superior to the so-called super chickens. Enough said.

As I didn’t have a brown bag, I used a layer of paper towels to drain the chicken. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was no excess grease, so only a wire rack was really needed. I for sure will be making this recipe again. One last thing, the crispness of the coating holds up well and remains crisp even after an overnight stay in the fridge. Just another plus for this recipe. This is one fine recipe for fried chicken.