When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, fried chicken basically went out the window. You could get chicken fingers, but restaurant fried chicken with bones was pretty out of the question. Then I found this recipe on Food Network–a fried chicken recipe from an actual restaurant. I’ve made it twice with gluten free flour, and it’s VERY good–I just cut the dredge recipe in half because there was so much left over the first time, and gluten free flour is expensive. The only thing is that they call for using a giant pot of oil and cooking the chicken until it reaches 180°. I’ve just used my little deep fryer (you can only fit 4 pieces of chicken at a time, tops) and cooked until it reached 165° so it stays juicy. It does take a long time since you have to break down your own chicken and fry it in batches, so maybe I’ll consider the giant pot method at some point. Some people also just fry legs or thighs, so that would take much less time than breaking down a chicken.
I love that you don’t have to marinate in buttermilk like many fried chicken recipes, it’s nice and salty, and it has a tiny amount of heat that you expect in fried chicken. When it’s fresh, it’s crunchy, but the breading on leftovers gets soft like KFC. Both are great.
If you’re making it gluten free, just use a gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum.
Make it a meal with:
- Mashed potatoes or coleslaw
- Corn
- Fresh fruit or salad
- Corn bread or French bread
Restaurant Fried Chicken
Makes tons and is VERY delicious, but takes a lot of time if you break down your chicken and fry in batches.
Ingredients
- 2 Whole Chickens, broken down into pieces (may need to cut breast piece in half if it’s huge)
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- 3 c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp. Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tbsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 2 c. Buttermilk (or 2 c. Milk with 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice)
Directions
The chickens should be cut into 4 breasts (possibly cut the breasts in half if needed), 4 wings, 4 legs, and 4 thighs. Preheat oil in a heavy pan on the stove or in a deep fryer to 325°-340°. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. In a separate bowl large enough to submerge pieces of chicken, place the buttermilk. Take the breast pieces and dredge them in the dry mixture, then dip in buttermilk, then dredge again in the dry mixture, aggressively pushing the dredge mixture into the wet chicken to make sure you get a good crust and crunch. If you’re frying in a big pot, place the breasts in first, then thighs, then legs, then wings. You may not have quite enough dredge for the last wing or two. The original recipe does say to cook for 15 minutes and check the temperature. If frying in a countertop deep fryer, only 4 pieces tops can fit. Check the temperature after 5 minutes, aiming for 165°. Once the chicken reaches the target temperature, place on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven.
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Mitchell Meals 