Saturday, January 29, 2011

Paleo Fried Chicken

This was a week of Southern cooking in honor of our friend Rob. I have always shied away from deep frying, but thought that fried chicken would be a good addition to the week. Fortunately, Rob agreed! I used a method that uses only 1/3 inch of oil in the pan, so it's really no messier than frying bacon. By finishing the chicken in the oven, the crust remains crispy, but the insides stay nice and moist. Don't let the hot sauce scare you; it adds flavor without adding heat. You can really use whatever type of chicken you like for this recipe. If you use boneless, adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Adapted from www.foodnetwork.com.


Serves 4.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup hot sauce
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp black pepper
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
coconut oil

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Warm enough coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet to cover about 1/3 inch. Using a deep fry thermometer, heat the oil until it reaches 350 degrees F.
  3. While oil heats, Combine almond flour and 1 tsp black pepper in a large bowl. 
  4. Combine sea salt, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a small bowl. Use the blend to lightly season both sides of chicken. (You will have leftover seasoning.)
  5. Mix eggs, water, and hot sauce in a medium bowl. One by one, submerse chicken in egg mixture, then dredge in almond flour mixture.
  6. Working in batches, place chicken in oil. Fry on each side for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack set inside a shallow rimmed baking pan.
  7. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
  8. Serve with your favorite veggie sides. I served with quick steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes I had cooked earlier in the week then sauteed for a couple minutes in coconut oil.

20 comments:

  1. Pam, what temp should the chicken be baked at?

    Sarah
    http://www.mommade.org

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  2. Hi, Sarah! The oven should be set at 350 degrees F and the chicken should be baked until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Sorry I left that out. Thanks for the catch! I've updated the recipe to be more complete. Hope you enjoy the fried chicken. The crust us really good!

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  3. No problem! I figured it out... I think I baked at 350 or 375. This was DELICIOUS! I've tried other "faux" fried chicken recipes and they were always just a little bland with the almond flour. This one was awesome - the hot sauce is the secret ingredient! Definitely a keeper!

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    1. Oh, good! Thanks for the update, Sarah. I'm glad you enjoyed the chicken!

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  4. Tried and loved!! Better than regular fried chicken!

    http://cheapdiettricks.com

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    1. Thanks, Pen. I have to agree! I'm happy to gave this recipe a try. I always stayed away from traditional fried chicken for health reasons. I am so glad to have it back in my life. Thanks for the nice comments!

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  5. Gonna try this one tonight, but I am gonna try mixing the spices in with the almond flour, that's the way Grandma would have done it.

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    1. Love spicy recipes. Hope you enjoyed this one!

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  6. Pam, outstanding as always! We had some issues with the breading staying on the chicken when we fried it, any suggestions?

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    1. Thanks, Heidi! I had the same issue with mine. I'm going to have to give them another go soon and do some experimenting. I'll report back to you soon!

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    2. Pam, I had more than enough of the egg/hotsauce mixture leftover and I was thinking that I would omit the water next go around and perhaps with more egg it might stick better?

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  7. Chicken turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. After reading previous posts I used coconut milk 1/4c instead of water and the batter stuck pretty well.

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    1. Sounds like a great modification. I'll give it a go next time! Thanks for posting. I'm glad you enjoyed the chicken!

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  8. Would this recipe work with boneless chicken breast?

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    1. Sure, Anon, boneless breasts would work just fine. Just be sure to adjust your oven time down to probably about 20 minutes. Check the chicken and take it out as soon as it's cooked through to avoid drying it out.

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  9. looks delicious I cant wait to try this recipe!

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    1. Hi, Kaitlyn. This is a good one--let me know how they turn out for you!

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  10. I had the same problem with the breading coming off in the oil. Im gonna try omitting the water next time too. Its in the oven right now... cant wait to try it!!

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    1. Hi, Kendra. I'd love to hear how they turned out for you. The flavor is SO good!

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  11. I love fried chicken, so I was a little skeptical...I LOVED it! Even my husband who doesn't really love paleo stuff thought it was the best fried chicken he's had. The breading does come off the chicken though. Maybe try sprinkling coconut flour on the chicken prior to dredging it in the egg so that the egg sticks to DRY chicken???

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