Sarena ~ I made gluten free, dairy free fried chicken. I am pretty sure my husband will stay with me forever now. Yes, I know fried chicken is not the healthiest thing in the world for you, but it has been a year since my husband was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and consequently since he has eaten fried chicken. His southern boy gene was starting to go through withdrawals. I have to admit that I have not fried chicken since I was in culinary school, so this was kind of a big deal for me.

Of course, I made it the healthiest I could. This was boneless skinless chicken breast, it was fried at exactly 350 degrees and then placed on paper towels to drain. I used peanut oil, which turned out to be a nice odorless selection. I won't be doing this all the time, but as anyone who has dietary restrictions knows, living without your favorites forever is not fun!

I think there are a couple of secrets behind the success of this recipe:

One is the double-flouring to lock in the juices and create a crispy coating.

The second is allowing it to sit and cool before eating - this enables the crust to stick to the chicken.

The husband could not wait to eat some ...

But this piece was allowed to sit for a little bit and the crust stayed on perfectly ...

My husband actually likes his fried chicken cold and from the nibbling that occurred later from the trail of crumbs, I can tell you that the crust was still crispy and stayed on the chicken!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Southern Fried Chicken (Pieces or Strips)

• 4 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk [can sub another unsweetened milk alternative of choice]
• 2 Cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour [or all-purpose gluten-free flour mix of your choice]
• Peanut Oil

Heat enough oil to 350ºF in an electric skillet or frier to cover the chicken pieces.

Cut the chicken breasts in half or strips.  I cut mine in half this time, but next time I am doing strips. Generously salt and pepper the chicken (I think this is a key component along with the double flouring).

Mix the eggs and almond milk in a bowl and set aside. Place the flour in a separate bowl.

Dip the chicken in the flour, then dip it in the egg mixture and then back in the flour to evenly coat each piece. Place on a sheet pan while your oil comes to temperature and all the chicken is coated in flour.

Place chicken in the hot oil and cook until it reaches 170 degrees on an instant read thermometer (your best friend while cooking meat). Flipping halfway through. It took about 25 minutes for a half chicken breast. Place on a paper towel lined platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Yields 8 to 12 servings

Article, photos, and recipe by Sarena Shasteen, the food and health blogger behind The Non-Dairy Queen. Sarena is a graduate of The School of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, and she has worked in various fields in the culinary industry since 1995. Sarena discovered that she is "lactose challanged" in 2005, and her husband discovered his Celiac Disease in 2009.