My friend Sarena of The Non-Dairy Queen shared this Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Southern Fried Chicken recipe with us back in 2010. She’s a trained chef, so it doesn’t surprise me that this comfort classic has been made and loved in countless households.
Over the years, this crispy, flavorful recipe has become buried in our news section. Since it’s National Fried Chicken Day tomorrow, I’m giving the post a big update and adding it to our recipe section. Now it’s easier for you and your family to find and enjoy. Take it away Sarena …
I made gluten free dairy free fried chicken. I am pretty sure my husband will stay with me forever now. Yes, I know Southern 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. 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! To make it a touch healthier, I did use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. But the recipe is also delicious with bone-in, skin-on, and dark meat chicken.
The Secrets to Perfect Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Southern Fried Chicken
There are a few important details behind the success of this recipe:
The Temperature Must be Spot On. The chicken is fried at exactly 350 degrees and then placed on paper towels to drain.
Choose a Good Frying Oil Specifically. I used peanut oil, which is a nice odorless selection that is great for frying. Vegetable oil (can contain soy), canola oil, and rice bran oil are great alternatives, but avoid oils with a low smoke point or strong flavor. They might seem “healthier” but burnt oil is far worse, and it will leave a bad taste in your mouth, literally.
Season it Well. Coating the chicken in enough salt and pepper is also key to good results. For extra flavorful chicken, I sometimes add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to the flour blend too.
Coat it Twice for Crispy on the Outside, Tender on the Inside. Double-flouring helps to lock in the juices and create a nice crunchy coating.
Let it Rest, If You Can. Allowing the fried chicken to sit and cool before eating enables the crust to stick to the chicken. The middle image in the pictures below shows how the crust is separated right after frying (my husband could not wait to eat some). But the last image shows how perfectly the crust stays on the chicken when it is allowed to sit for a little bit. My husband actually likes his fried chicken cold, and from the nibbling that occurred later, I can confirm that the crust was still crispy and stayed on the chicken!
Special Diet Notes: Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Southern Fried Chicken
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, optionally nut-fee, optionally peanut-free, and soy-free. But please note that the flour blend Sarena uses is processed in a facility that handles tree nuts and soy.
For egg-free Southern Fried Chicken, I recommend trying aquafaba (about 6 tablespoons), or you can try one of the other options in my Egg Substitute Guide. Please note that we have not tested this recipe egg-free yet. Leave a comment to let us know how it works out if you do!
- Peanut oil, for frying (see post above for other options)
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (Sarena uses almond milk)
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (see Flour Note below)
- Heat enough oil to 350ºF in an electric skillet or fryer to cover the chicken pieces.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half or strips. I cut mine in half in the pictures, but strips also work well. Generously salt and pepper the chicken.
- Mix the eggs and milk beverage in a bowl, and 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 the coated pieces on a sheet pan as you work and while you wait for the oil to come to temperature.
- Place chicken pieces in the hot oil and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken 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. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel lined platter. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
44 Comments
I had to substitute ingredients so I used chicken legs and 2% milk. I also used different additional seasonings and all I can say is the chicken came out delicious! This is my new go to gluten free fried chicken recipe since I have a daughter who can no longer eat regular flour. Our family loves it and I’m glad I found it today several years later (5/10/22). Thank you!
So many years later, and looking forward to trying it tonight!
I hope you love it Nadine!
What can we use in replace of egg?
I would personally use aquafaba -> https://www.godairyfree.org/food-and-grocery/aquafaba
But here is our egg substitute guide for more ideas -> https://www.godairyfree.org/food-and-grocery/how-to-substitute-eggs-vegan
Seriously, AMAZING. I’ve been GF for 3 years. I have only done fried stuff a few times, because with other recipes I had to buy multiple different kinds of expensive flours and it was a hassle. Love that this just uses bobs 1:1. I used 1 heaping tbsp I’d seasoned salt in lieu of salt n pepper. Also fried in coconut oil and used unsweetened oat milk. It was DELICIOUS!! My boyfriend isn’t GF, though he eats mostly gf because that’s all I cook, but he loves fried chicken and has it probably every week. He said this was his “new favorite thing” and didn’t even taste gluten free. It was crispy and light and so flavourful. Thank you for this recipe!!! I shared it with a local gluten free Facebook page here where I live. Can’t wait to make a chicken sandwich with this recipe,
Or fried pickles, onion rings, etc!! Gorgeous
That’s wonderful! Thank you for all of the feedback Emily!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! My whole family and dinner guests loved it. I highly recommend this recipe. We recently have begun to eat more gluten free for my husband. I purchased a deep fryer for this (although it is not necessary). The chicken was crispy, flavorful, and tender/moist. Enjoy!
Hi just looking for your link to subscribe. I have made this recipe with egg whites and double dipped everything. Seasoned the chicken well and used less oil. The recipe works and happy you posted yours.
Thanks I can put in my pepperplate.com recipe book on line. No I don’t get anything for recommending them. But a good place to store all your recipes. My favorite thing is in the grocery store I have access to any recipe I have posted and saved a bunch of times on not purchasing product I don’t need.
How much peanut oil do you use? I don’t see it under the ingredients.
Heat enough oil to 350ºF in an electric skillet or fryer to cover the chicken pieces.
Finally a recipe that works and gets crispy with gluten free flour. I did my batch at 350 as you suggested and was happy but the family wanted more crisp so I increased the heat to 400 and got perfect results. When I put each batch on the paper towels I added a little more salt .
Thanks again.
Mickey
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and tips Mickey!
How much salt and pepper would you reccommend?
That’s a good question. I usually list salt and pepper amounts on my recipes, but Sarena goes by look. I would say up to 1 tablespoon for this batch size, but you might want to start with just 1 to 2 teaspoons and see how that looks. It also depends on if your chicken is in a solution. Some chicken is infused with a sodium mixture to tenderize.
would coconut milk be a suitable dairy free substitute?
If you’re talking about unsweetened coconut milk beverage, then yes, that would work well. If you’re talking about regular coconut milk, then I would thin it to use. If it’s a good brand, it will be too thick.
Will soy milk work?
Yes, soymilk should work!
I made this last night for my husband and I. And we BOTH LOVED IT!! I didn’t change a thing about the recipe except for the fact that we were out eggs so I used flaxseed meal as a substitute and far as I can tell, you couldn’t even tell that you were missing anything! Thank you for the wonderful share for this yummy recipe! It was so delightfully crunchy and so nice that I could indulge in some yummy fried chicken (i’m the gluten free one). Anyway, the world needs to know that they all need to try this recipe. SUPERB!
So glad to hear that flaxseed worked well as an egg replacement! Wonderful that you enjoyed it and thank you for the feedback Sulva.
Could you use this with bone-in chicken? What would be the modifications if any?
Yes, that should work. I’d just be sure to check the internal temperature for doneness.
Anyone try this with an air fryer?
Not yet! Let us know if you do.
What would be a good grain-free alternative to the flour mix?
I haven’t tested a lot of grain-free mixes, so it would be hard to say. If you have one that typically works well 1:1 in recipes then I would try that.
I’m planning on using Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking Flour
Great recipe, thanks so much for sharing it. My 12 year old son has a lot of allergies and restricted food diet so this was a nice change of venue for him. I used authentic foods flour mix which has Brown rice, tapioca, and potato starch and added some xantham gum. Also, I used canola oil and the chicken strips fried up in 6 to 8 minutes.
Fantastic! Glad it worked out well for you and your son Raju and thank you for sharing your modifications and notes!
How is this recipe considered dairy free and it has eggs in the recipe?
Because eggs aren’t dairy! It’s a common misconception, but here is complete coverage on this topic to help clarify -> https://www.godairyfree.org/ask-alisa/are-eggs-dairy
If something is vegan, then it is dairy-free and egg-free (and meat/fish-free). But vegan and dairy-free are not interchangeable terms.
Anyone know how to do this without egg? Our family of four is all allergic to white and yolk, and we are having a horrible time as most palatable gluten free recipes contain egg.
Hi Rose, we haven’t tested this one without egg yet, but what I would do is replace the egg with unsweetened dairy-free yogurt. This will offer a slight “buttermilk” vibe, too. Otherwise, you can simply use milk beverage or coconut milk (for thicker, clingier).
Personally, I have used both Ener-G and Flax as egg replacements when baking. Used the former for a long time but then switched to using Flax mixed with water or almond milk. Google for the exact instructions.
Great, thanks for sharing your personal pick Flo!
I am anxious to try this chicken recipe since my daughter and I are both highly sensitive to gluten. Since we are also highly sensitive to egg white, I will have to try using only the egg yolks. My daughter is also highly sensitive to peanuts, so I was wondering if you know of an acceptable oil that I can use instead of the peanut oil (FYI, she cannot have soy, sesame or corn).
Hi Janet, personally I like avocado or rice bran oil for frying. Here is a great chart that shows smoke points so you can pick a good high heat oil – http://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points#.VwQi2aQrKUk
This is seriously the BEST fried chicken ive ever had!!!! It’s been at least 7 years since ive tasted fried chicken, and lately ive been craving it. By the grace of God I found your recipe and it was a win!! This is going in my recipe box. My girls have declared me the best mom ever, and I don’t even know if I’ll ever share this w them again… It’s just SO freakin good!!!!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your feedback Bobbi and so happy the recipe brought joy to your taste buds!
This was so good! Thanks for an easy recipe, that I even got my kids to eat 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback Sandra!
Omg, thanks a million, you saved me arse! It was so easy to make and it’s soooo delish! No one guessed it was gluten free and dairy free, they just gobbled it up.
Also, I just wanted to add that if you don’t have a stove that tells you the temp then you can boil it on 6 for 11 minutes on each side. 🙂 Thanks again!
So glad you enjoyed it Athan!