Recipe #3
Keto Fried Chicken
Everyone has their favorite comfort food. Something that is tied to their childhood, reminds them of a special meal they had during a vacation, or just that especially tasty meal that they want to eat time and time again. For me, and many others, this food is fried chicken. Many cultures have their own variations, but we will be shooting for that golden brown deliciousness that is Southern fried chicken.
First off, what defines a keto diet? Keto is essentially low carbohydrates, high fat. The total number of carbs allowed per day on a keto diet varies depending on who you ask. As a general rule of thumb, aim to stay below 40g of carbs per day. Just cutting out grains, processed sugar, fruit, and starchy vegetables makes this an easy goal to hit. Often you can eat a large meal for 5g of carbs or less.
Now, what has to change to make fried chicken keto? No grains and no added sugar; therefore, no flour, cornstarch or buttermilk. Instead, we’ll use a blend of almond flour and crushed chicharrónes for the dry dredge, and heavy cream whisked together with eggs and hot sauce for the wet dredge. This yields a high protein, high fat, and relatively carb-less exterior. You can optionally add some finely grated parmesan to the dry ingredients for even more flavor.
Here are a few pro-tips to take your keto fried chicken to the next level. Start by cleaning up the chicken pieces (cutting off extra skin, removing small bone-fragments if present, and cutting out any exceptionally dark spots or loose tendons). Don’t remove all the skin, just the pieces that hang over the meat. Then, give them a big pinch of salt and place them in a Ziploc bag. If you have a vacuum sealer, even better! Press the air out of the bag and leave them in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Pat the chicken dry before adding it into the wet dredge, this seems silly, but it will help the dredge stick better.
If you’re baking your chicken, brushing a little melted ghee on the surface part-way through baking will yield a crispier and tastier crust. And remember, keto is about limiting carbs, not the fat! If you’re frying them, flip the pieces every couple of minutes. This keeps moisture inside the meat from pooling on the top surface and making your chicken soggy. As long as you’re gentle, you won’t knock all of the breading off.
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs Chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks in any combination)
• 1 c Almond flour (preferably fine)
• 1 c Chicharrónes (finely processed in a food processor or crushed in a plastic bag)
• 1 ½ tsp + ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ¾ tsp Black pepper (ground)
• ½ tsp Dried sage
• ½ tsp Coriander (ground)
• ½ tsp Dried thyme
• ¼ tsp Garlic powder
• ½ tsp Onion powder
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne
• 1 tsp Vinegar based hot sauce (Crystal, Texas Pete, Tabasco, etc)
• ¾ c Heavy cream
• 2 ea Eggs
Optional:
• ¼ c Grated parmesan (finely grated, not shredded)
• 2 c Oil or lard (if frying)
• 2 tbs Ghee, melted (if baking of air frying)
Method:
1. Clean up chicken and optionally toss with 1 ½ tsp salt and leave in a bag to brine for 2 hours to overnight.
2. Grind pork rinds in a food processor until fine. Mix with almond flour, ½ tsp salt, and all other spices. Optionally add in grated parmesan. Place in a large dish (a pie tin works perfectly); this is your dry dredge. In a separate bowel, whish together eggs, heavy cream, and hot sauce. This is your wet dredge.
3. Pat chicken dry and place into the wet dredge. Coat evenly, and pull out pieces one at a time, allowing them to drain slightly. Place in dry dredge and coat thoroughly. Using one had for wet, and one had to toss the dry dredge onto the chicken. You can press the chicken fairly forcefully into the dry dredge to get a better coating.
4. * If baking: place chicken onto a wire rack on a sheet tray making sure they’re spaced apart. Place in a 450º oven without convection, or 425º with convection. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and brush the surface with melted ghee. Return to the oven and finish baking for about 10-15 minutes, or until you reach an internal temperature of 165º.
5. * If Frying: heat 1 ½ - 2 inches of oil to 350º (or when you add a pinch of the dry dredge, the oil bubbles gently) in a high walled pot. Place chicken in slowly and make sure the pieces aren’t touching. This may take a couple batches depending on the size or you pot. Flip chicken every 2 minutes or so until they reach 165º internally. Remove and place on a wire rack on a sheet tray.
6. * If air frying: Air fry for 10 minutes, then brush with melted ghee. Return to the air fryer until chicken reaches 165º internally. This varies from fryer to fryer, but generally 20 minutes or so. Remove and place on a wire rack on a sheet tray.
Let chicken rest for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!
