Fried Chicken (Gluten-Free)

July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day. As such I am sharing this gluten-free fried chicken recipe. Gluten-free fried chicken is not much different than wheat battered fried chicken, it is simply made with gluten-free flour instead of wheat. The nice thing about this particular recipe, is that it can be egg free or dairy free by using eggs instead of buttermilk and vice versa. However, it is not  recommended to be both dairy and egg free.

For best results use pieces of dark meat. This will make it easier to bake and fry your chicken. Although, if you prefer white meat, it works fine with this recipe too. Although you will need to bake large chicken breasts for an extra five to 10 minutes. Brining the chicken is optional but will yield unbelievably tender meat. Cooking time, when right, requires no *brining.

Fried Chicken (Gluten-Free)
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 lb. chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone-in
• ½ cup kosher salt or ¼ cup table salt (for soaking chicken-optional)
• 2 cups  rice flour or  millet flour, divided
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk or 3 eggs, beaten
• dash paprika
• dash cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• oil for frying (approx. 4 cups)

1. *(Optional): Place chicken in a large bowl. Add 2 qt. water and ½ cup kosher salt or ¼ cup table salt. Allow mixture to sit in refrigerator for two to three hours, then drain and pat dry. This process, called brining, will force salt and water into the chicken and make it more tender when cooked.
2. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken in one layer with your choice of butter, oil, or allergy-safe cooking spray. You may also use a nonstick baking dish. If you don't have a large enough dish to hold all the chicken, prepare two dishes.
3. Set out three large, shallow bowls. Fill the left-hand bowl with 1 cup flour, the middle bowl with the buttermilk or beaten eggs, and the right-hand bowl with the remainder of the flour, salt and pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir the right hand bowl to combine the spices. Set the prepared baking dish or dishes beside the dredging area.
4. Dredge the chicken by dipping each piece into the left-hand bowl, coating on all sides, then shaking gently to remove excess flour. Dip flour-covered chicken into buttermilk or egg until covered on all sides, then allow excess liquid to drip off. Finally, dip chicken into the seasoned flour and shake off. Place dredged chicken into the baking dish. Repeat until all chicken is dredged.
5. Bake dredged chicken for 20 minutes, or until coating starts to turn light brown. Remove from oven.
6. In a large skillet or wok, heat enough oil to submerge chicken halfway over medium-high heat. Fry all pieces, turning once, until thoroughly cooked, about six minutes per side. (If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should read 175 F at the thickest point of your dark meat, or 165 F if you choose to cook white meat using this recipe).