Crispy Low Carb Fried Chicken
A delicious Low Carb Fried Chicken Recipe perfect for picnics, road trips, or dinner any day of the week. This keto fried chicken is perfect anywhere, anytime.
Low Carb Fried Chicken
One thing I’ve missed since going low carb is Fried Chicken, while it’s not super high in carbs it certainly got more than I can safely eat. I was lamenting the loss of Fried Chicken and then this keto fried chicken recipe came along and suddenly picnics were saved!
Does Fried Chicken Have Carbs?
Yes, it does. Traditional fried chicken does have carbs when it’s made with flour, cracker crumbs,
This keto or low-carb gluten-free fried chicken is made with almond flour. Cooked in hot oil the almond coating makes for a crispy coating that even carb-aholics will enjoy. Ask my kids!
Keto Fried Chicken
I owe this one ALL to Erika’s Kitchen. Erika is a blogger friend of mine who started her own low-carb condiment business.
Somehow fried chicken came up in our conversations,(yes food bloggers ARE weird!) and she suggested I try her recipe. I did and DANG she was right, it makes damn delish fried chicken. And it’s low carb.
When I made the recipe I doubled the batch and made some to take on a road trip. It made phenomenal low carb, road trip eats along with all the other Low Carb Road Trip Snacks I packed.
Although I will say the coating wasn’t as crisp and crunchy as it was when the chicken was fresh, I still liked it. More importantly, it kept me on the keto diet when everyone was eating happy picnic food.
Of course, I changed Erika’s recipe up a bit, isn’t that the way it goes? I added a few more spices and a couple of pinches of salt.
I also soaked the chicken pieces in buttermilk, like my grandmother did, to give it that old-fashioned country tang. Obviously buttermilk is NOT keto or “low carb” but remember you’re only soaking it in buttermilk, you’re not eating a bunch of it.
You can skip the buttermilk but don’t skip making this recipe!
Low Carb Keto Fried Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs OR breast
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp hot sauce I used Sriracha but feel free to use what you like
- 4 cups oil coconut or vegetable
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups almond meal
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasonings
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika optional
- 1-2 pinches salt
- Corn Starch helps the batter stick, you don’t need much!
Instructions
- cut the chicken into pieces roughly 2×3 inches and place in a baking pan
- mix the buttermilk and the hot sauce and pour over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for up to an hour, 30 minutes is the bare minimum
- meanwhile mix the almond meal and the spices together in a shallow bowl
- when ready to cook heat the oil to 350˚, use a candy thermometer to test the oil for best results
- lightly beat the eggs and place in a shallow bowl
- set out a shallow bowl with corn starch in it
- drain the chicken
- set up an assembly line for coating chicken, you want chicken, corn starch, eggs, almond meal, and the hot oil, also set out a couple of towels for wiping your hands, it's helpful when your hands are a mess
- when the oil reaches 350˚ it's time to cook–dip a piece of chicken in the corn starch, then in the egg mixture, then toss gently in the almond meal, shake off the extra meal, and carefully place the piece it in the hot oil
- repeat with 2-3 more pieces
- cook 5-8 minutes
- meanwhile preheat the oven to 325˚, line a baking sheet with foil, and put a cooling rack over it
- when the chicken is nicely browned remove it from the oil and place it on the cooling rack
- repeat with the remaining chicken
- once all the chicken has been fried place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes to make sure the chicken is cooked through
Notes
- use a candy thermometer to test the oil, for best results
- some people prefer coconut oil but use what you like best or have on hand
- if you’re Paleo or Whole30 you can just skip the buttermilk soak
Nutrition
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I love your low carb version of fried chicken!! Yum! Xoxo
Yummy!! Very nice recipe, I will try it.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Oh, how yummy…and since it uses almond flour, that means that I wouldn’t have to share with nut-allergic B.O.B. Bob…more fried chicken for me!!!
Oh I have to try. Of course it being the new year I am always resolving to eat healthier and this would do the job!
This sounds wonderful. Since it uses almond meal would it also be gluten free?
I cannot believe this is keto. It has my mouth watering.
Love that it’s low carb. This is something I would love to make to bring along on trips!
I am on a low carb diet and these look so delicious! I have to try this recipe.
I am so trying this over the summer. The whole family loves fried chicken!
One of our ABSOLUTE Favorites! <3 enjoy!!
It’s a lot of calories. Almost my whole day. Can this just be air fried?
This for the Keto Diet, you don’t count calories, just macros. I don’t know how it would do in an air fryer, I don’t own one.
buttermilk unfortunately is not Keto Friendly. It’s cultured using low-fat milk so it retains all the sugars. If your serious Keto use soured milk instead. Regular whole milk with bit of vinegar.
You’re right of course buttermilk is NOT keto BUT we’re not drinking it we’re using the acidity of it to
tenderize the chicken. We are not asking anyone to drink the buttermilk or cook it after marinating, it should be thrown out after it does its job. If you feel like marinating this in milk with vinegar you can certainly try it.
Just made it! Soooo good!
How many carbs is it each piece of chicken??
I think you’ll have to figure out how much of the ingredients you use between all the chicken pieces and see how much is leftover.