This paleo & gluten free fried chicken is crunchy and crispy on the outside and succulent and juicy inside. You will go back for seconds; I promise!

Yield: 6 to 8 chicken thighs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min

The Best Damn Gluten Free & Paleo Fried Chicken

Pardon my language, but sometimes only an expletive will do. When I took my first bite of this plump and juicy fried chicken, all I could say was  damn! It's that good, y'all. You won't even believe it's gluten free and paleo. It just tastes like good, old fashioned chicken.

Growing up, fried chicken was a staple food group at our house. My mother would spend hours frying chicken and serving it with a rotation of vegetables and side dishes. I was raised on fried chicken, I'm talking about that good, Southern fried chicken that's so juicy and perfectly golden. Chicken so good it'll make you cry. That's what I'm used to eating and it was one of the things I knew I'd miss most when giving up gluten.

In the first few weeks of going gluten free, my mouth would water every time I drove past KFC. I longed for that delicious fried chicken; practically ached for it. It was that desire that inspired me to come up with my own alternative that would be Coeliac friendly. For those of you who don't realize, KFC is one of the danger zones for people with gluten intolerance or Coeliac Disease. All that flour flying around, contaminating pretty much everything. It's just too risky. But follow this easy recipe for the best damn gluten free fried chicken and you won't even miss the gluten. Promise.

I got the idea for this chicken after having an Indian takeaway one night. As always, we ordered poppadoms (little Indian fried crisps served with a range of chutneys, raitas and dips) and before I could eat them, I wanted to double check that they were indeed free of gluten. To my delight and shock, I learned that they're made from besan or chickpea flour, so they're completely, naturally gluten free. I began to question what other things could get coated in a dusting of ground and sifted chickpeas and immediately thought of succulent chicken thighs. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ingredients:

For the best damn gluten free & paleo fried chicken
1/2 cup chickpea or besan flour*
1/2 cup cornflour or cornstarch
1 medium egg
1 additional egg yolk
1 pack boneless and skinless chicken thighs,6 to 8 pieces
2 tablespoons Schwartz Char-grilled Chicken seasoning*
pinch salt
sunflower oil



**Notes**

• You could use ground almonds or almond flour for gluten free fried chicken, but personally, I think this makes the chicken taste a bit bread crumby and not like authentic gluten friend chicken. The besan flour gives the chicken the same texture as traditional fried chicken while still keeping it gluten free.
• If you can't find the Schwartz where you live, you could substitute for an equal amount of a rub made from onion and garlic powder, black pepper, dried parsley, brown sugar and either smoked paprika, ground mild chili powder or cayenne.

The Best Damn Gluten Free & Paleo Fried Chicken

Instructions:

1. Place a wire rack over a baking tray.
2. Whisk the egg and additional yolk in a medium sized bowl with salt and the seasoning.
3. Combine the flours in a separate bowl, the same size or larger.
4. Coat each chicken thigh in the egg and then in the flour. Then lay each piece on the wire rack and let rest 10 minutes.
5. Warm the sunflower oil in a deep saucepan or fryer.
6. Fry the chicken once the oil is hot. Continue to cook the chicken until it is cooked through and the juices run clear when you pierce the plumpest part of the chicken.
7. I served my fried chicken with oven baked potato wedges dusted with paprika, but you could serve yours with your favorite fried chicken fixings.