I love me some KFC. Something about that seasoning blend is just so addictive to me. It probably has to do with childhood memories of eating KFC with the family. It is the stuff my childhood memories are made of.
I was excited when I saw that there is a copycat KFC recipe that is supposedly derived from the ‘leaked’ secret recipe from the colonel himself.
I wanted to make this a bit healthier by going gluten and dairy free copy cat KFC. Why not?
I also made sure the chicken stayed extra moist by brining the chicken before coating and cooking. Brine is essentially just very salty water. By soaking the chicken in the brine for at least 30 minutes, it allows the chicken to absorb some of the salty water into the meat. This helps to not only moisten the meat but also flavour it too. This can help with avoiding overcooked, dry chicken.
As it turns out. Gluten free and dairy free KFC is actually pretty darn good. It was crispy and flavourful just like the real deal. Except, when I served it to J, he said: “I prefer Popeyes!” Gah! Who is this person?
It’s ok. No more fried chicken for him. More for me.
Are you team KFC or team Popeyes? Let me know in the comments below.
Gluten Free Copycat KFC
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken – bone in, skin on (approx. one whole chicken, cut into pieces)
- 3 tbsp salt (for brine)
- 2 cups gluten free flour*
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp celery salt
- 1 tbsp dry mustard powder
- 4 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 3 tbsp black pepper
- oil for frying (I recommend canola or avocado)
Instructions
Prep Chicken
- Brine the chicken- in a large bowl place the chicken and cover with water. Add 3 tbsp salt and mix. Let this sit while you prepare the other ingredients (the longer it sits the better, I recommend at least 30 mins)
Prepare the Seasoning Mix
- In a large shallow dish mix the gluten free flour and arrowroot flour with the remaining herbs and spices.
Fry the Chicken
- Strain the chicken and coat each piece with the seasoned flour. Let this sit for a few minutes while you heat the oil.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan with at least 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) of oil.
- Carefully place the coated chicken pieces into the hot pan, making sure the pieces are not touching.
- Cook on medium, turning occasionally till the thickest part of the chicken registers at 165° Fahrenheit (75° Celsius) (about 10 mins).
Can I ask why you have Black pepper listed twice?
Ooops! Good catch. It’s only supposed to be in there once. You need 3 tbsp black pepper. I’ll fix it! Thanks!