Gluten Free Fried Chicken
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Gluten free fried chicken can be just as crunchy and flavorful as the classic version when made with the right technique.
One of the biggest misconceptions about gluten free cooking is that you have to give up foods like great fried chicken. In reality, the right method makes all the difference. This recipe combines a buttermilk marinade, a well seasoned coating, and careful frying to create chicken that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Finished with a homemade ranch dipping sauce, it’s proof that gluten free comfort food can be just as satisfying as the original.
Ingredients for Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Chicken tenderloins – Boneless, skinless. These cook quickly and are both versatile and kid-friendly. You could slice chicken breasts or thighs into tenders if you prefer; just make sure they are all the same size so that they cook evenly.
- Buttermilk, Avocado oil, Apple cider vinegar – These make our marinade, and it’s the perfect combination for tenderizing and flavorizing. Feel free to swap the oil with your preferred oil if you would like.
- Garlic powder, Onion powder, Smoked paprika, Salt, and Black Pepper – These add a great, all-purpose seasoning that pairs well with tons of different dips. These will go into the marinade and the breading so the flavor comes through.
- Flour and Cornstarch – If you’re gluten-free, I recommend Gluten-Free Bisquick or cup4cup gluten-free flour. If you aren’t gluten-free, all-purpose flour works best. I have not tried any low-carb flours and cannot recommend any substitutions.
- Oil – If you are cooking these in the air fryer or oven, you need spray oil. If you plan to fry these on the stove, you’ll need a few cups of cooking oil (vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola oil, whatever you prefer).
How to Make The Best Gluten Free Fried Chicken
- Marinate: okay guys, you may be tempted to skip this step but please don’t. All you need to do is mix up the buttermilk marinade and pop the chicken in. Allow it to marinate at least an hour, but the longer the better.
- Bread: Combine the breading ingredients and carefully ross the chicken in the breading. If you want, you can double bread the chicken by dipping it back in the marinade and then back into the breading.
- Fry: Heat the oil to 350 degrees and fry in batches until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Can I use an air fryer?
Yes. Here are the steps for cooking in an air fryer:
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees for 3 minutes.
- Follow the above steps for breading the chicken.
- Place the breaded chicken into the preheated air fryer and lightly spray with cooking oil.
- Air fry the chicken tenderloins for 8 minutes, flip, lightly spray with cooking oil and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Important: My cooking times reflect chicken tenderloins that are uniform in size, if you use a different cut or they vary in size your cooking time may be different. Use your instant read thermometer.
How to Serve
This chicken pairs well with just about everything, especially the homemade ranch dressing I provided in the recipe card, but these are some of our favorites.
Storage and Reheating
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days
- To freeze allow the chicken to cool completely, then place the tenders (not touching) on a baking sheet or plate. Freeze for 2-3 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag.
- To reheat in an air fryer or oven until warmed through. Avoid using a microwave as it will produce soggy chicken tenders.
Gluten Free Comfort Food Recipes
Get the Recipe: Best Gluten Free Fried Chicken
This gluten free fried chicken features a crispy, golden coating and juicy chicken with a homemade ranch dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
Marinade
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Breading:
- ½ cup cup 4 cup gluten-free flour, or all-purpose flour if you're not gluten-free
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients until well combined. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 12.
- In a large shallow bowl, stir together the breading ingredients.
- Bread the chicken by removing it from the marinade and gently shaking off the extra butter milk. Dredge the chicken in the breading mixture until it is completely coated.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Once preheated place the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket (you may have to cook in batches), then spray generously with cooking spray. Air fry the chicken for 8 minutes. Then flip the chicken and spray again with cooking spray. Air fry an additional 4-6 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 3/4 inch to 1 inch of neutral oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.
- Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil using tongs. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on one side, flip and cook an additional 3 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Notes
Homemade Ranch Dressing:
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon EACH fresh dill, fresh chives
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH dried parsley, garlic powder, onion, salt
Serving: 2chicken tenders (or 1/4 of recipe), Calories: 336kcal, Carbohydrates: 19.3g, Protein: 36.3g, Fat: 11.6g, Cholesterol: 111.4mg, Sodium: 858.4mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.7g
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!
Buttermilk is the best! I’m pretty obsessed with it too, and I love that you combined it with Ranch seasoning. This chicken would be a hit in my house!
These look like TOTAL comfort food 🙂
These chicken tenders look mouth watering good. I love how you used buttermilk.
Every time I have chicken tenders I think of my grandma because she always made fantastic pan fried chicken tenders. Great recipe 🙂
I’d love that plate up there with these yummy chicken tenders and that broccoli mac and cheese please! I’ve never made them with buttermilk – I need to try that because these look awesome!
Total comfort food!! It is so strange that just one ingredient as simple as buttermilk can make such a big difference, but it does! 🙂 Thanks girl!
OK this is so bad, but Ben accidentally bought buttermilk instead of full-fat milk and we were giving it to Kai and wondering why he wasn’t drinking it…can you imagine?! But buttermilk is SO good in cooking and baking, and I can only imagine how delicious these chicken tenders must taste! Yum!
Oh my gosh!! hahahaha! I love this! Oops! That is an easy mistake to make! 🙂
These chicken tenders look so good. Buttermilk and kefir are my favorite kinds of dairy to bake with. I’ve made homemade butter before and used the leftover buttermilk to make pancakes. One word, delicious.