The first bite of this gluten free fried chicken, that shattering crispy crust giving way to the juicy, tender chicken, is the kind of thing I honestly did not think was possible after going gluten free. This is why I was so incredibly thankful that Ari, the owner of Proposition Chicken in San Francisco, shared his famous gluten free fried chicken recipe. If you want a tried and true gluten free fried chicken recipe, this is the one to make!
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This delicious gluten free fried chicken recipe is made with simple ingredients, without flour! It turns out with a flaky, crispy outside and tender, juicy chicken inside. Use any parts of chicken! I share every step to make this incredible restaurant-quality gluten-free fried chicken.
When the owner, Ari, of Proposition Chicken in San Francisco, told me he was going to share his exclusive gluten-free fried chicken recipe with us, I thought about how incredible this was. How often do you feel safe eating fried chicken at a restaurant? I can tell you I wouldn’t! There is a lot of risk from shared equipment, shared fryers, etc. At Proposition Chicken, you can leave these worries behind. They have dedicated gluten free fryers, and they take all of the precautions to prevent any cross contamination.
I walk you through every step to make this delicious chicken. One taste of this gluten-free chicken recipe, and you will never want to try a different recipe. If you are looking for more chicken recipes, I have a lot of incredible gluten-free chicken recipes on the blog.
The fried chicken came out amazing. It was the best fried chicken I have had in over 15 years. Came out super crispy (I only dipped once) and the chicken was moist and flavorful. Your directions were easy to follow and made all the difference to me.”
ellen s., blog comment
A Note From My Kitchen
When I tested this recipe, I used bone-in chicken thighs and legs. I left the skin on so the tapioca starch would stick nicely.
For me, the part of testing I dread most is frying in hot oil. Our outdoor Weber grill has a side burner attached. I used this to make my fried chicken. This prevents the hot oil from going all over my kitchen, and that smell permeates EVERYWHERE! Avoid all of this if you can, and cook this outside. If you have a deep fryer, you can use it outside if you have an external electrical outlet.
Safety Tip: It is important to use long metal tongs when making this fried chicken. Hot oil can splatter and burn your hands. Long metal tongs will help protect you. You can also wear silicone pot holders.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
These are the ingredients needed for this gluten-free fried chicken recipe. I share a few substitution ideas in case you do not have a specific ingredient. For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Chicken – You can use bone-in or boneless chicken cut for this recipe. Cooking times will be shorter if you use boneless chicken.
- Tapioca Starch – Tapioca starch, also called tapioca flour, is grain-free and is the reason this recipe works. Unlike flour, it contains almost no protein or fat, so when it hits hot oil, it gelatinizes and sets into a rigid, almost glassy shell. That is where the crispy shatter comes from. Flour gives you crunch; tapioca gives you crackliness.
- Buttermilk – This adds flavor and juiciness. If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 1 cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Red Wine Vinegar – Most vinegar is gluten free, but always read the labels!
- Cayenne Pepper and Salt – This adds a hint of spice; it is optional.
- Oil – One of the most important factors to consider when choosing an oil to use is the oil’s smoking point. The smoking point is the moment when the oil is no longer glossy and shimmery-looking, and it starts to smoke.
How to Make the Best Gluten-Free Fried Chicken (Step-By-Step)
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Step 1: Add all the buttermilk, red wine vinegar, and cayenne pepper to a large
Add the raw chicken to the liquid ingredients and coat the chicken with the buttermilk mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Step 2: Soak the chicken in the buttermilk overnight or for 8-10 hours in the refrigerator. This makes the meat more tender and juicy when you fry it.
Remove the chicken and dip it into the tapioca starch seasoning blend. Toss the chicken to coat it.
Step 3: In a Dutch oven or large 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the oil to 350-375Âş F. Use a digital thermometer to measure the oil temperature. You do not want the oil too cold, where the chicken will not cook properly, and you don’t want the oil too hot, where the chicken can burn.
Gently drop the chicken into the hot oil. Be careful of the hot oil spattering out of the pan!
đź‘€ Sandi Says: I recommend using canola or avocado oil because they are heat-resistant. Do NOT use olive oil or other low-smoke-point oils, or the flavor will turn rancid.
Step 4: Use long metal tongs to flip the chicken over so both sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary by the cut of chicken you use and whether it is bone-in or boneless. Be sure the internal temperature of the meat is 165Âş F.
If you want delicious buttermilk-soaked baked fried chicken, try this Gluten Free Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken recipe!
If you want to try one of my old Texan favorites, you need to try this easy Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak recipe! If you make Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets with this recipe, you can use them for my Gluten Free Orange Chicken!
Frequently Asked Questions:
I have not tried this recipe in an air fryer yet, but one of my readers has tried it. She said the fried chicken took her around 25 minutes to cook in an air fryer.
You do not have to soak the chicken as long, but the flavor and juiciness of the chicken will be reduced. The buttermilk acts like a meat tenderizer for the chicken.
If you want more gluten free air fryer recipes, we love these Gluten Free Air Fried Chicken Tenders.
Sides To Serve With Fried Chicken:
- My Deli-Style Gluten Free Macaroni Salad is a winner at picnics.
- Try this potato salad-style side, Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- My kids love serving Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes with this creamy Gluten Free Gravy with the fried chicken.
- Prefer a healthier side? Try this popular Kale and Apple Salad.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know that this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Crispy Gluten Free Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 8-10 pieces bone-in chicken of your choice
- 1 cup buttermilk (*see note)
- ÂĽ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ÂĽ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- dash of salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup tapioca starch (*see note)
- hot oil for frying (*see note)
Equipment
- Strainer
Method
- Put 1 cup buttermilk, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 tablespoon red wine vinegar, and dash of salt and pepper to taste (except chicken) into a bowl and whisk until the mixture is fluffy.
- Put 8-10 pieces bone-in chicken of your choice into a large dish and pour the marinade over the butchered chicken.
- Move chicken around to make sure all of the raw chicken is all covered in the marinade.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for 8-10 hours.
- Drain marinaded chicken in a large strainer.
- Place chicken in 1 cup tapioca starchand toss it around to cover the whole piece of chicken.
- Let the chicken rest 2-3 minutes on a baking pan.
- Gently heat oil in a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. If you have a deep fryer, that is great! I would use that instead. The oil should be 350-375 F degrees before adding the chicken pieces.
- Fry the chicken for 10 minutes on one side. Flip the chicken to cook the other side another 10 minutes. (Do this if you are not fully submerging your chicken in the hot oil. After you cook each side of the chicken, check the internal temperature of 165 F degrees. The total cook time would be around 20 minutes, but it depends on the cut of chicken you are using. If you are deep frying the chicken it will take less time for your chicken to cook.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Notes
- Many ask if you can use cornstarch instead of tapioca, this should be okay. I haven’t personally tested using cornstarch.
- If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- If you like your chicken extra crispy, double-dip it! After doing one dip in the tapioca starch, put back into the buttermilk, then redip into the tapioca starch.
- Use an oil that is made to tolerate high heat. Canola, avocado, and coconut oil are all great high-heat oils for frying. (Note if you use coconut oil it will impart a flavor where canola and avocado oil are tasteless.)
- You want your hot oil temperature to reach between 350-375Âş F before adding the chicken.
- This fried chicken will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. To reheat, put onto a baking sheet, cover with foil (to prevent burning the crispy coating), and bake in the oven at 325 F degrees for 20 minutes. Check to see if it is heated all the way through.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Would it still coat and fry fine if using plant based milk?
I haven’t tested non-dairy milk but in theory it should work.
This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe on any website but I feel compelled to because HOOOOLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY MOOOOLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYY THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! I’ve never made fried chicken before and this was better than any non-gluten free chicken I’ve had! I’m beyond impressed. I’m celiac but my husband is not and he thought it was amazing too. You’d never know. Tapioca flour is definitely the move. So light and crispy. This is definitely going into our regular recipe rotation!
You made my day. I am so glad you liked the recipe!
What a great recipe!
If you want extra crispy chicken, you can do 2 coats of breading/flour; 1 the day before frying and 1 the day of. If you like grocery store fried chicken, this is how it’s done! Adding your favorite spice blend to the flour will make sure every bite is full of flavor, and doesn’t add any more calories or fat.
Thanks for the extra crispy tip Rae!
Thanks for the tip Rae- before the second dip in the tapioca starch on the day you fry, do you dip in anything “wet” first? The brine, or an egg wash? Or just back in the tapioca starch again? Thanks!
I would very much like to try your recipe. Can you make it using an all purpose gluten free flour?
Hi Jackie, I assume it would be fine. I haven’t used all purpose flour in this recipe. Please do come back and let us know how it turns out 🙂
A quick note on this: if using a gfap flour make sure there is no xanthan gum or any other gum based alternatives or the coating will come out messy and gummy, not crispy.
That is a good point. The chef doesn’t use an all purpose flour. Thank you Scott.
Do you have any idea how long you fried the tenders for this recipe? You made it a long time ago, but I thought I’d try! 🙂 I am using boneless, skinless breasts that I am going to slice into “fingers,” and I doubt they’ll take 18 mintues in the fryer but I’m also not an experienced fryer!
Hi Nikki, I would try cooking 5-8 minutes then maybe take one out and check the internal temperature. If it is 165 degrees F, they would be ready.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for this recipe!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING.
I used skinless chicken breast cut into long strips and the coating stuck to the chicken just fine.
I also added a bunch of herbs & spices to the tapioca flour to make it a bit like KFC (so rosemary, basil, salt, pepper, paprika, celery salt, thyme, garlic powder, oregano – meant to add mustard powder but forgot).
It was really crispy and delicious. I cooked it in my electric fry pan and served it with chips and coleslaw. YUM!
Will have leftovers for dinner and will make again in the future!
🙂
You absolutely made my day. I am so glad you came back to let me know you liked it 🙂
Hi, thank you for the recipe! I have one question, what oil do you recommend to use when frying?
Hi Edmond, I recommend an oil that does well at high heat like avocado oil or canola. Enjoy 🙂
This WAS so easy and delicious. Turned out perfect. Even leftovers were delicious. Thank you for this gf and egg free recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Jennifer 🙂
Hi Sandi. This chicken looks delicious! I was wondering if the recipe would still work if the skin were removed from the chicken before frying to cut down on the fat content. I wasn’t sure if the coating would possibility still adhere to the chicken if air or oven fried. Thanks for your reply.
Hi Sharon, I am not sure as the coating really sticks to the skin…but I would definitely say to give it a try and see.
I would really love to try this recipe, but I am also dairy intolerant. Has anyone tried this recipe with an alternative non-dairy to replace the buttermilk?
Hi Minette, since this recipe was given to us by my chef friend, I don’t think he has tested it out as a dairy-free recipe. If you try using an alternative milk, can you please come back and let us know how it turned out? I recommend using an unsweetened non-dairy milk as the original flavors often have sugar, which may be weird in a savory recipe.
Ive done it – totally works! It is one of the ways I make homemade creamy based vegan salad dressings…
You can easily create a modified buttermilk using unflavored almond milk and vinegar…. or instead of vinegar, a little lemon juice.
It will still create the same reaction as if it were regular milk. Just be mindful of adjusting your spices as the viscosity created may be a bit more thicker than traditional made-on-the-fly buttermilk.
Good luck!
I never once saw the oil temperature described in the recipe. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, some require lower temperature with a longer frying time, but Japanese Kaarage or Chinese sweet and sour chicken have smaller sized pieces requiring higher temperature and less frying time.
What temperature does this recipe require ???
Hi Jack, Thank you so much for pointing this out. The chef didn’t give me an oil temperature so I reached out to him. He said to get the oil between 350 and 375F degrees. I hope this helps.
Please send me lots of Gluten Free recipes as I am a Recipe Collector and the demand for G/F recipes is on the increase.
I will fill in the info required below and if possible, I can get a gluten free idea for working on for Wednesday’s, I’d be very appreciative. Even if you could email me something during a Tuesday, we could get max more sorted for Wednesdays!
Kind regards.
Lynne
I am sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about Lynne.