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!
Not sure what I did wrong but, did anyone else have a problem with it getting crispy? Once I took it out of the oil, it was kind of soggy , and stayed that way. I ended up throwing in the air fryer and that helped crisp it up a little. Any tips? I miss fried chicken so bad lol.
Hi Natalie, if your chicken was not crispy, my first guess is your oil was not hot enough for frying.
This looks amazing. Wondering how this will freeze to make ahead and reheat in the oven.
Hi Pat. That is a good question. I haven’t tested freezing it.
It passed the “day old fried chicken test!” It was wonderful cold, out of the fridge the next day. Everyone loved it. I did, however, make one little change, I used coconut milk instead of buttermilk – or any other kind of milk. I mixed the coconut milk with the red wine vinegar and cayenne pepper and used that to soak. I also used refined coconut oil for frying. It was really tasty.
Oooh, I love this chicken passed all of your tests. Thank you so much for letting me know how much you loved it.
Between steps 2 and 3 it mentions nothing about coating the chicken in gluten free flour? It just says drop it in the oil from the buttermilk soak? Or I missed it somewhere
I added some text to make this more clear. Thank you Cheryl.
Can you cook this chicken in the air fryer,not much on cooking in oil
Hi! I personally haven’t made this recipe in the air fryer, but one of my readers did with great success. She left a comment so maybe scroll down and read what she said?
What are thoughts on using air fryer?
I have not tested an air fryer. I seem to recall a commenter saying they had success, but it may be helpful for you to review the comments to see what they said.
Thank you so much for sharing! We order proposition chicken several times a month and I order the gluten free chicken. It’s great to see how simple ingredients can produce an amazing gluten free fried chicken.
I would love you see a post on the salad dressing they make, because I’m dying to make it for my everyday salad.
I am so jealous you can get Proposition Chicken that much. We are in the South Bay and haven’t been up to SF much. I haven’t tried their salad but I will the next time we do go.
Would it be possible to bake?
Hi Kristin, I do not know. I haven’t tested this recipe in the oven. I haven’t seen any comment that my readers have tried that either.
Hi Sandi,
I made this chicken today for thanksgiving, and my family said it was the best fried chicken I have made. This is a keeper, thanks for sharing
I am so glad everyone loved it, Liz. I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!!
Is there a reason why you don’t salt it before frying? KFC had something like 14 herbs and spices. This doesn’t sound very spiced. I’m in Canada and haven’t heard of the restaurant you spoke of. Does anyone who can’t tolerate dairy know if buttermilk is ok?
Hi Lorraine, If you want to add salt, feel free to season as you like. This recipe is not mine, but the owner of Proposition Chicken so I printed it as he gave it to me. You are the first to comment on the salt. Buttermilk would be considered dairy so if you don’t tolerate it, you would need to use a non-dairy option.
I use Kite Hill sour cream and thin a little with my homemade almond milk in place of buttermilk! Works great in lots of recipes!
I am so glad you were able to work out a dairy-free version Diane. Thank you for letting my readers know so they can try too.
Have you tried this recipe in an air fryer? Any changes or edits to the recipe?
Hi Sasha, I have not tried it in an air fryer. I am not sure if it would work. If you do try it, please let me know how it goes.
Did you (or did anyone else) ever try this in the air fryer? I would love to use the air fryer.
Hi Stacie, I haven’t tested this in an air fryer, nor has anyone commented as trying. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Omg this recipe was amazing. The chicken was so crunchy and even my family who doesn’t EAT GF loved it. Def making this a stable in our dinners
I am so glad you enjoyed it Teresa! It is truly one of the best ways to eat chicken.