The ketogenic diet, known for its fat-burning and blood sugar-reducing effects, has gained immense popularity. One of the appealing aspects of the keto diet is that it allows you to continue enjoying meat dishes. Chicken breast, a staple for those on the keto diet, is rich in protein, contains zero carbs, and provides essential nutrients like vitamin B6, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, calcium, and cobalamin. However, consuming plain chicken breast repeatedly can become monotonous. If cooked chicken breast is a regular part of your diet, you might be wondering if you can diversify your options.
The Fried Chicken Dilemma on Keto
Is fried chicken keto-friendly? Traditional fried chicken uses flour or cornmeal (and sometimes cornstarch) to create its crunchy crust, making it a less suitable option for those following a ketogenic diet. Traditional fried chicken can be problematic because it uses flour, cornmeal, and sometimes cornstarch as breading for its crust - all of which are ingredients that contain carbohydrates. While specific carb counts will differ, most keto dieters limit their consumption to 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Kentucky Fried Chicken is a popular choice for fried chicken. A single Original Recipe drumstick contains four grams of net carbs. A chicken thigh or breast has between eight and eleven grams of carbs. A Popeyes chicken thigh has 6 grams of net carbs, while a fried chicken breast from Popeyes has 14 grams of net carbs. Given that most people try to stick to fewer than 20 grams of carbs each day, traditional fried chicken does not fit well into a keto diet.
Making Fried Chicken Keto-Friendly: A Guide to Substitutions
The good news is that you can enjoy fried chicken while adhering to your keto goals by making a few strategic substitutions. Fried chicken can be part of a healthy keto diet as long as you prepare it right, substituting high-carb ingredients with healthy fat and low-carb alternatives. These primarily include breading and cooking oil.
Breading Alternatives
Most people dredge their usual fried chicken in milk which has too many carbs for your keto diet. Instead, dip your chicken in heavy cream and eggs so the seasoning coating with stick. Instead of dredging your fried chicken in milk, use heavy cream and eggs to help the breading stick. Some people choose to dip their chicken in a keto-friendly milk like unsweetened almond milk, but heavy cream and eggs are preferable. Instead of flour, you will mix your seasonings into almond flour prior to frying. A quarter-cup of almond flour comes in at just 2 grams of net carbs while traditional all-purpose flour has about 19 net carbs for the same amount.
- Almond Flour: Almond flour fried chicken tastes just as good as traditional fried chicken.
- Pork Rinds: There are also tasty fried chicken recipes that use ground pork rinds to create a crispy crust instead of almond flour.
Oil Options
You also need to change the oil you use to fry your chicken. You have several options for healthy oils that you can fry in. Some people like to use the more traditional extra virgin olive oil in lieu of vegetable oil because it is generally healthier. If you’re looking for a healthy fat with a higher smoke point, you can fry your chicken in lard or avocado oil.
Read also: Healthy Keto Fried Rice
Seasoning
Season your chicken breasts with garlic powder, herbs, salt, and pepper. In a bowl, whisk together the paprika, salt, garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Keto Fried Chicken Recipe: Step-by-Step Guide
Here is a basic recipe to guide you.
Ingredients:
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, or breasts)
- Almond flour
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Heavy cream
- Eggs
- Oil for frying (olive oil, lard, or avocado oil)
- Optional: Paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon zest, Dash Original Seasoning, onion powder, hot sauce
Instructions:
- Prepare the Chicken: Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, herbs.
- Create the Wet Mixture: In a shallow dish, whisk the cream, eggs, salt and pepper.
- Prepare the Breading: Combine the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Combine the almond flour, lemon zest, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and paprika in a shallow bowl and mix them together to create the breading.
- Coat the Chicken: Dip chicken in cream mixture, then dip in flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off excess. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg/cream mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture, until coated. Repeat the process until all the chicken is coated. Arrange on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Fry the Chicken: In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375°F. Fill a large skillet with at least 2 inches of oil. Heat over medium until the oil reaches 350° F. Fry chicken, several pieces at a time, until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear, 6-7 minutes on each side. Add about 4 pieces of the chicken, skin side down. The oil temperature should drop to about 325 degrees.Fry, without turning, for 6 minutes. Flip and fry for another 4 minutes, or until golden brown, and the internal temperature is 160 ° F.
- Rest and Serve: Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Keto fried chicken is best enjoyed fresh out of the fryer, as the breading will become very soft in the refrigerator.
Air Frying
- Preheat: Preheat your air fryer to 400 ° F.
- Arrange Chicken: Place the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Be careful not to overcrowd - work in batches if necessary.
- Cook: Spray the chicken with oil and cook for 13 minutes. Flip the chicken and spray with more oil. Reduce the air fryer temperature to 350 ° F.
Baking
- Preheat: Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Prepare: Prepare the chicken as instructed and place them on a lined baking sheet.
Tips and Considerations
- Make it at Home: Yes, it’s recommended to make your own fried chicken at home so you can watch your ingredients and make sure they’re keto-friendly.
- Rest the Chicken: Rest the chicken for 30 minutes after adding the almond flour coating to ensure it will stay on the chicken. The coating is a little delicate, and this resting step allows the flour to hydrate and firm up around the chicken. Then, handle the chicken with care.
- Reheating: Do not microwave the chicken unless you want a soggy crust. It’s best to reheat in a preheated oven or stovetop.
- Oil Disposal: The first step is to filter it so that you can remove any bits of cooked food. It is time to throw it out when it turns dark and begins to have an "off" odor.
- Breading Tips: Breading chicken can get messy if you aren't careful! I recommend using one hand for wet ingredients and the other hand for dry ingredients.
- Marinade Options: You can use almond milk in place of the heavy cream. If you do so, I recommend adding a beaten egg to the marinade for thickness.
- Spice it Up: If you want a spicy kick to your fried chicken, here’s how you can make it at home.
Fried Chicken Variations
Spicy Keto Fried Chicken:
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Dash Original Seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Drizzle your chicken with the eggs and hot sauce and put them in the freezer bag with your dressing.
Low Carb Crispy Fried Chicken:
- Crush up your pork rinds in a Ziploc bag.
- In a bowl, put your pork rind crumbs, 1/3 Cup Parm cheese, and pepper.
- In another bowl, crack an egg and scramble it well.
- Mix the pork rind ingredients up to make sure it will coat the chicken evenly.
- Dip your chicken into the egg mixture, then dip it into the pork rind crumb mixture.
- We're doing a double dip to ensure there will be a nice crust. Dip it in the egg mixture again, and again into the pork rinds.
- In a pan, put your olive oil and coconut oil.
- Turn to medium high heat and let it get hot.
- Once the oil is hot, place your chicken inside.
- DON'T TOUCH IT! Let it sit here a while, almost until you smell burning.
- We want to make sure the crust gets nice and crisp.
- Once you smell that burning, flip it over and do the same to the other side.
- Once you smell burning again, you can flip it over a second time.
- Turn your heat down to the lowest setting, and let your chicken cook for about 6-7 minutes per side (depending on thickness of the chicken breast).
- Let your chicken cook until it's just about done.
- I dipped this into some ranch with hot sauce.
The Keto Lifestyle and Enjoying Your Favorite Foods
Making Your Fried Chicken Keto The good news is that you do not have to forgo your favorite foods when on the keto diet. You can still indulge in favorites like fried chicken, but you have to pay attention to how much you eat-and what the ingredients are. Choosing to run through the drive-thru to pick up some fried chicken is not the best option for those trying to stick to a keto lifestyle, but you can easily make your own at home while staying in ketosis.
Read also: Low-Carb Fried Chicken Thighs Recipe
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