gluten free fried chicken

Since posting the gluten free pizza recipe yesterday, I received a couple of positive emails about teaching gluten free dishes as a part of our class.  One of the emails in particular talked about how nice it will  be to be able to make gluten free pizza at home on occasion.  In the spirit of making some of life's pleasures available to all, here is a recipe for gluten free fried chicken.  For a variety of reasons we did not make this recipe this year.  But I well remember how good it was last year.

This recipe is by Ina Pinkney, chef/owner of Ina's in Chicago.
When we did the recipe in class we used boneless chicken.  If you do so adjust your cooking time appropriately.  And you can always check for internal temperature (165 degrees F) to insure your chicken is done.

GLUTEN-FREE FRIED CHICKEN  

Yield: 4 - 8 servings

White rice flour 2.5 Lb

Brown rice flour 2.5 Lb

Tapioca flour (or tapioca starch) 2.5 Oz

Potato starch 1.75 Oz

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed

Garlic powder as needed

Buttermilk 1 qtl

Chickens, 3- to 3 1/2-lbs, cut into 8 pieces, 2 each

Egg whites, lightly beaten 6 each

Canola oil, transfat-free, high oleic as needed

Instructions:

1. To make coating mixture, combine white and brown rice flours, tapioca flour and potato starch. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and reserve.

2. Combine buttermilk with 3 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper. Marinate chicken from 4 to 12 hours, refrigerated, then remove from marinade and drain thoroughly.

3. Dredge chicken pieces in coating mixture, then dip into egg whites. Return pieces to flour mixture, packing it on, then gently shake off excess.

4. Fry chicken, skin-side down, in 275-degree F oil. Fry pieces untouched for 10 to 12 minutes to allow crust to set up.

5. Continue cooking chicken pieces to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 15 to 18 minutes total for wings, 20 minutes total for legs and thighs and 20 to 25 minutes total for breasts. Drain on a rack and serve.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Until next time.

Happy Cooking and Eating

Chef Leslie Bartosh