Tender Crispy Battered 
Fried Chicken Dinner

Crispy Gluten Free Battered-Tender Fried Chicken Dinner!

I've decided that some general cooking qualifies under the gluten free category that I'm posturing about. After all, the gravy is gluten free, as well as the chicken batter, so that cinches the deal, right? Right!

It occurred to me that there's a major misunderstanding regarding many types of cooking and eating choices that different people make for just as many different reasons. For example; vegetarians do not want any animal products save for dairy and eggs. Vegans don't want any animal products, period, no eggs, no dairy, no thank you. Then you have those that eat raw foods only, never cooking anything, I'm sure there's a "title" for their group but I don't know what it is, do you? Let me know, please. There are those who eat chicken and fish, but no beef, veal, or lamb. Then there are those that eat only fish and rice and vegetables with some occasional fruits. I'm sure we could go on and on....

However my point is that there are so many diverse diets/eating plans out there that it's difficult to cover all of them on any platform. 

I do know that on this blog site I will do my best to include as many diverse groups as possible. A lot of it is simply tweaking the recipe a bit to fit your lifestyle. If I've not been clear at any point, please leave me a comment and I will address it ASAP.

Okay, on to gluten free battered-fried chicken! And gluten free gravy! Gravy....oh gravy...mmmm.....

Some of the amounts are vague as it will depend on how many pieces of chicken you will be frying, and how many servings of gravy you will need. Sorry, but I just eyeball it, so I will do my best to steer you in the right direction.

Crispy Gluten Free Battered, Tender Fried Chicken Dinner - 6-8 servings

Chicken Ingredients:

2 legs

2 thighs

2 breasts, cut in half

salt and pepper to season the chicken

2 large eggs

1/3-1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup corn flour-save the left over for the gravy

3/4 cup white rice flour-save the left over for the gravy

3/4 cup brown rice flour-save the left over for the gravy

1 1/2 teaspoons Lawrey's Season Salt or salt and pepper - to season the flour dredge

2-3 inches of your favorite oil for frying-grape-seed, corn, Crisco oil or shortening, Canola....

Gravy Ingredients - eyeballed, sort of:

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup corn flour-from-dredging

1/2 cup white rice flour-from dredging

1/2 cup brown rice flour-from dredging

2-4 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Green Bean Ingredients:

4 rashers (slices) bacon, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced small

1 lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut on the diagonal in about 2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons oil, separated, (I use grape-seed oil-use your favorite)

salt and pepper to taste

Mashed Potato Ingredients:

6 medium sized russet potatoes, scrubbed, (we leave the skins on)

milk to thin it to the consistency you like

salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons butter, (did you know that margarine is only one molecule away from being plastic!)

Special Equipment:

Dutch oven or deep fry pan or skillet, I use iron-stone pans for 95% of my cooking, works on the stove and in the oven, on the bar-b-que, in a pit...

Large baking pan for finishing the cooking in the oven,

Wire cooling rack basically the same size as the baking pan, 

Tongs, 

Non-stick spray

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350˚F.

Place the wire rack on the baking pan and spray liberally with the non-stick spray. Place this set up into the oven. You will place the fried chicken pieces onto this rack to finish cooking them and keep them crisp and hot.

**Start the potatoes - Cut in thirds or halves and place in water with 1 Tablespoon salt. Bring to boil and cook until a cooking fork can go all the way through. Keep in hot water until ready to mash.

**Start the green beans - Heat a frying pan with medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of the oil, the onions and diced bacon, cook until onions are very lightly golden. Remove bacon and onions from the pan and set aside to be added later. 

Start the chicken:

1. Wash the chicken from the package, removing any quills and odd stuff we all find. Remove excess fat. Remove skin if you wish, sometimes I do and sometimes not. If the backs are attached to the thighs, carefully cut it off and discard or make stock to freeze. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels-your chicken will not brown nicely if it's wet. It will basically steam, not to mention the splatter of oil once the water hits the hot oil making for the likely hood of a very nasty burn! Set dried pieces on a dry surface and salt and pepper both sides.

2. Pre-heat your deep pan for about 1 1/2 minutes, then add your oil. This helps keep the chicken from sticking.  Start with the thighs since they take the longest to cook.

3. In a shallow dish mix the eggs and milk together. Mix the three flours and the season salt or salt and pepper and place in a separate shallow dish.

There are two ways to dredge your chicken for a crispy texture:

a.) Dip dried pieces into the egg mixture and then the flour mixture, coating everywhere, and place directly into the hot oil. This gives you a lighter crust.

b.) Dip dried pieces into the flour first, then the egg and again into the flour, place directly into the hot oil. This will give you a thicker crispy crust.

Keep an eye on the cooking chicken as it can brown very fast and burn even faster. I keep my pan on medium-high since I'm using heavy iron-stone, so make your adjustments according to the type of pan you're using. Fry the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side. You want a nice deep golden brown color, and it will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer browned pieces to the rack in the oven and bake the thighs about 15-20 minutes. Since the thighs take the longest to cook, they go first, adding the other pieces as you go and all should come out finished and wonderful. Of course you may need to adjust these times depending on how big your chicken pieces are, and whether or not they are boneless which cooks faster.

*While the chicken's in the oven work on the gravy and green beans:

Gravy:  Remove all but a scant Tablespoon of the oil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the butter, melt and whisk into the chicken bits and flour dregs (this is called the "fond"). Mix 2 cups of the water with the dredging flour until well mixed and pour it into the "fond" pan, whisking constantly. Use the remaining 2 cups water to thin to your likeing. Bring to a boil for about 2-3 minutes then lower the heat down to just barely a simmer. Keep a close eye on it.

Green beans: Heat the second Tablespoon of oil in the green bean skillet with medium heat, then add the green bean pieces. You will technically be stir-frying them, that's why they stay so gorgeously green! I use tongs to keep turning them over. You will add the bacon and onions right before serving to just heat it all together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Mashed Potatoes: Drain the potatoes and return them to the same cooking pot. Using you masher, mash them very well, add in the milk 1/2 cup at a time until they are the thickness you like. Add the butter, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and set them aside for serving.

Guess what? You are ready to serve! 

Enjoy!

FYI: When you have leftover gravy, freeze it. You then have the gravy for chicken pot pie. That's a recipe for another day. ; }