Unlike the traditional fried chicken recipe that’s breaded and packed with carbs, this keto fried chicken recipe does not use any form of bread or flour mixture for the coating. Instead, the chicken is marinated with delicious herbs and spices and coated with protein spice mix before deep frying.
The fried chicken turns out very flavorful and is guaranteed keto-friendly. This delicious keto fried chicken recipe from Nicko’s Kitchen is the best way to satisfy your fried chicken cravings without ruining your keto diet.
Nicko is a popular Australian chef who has an online cooking show. He jokingly calls this recipe KFC – Keto Fried Chicken! He says he’s been creating low carb fast food clones for over 10 years now.
If you are looking for some spicy low carb chicken recipes then you will probably like this one for Keto Thai Grilled Chicken or this Keto Easy Cashew Chicken. If you want a tasty but not spicy chicken dish then this Low Carb Oven Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders recipe should do the trick.
Recipe notes
Almond flour or coconut flour just did not emulate the texture of the original fried chicken but Nicko hit on the idea of using a flavorless protein powder which did the trick. This organic and grass fed whey powder would be ideal.
To make the chicken nice and moist it is soaked in a spicy almond milk and egg mixture. It’s best to leave it soaking overnight if you can but at least an hour will suffice if you are pushed for time.
Frying the chicken
To fry you can either deep fry or air fry if you happen to have an air fryer. For deep frying the chicken Nick uses coconut oil but you can use bacon fat or duck fat if you prefer. Keep checking the chicken while frying until it becomes a nice golden color.
If you are air frying Nick recommends dribbling a little coconut oil over the top of the chicken pieces after you place them on the rack. He turns them halfway through the cooking time so they get nice and crisp on both sides.
Deep frying results in the look of the orogianl KFC with a milder spice flavor. Air frying the chicken results in a spicier taste but the look is not quite the same. Try them both ways if you have an air fryer and see which way you like best.
Healthier tweaks
I have just made a couple of tweaks to the ingredients to make the recipe healthier. Using organic or free range chicken and an organic and pastured egg contain more nutrients than using chicken and eggs that are commercially produced so is healthier.
Even though you may be following a keto diet for losing weight you want to be using the healthiest ingredients possible. The keto diet brings a lot of other health benefits so it’s worth doing it properly.
Serve it with a nice low carb salad or a nice vegetable dish such as this Keto Spicy Mixed Vegetables Recipe or these Yummy Low Carb Zucchini Fries.
Related reading: 14 Keto Salad Recipes
Keto Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large free range or organic chicken breasts or 8 thighs cut into pieces
- 2 cups coconut oil for frying
Spice and Herb Mix
- 2 tsps. paprika
- ½ tsp thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅓ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp Redmond Real salt
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
Protein Spice Mix
- 1 ½ cup flavorless protein powder (100% whey)
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 organic egg
Directions
1. Combine the spice and herbs in a bowl, then mix well and divide into two bowls.
2. In one bowl, pour the almond milk and add the egg. Mix well then add the chicken to marinate. Marinate for a few hours, one hour minimum or overnight in the fridge.
3. Add the protein powder to the other spice and herbs mix and mix well.
4. Get the marinated chicken and dip into the protein spice mix. Make sure the chicken is well coated. To make the chicken crunchier, double dip in the protein spice mix before frying.
5. To fry, bring the coconut oil to a medium heat. Deep fry the chicken for 8 to 9 min or until they become golden brown and the meat is cooked through.
6. If you are air frying the chicken, place the chicken in the air fryer and drizzle some coconut oil on top. Air fry for about 8 to 9 minutes at 180/350 degrees and turn once.
7. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Here’s Nick’s video demo of how to prepare this keto fried chicken recipe.
