Missing KFC while you're following a keto or low-carb diet? Well, my friend, you can stop mourning that crispy chicken bucket, because this Keto Fried Chicken is here to save the day!
Welcome to Keto Fried Chicken. Succulent chicken, coated in that delicious crispy Fried Chicken Crust! All that it takes is a quick homemade low carb buttermilk, followed by that KFC secret seasoning recipe. What about the flour needed to make that crispy crust? We have solutions for that too. The result - delicious Keto Fried Chicken just like the Colonel's! You can use breast pieces, chicken tenders, Chicken Thighs or Drumsticks. Go grab a bucket, its Keto KFC time!
Make the seasoning mix. Mix your KFC-style seasoning blend together in a small bowl until fully combined. Set aside, you'll be using it in two places.
Build your buttermilk marinade.
Start by making the low-carb "buttermilk": combine your low-carb milk, heavy cream and vinegar in a bowl, whisk gently, then let it sit for 10 minutes. The vinegar does the work here, thickening the mixture up just like real buttermilk. Whisk in two eggs until smooth, then stir through half of your seasoning mix. Pour the whole lot over your chicken pieces in big bowl covered with cling wrap (or something similar), just make sure every piece is fully submerged. Into the fridge it goes for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally overnight. The longer it marinates, the better that coating will cling later, but 4 hours will do the job.
LOW FAT VERSION:
Get your oil going. Once the chicken's marinated, start heating your frying oil. A large pan, dutch oven or deep fryer all work. You're aiming for 325°F and no hotter. In a dutch oven over medium heat, this usually takes around 12 minutes.
Build your coating and dredge. While the oil heats, combine the remaining seasoning mix with your unflavoured whey protein powder in a shallow dish, mixing thoroughly with a fork or whisk. The more evenly it's combined, the more even your flavour will be. Take each piece of marinated chicken straight from the buttermilk and press it into the coating, using your hands to pack the mixture on and cover every surface completely. Only coat as much chicken as will fit in your fryer at once. You want each piece going into the oil immediately after coating so it sticks properly.
Fry. Once your oil hits 325°F, add the coated chicken. The temp will drop to around 300°F once it goes in. Try to keep it sitting between 300 to 315°F throughout the fry, since oil that's too hot will burn the coating before the chicken's cooked through. Timing depends on size: large drumsticks need about 16 to 18 minutes, small breast strips or tenders 10 to 12 minutes, and thighs 18 to 20 minutes. Always check internal temperature before pulling pieces out, chicken needs to hit 165°F to be safe to eat.
Rest and serve. Pull the chicken from the oil, let it cool for a minute or two, then dig in while it's hot.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge, reheat gently in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, and they'll still come out crunchy.
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT KFC KETO FRIED CHICKEN:
CAN YOU USE REGULAR STORE-BOUGHT BUTTERMILK?
Absolutely. Since it's only used as a marinade and most of it gets left behind when you cook the chicken, it won't bump up the carbs by much even if you go this route. I like to keep things as low-carb as possible where I can, but that's just my personal preference. The ingredients list in this recipe has way more carbs listed than what you end up consuming, as more than half of the buttermilk marinade is not soaked into the chicken.
DO I HAVE TO USE PROTEIN POWDER, OR CAN I SUB ALMOND OR COCONUT FLOUR?
You can, but I wouldn't. It changes the whole texture, you'll lose that crunch, and the carb count creeps up fast. If you're doing this recipe, do it properly.
WHAT IF I NEED THIS DAIRY FREE?
Totally doable. Swap the milk and cream for almond or coconut milk in the same amounts and you're set. Just know it won't be a perfect match flavour wise, but it'll still get you a crispy, low-carb fried chicken fix.
DON'T SKIP OUT ON THE SEASONINGS
This mix is my take on that famous leaked KFC recipe, and every spice in it matters. Missing one or two things won't ruin your chicken, but if you can grab everything on the list, I'd really try to. It makes a difference.
You'll find pretty much all of it at your regular grocery store, no fancy specialty shop needed. One thing worth mentioning: celery salt can be tricky to find, sometimes it only comes as celery seeds. If that's what you've got, just grind it up (mortar and pestle does the job) with a little pinch of salt. Works just as well either way.
GET YOUR OIL TEMPERATURE RIGHT
Frying without a deep fryer is a bit of a gamble if you don't know what temperature your oil actually is. You don't need a fancy fryer, but the tricky part is flying blind on temp. Too hot, and your chicken burns on the outside before it's cooked through. Protein powder is especially unforgiving here, it browns and burns faster than regular flour ever would. Every time my oil crept above 163°C (325°F), the coating turned too dark before the chicken was actually done, and the texture and flavour both suffered for it. A thermometer helps.
My process: start the oil at 163°C (325°F), let it drop to around 149°C (300°F) once the chicken goes in, then hold it steady somewhere between 149 to 154°C (300 to 310°F) for the rest of the fry. Thermometer highly recommended.
CHECK YOUR CHICKEN'S INTERNAL TEMP BEFORE YOU CALL IT DONE
Fried, coated chicken is tricky because you genuinely can't see what's happening inside. The outside browns up fast and looks done within minutes, but that tells you nothing about the centre. A quick-read meat thermometer is the only real way to know.
Got questions? Drop them in the comments, I'm happy to help. These are too good to miss out on.
AVOIDING SUBSTITUTIONS IF POSSIBLE