These gluten free Southern Fried Chicken Strips will ruin you! Your regular standby of frozen nuggets or fast food chicken strips will never taste the same. Or at least that’s what my family tells me! Lol! For real though, I begin by giving the chicken breast strips a salted buttermilk “bath” overnight. This causes the meat to absorb moisture and flavor while also tenderizing it. Then, the seasoning mixture in the breading packs a fantastic punch of flavor. Deep frying the strips of chicken result in them being perfectly crispy outside while maintaining juicy meat inside. Drooling…
Salted Buttermilk Bath
After cutting the chicken breasts into 1 inch strips, place them in a bowl or a strong ziplock bag along with the buttermilk and salt. Make sure to mix it all around well to evenly distribute the salt and buttermilk throughout the pieces of meat. Let this rest in the fridge overnight.
Seasoned Breading
Yes! There are quite a few spices and seasonings in this mixture. I promise that it is worth pulling them all out of the pantry and measuring them out. It will likely be faster and easier than you think. The ingredients all go in a large bowl at the same time and get mixed around with a spoon. Add the marinated chicken into the seasoned breading and mix it together well to coat the chicken evenly.
Frying Tips
I definitely recommend using a thermometer rated for frying with oil for this recipe to keep the temperature as consistent as possible. The ideal temp range to fry the chicken is between 350-360 degrees. As you add the chicken to the oil, the temp will drop quickly. Therefore I add the chicken when the temp is at 360 or even 370, knowing that the temp will drop quickly when I add the chicken. Expect to need to turn the heat up and down on your cooktop throughout the frying process.
In addition to the heat of the oil, the thickness of the meat will impact how long it takes to cook, so try to cut the pieces as evenly as possible and cook similar sized pieces at the same time. As you remove the pieces of chicken from the oil, allow them to drain on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil.
If the temp of the oil is below 350 degrees, the breading may absorb oil instead of becoming crispy which can result in greasy chicken. If you notice that a batch turns out greasy, turn the heat up a little. However, when the temp is too high, the result will be dark breading and potentially undercooked meat. I suggest testing a piece or two as you cook to make sure that the temp and timing are working out as you like. I find that 3 minutes for smaller pieces and no more than 4 for the thickest pieces at a temp between 350-360 works nicely.
On the Side
One of my favorite sides to enjoy with gluten free Southern Fried Chicken Strips are gluten free Hush Puppies. And since you already have the oil hot and ready to go…. It only makes sense to make Hush Puppies as well! This is my kind of comfort food. Both are delicious dipped or drizzled with warm honey. A few slices of dill pickles for salty, briny contrast are also fantastic.
Discover More Gluten Free Deliciousness!
- Enormous Waffles
- Cornbread Muffins
- Cornbread Madeleines
- Apple Slaw
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Ultimate Bacon Potato Salad
- Smothered BBQ Chicken
Southern Fried Chicken Strips
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- oil for frying enough to fill saucepan 2" deep
Breading
- ¾ cup corn flour
- ¾ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup gluten free flour blend I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp celery salt
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, buttermilk and salt in a bowl. Mix to coat all of the chicken in the mixture evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- Heat 2” of canola oil in a medium sized saucepan and insert a thermometer safe for deep frying. Heat the oil to 360 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine all seasoned breading ingredients. Add the marinated chicken to the breading mixture allowing excess buttermilk to drain prior to adding to the breading. Mix the chicken into the seasoned breading until coated evenly.
- When oil reaches 360 degrees, shake excess seasoning off the chicken and carefully add the chicken to the oil in batches making sure not to crowd the pot. As you add the chicken, the oil temp will decrease & you may need to increase the heat on the burner to maintain an oil temp of 350-360 degrees. Each batch of chicken should be cooked through in 3-4 minutes max.