This easy gluten-free fried chicken recipe is seriously the best. You will be hooked with one bite of this crispy, juicy, gluten-free fried chicken with tapioca starch! Follow all of my tips and tricks to get the best gluten-free fried chicken ever!
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When the owner, Ari, of Proposition Chicken in San Francisco, told me he was going to share his exclusive gluten-free fried chicken recipe with us, I thought about how incredible this was. How often do you feel safe eating fried chicken at a restaurant? One taste of this gluten-free chicken recipe, and you will be hooked!
If you love making chicken recipes, I have a lot of incredible gluten-free chicken recipes to try!
Why this is the best gluten-free fried chicken recipe ever:
- This recipe is made with tapioca starch and no flour, so it is naturally gluten-free.
- It gives you every step to make restaurant-quality fried chicken.
- This recipe will bring back those memories of real crispy fried chicken. The kind your grandma made!
- You can also use this recipe to make gluten-free chicken tenders and nuggets!!
Comfort foods like these rarely happen in the gluten-free realm; if they do, they are not very good. (Looking at this photo of gluten free fried chicken is really making me hungry!)
The fried chicken came out amazing. It was the best fried chicken I have had in over 15 years. Came out super crispy (I only dipped once) and the chicken was moist and flavorful. Your directions were easy to follow and made all the difference to me.”
ellen s., blog comment
Allergen Information:
This homemade fried chicken recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free, and oat-free.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Chicken – You can use bone-in or boneless chicken cut for this recipe.
- Tapioca Starch – This is the hero of the recipe. It is grain-free and adds the crispiest of coatings!
- Buttermilk – This adds flavor and juiciness. If you don’t have buttermilk, mix 1 cup of milk with one tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Red Wine Vinegar – Most vinegar is gluten free, but always read the labels!
- Cayenne Pepper – This adds a hint of spice; it is optional.
- Oil – One of the most important factors to consider when choosing an oil to use is the oil’s smoking point. The smoking point is that moment when the oil is no longer glossy and shimmery looking, and it starts to smoke. I recommend using avocado oil or canola oil. If you use canola, be sure to check Is Canola Gluten-Free.
Easy Frying Tip
Our outdoor Weber grill has a side burner attached. I use this to make my fried chicken. I hate when hot oil splatters all over my kitchen; that smell permeates EVERYWHERE! Avoid all of this if you can, and cook this outside.
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Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Add all the buttermilk, red wine vinegar, and cayenne pepper to a large
Add the raw chicken to the liquid ingredients and coat the chicken with the buttermilk mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Step 2: Soak the chicken in the buttermilk overnight or for 12 hours in the refrigerator. This makes the meat more tender and juicy when you fry it.
Remove the chicken and dip it into the tapioca starch seasoning blend. Toss the chicken to coat it.
Step 3: In a Dutch oven or large 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the oil to 350-375º F. Use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature. Gently drop the chicken into the hot oil. Be careful of the hot oil spattering out of the pan!
👀 Sandi Says: I recommend using canola or avocado oil because they are good at high heat. Do NOT use olive oil or other low-smoke point oils, or the flavor will turn out rancid.
Step 4: Use long metal tongs to flip the chicken over so both sides cook evenly. Cooking time will vary by the cut of chicken you use and whether it is bone-in or boneless. Be sure the internal temperature of the meat is 165º F.
If you want to try one of my old Texan favorites…you need to try this easy Gluten Free Chicken Fried Steak recipe! If you make chicken nuggets with this recipe, you can use them for my Gluten Free Orange Chicken!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Unfortunately, traditional fried chicken is not gluten-free. Not only do they coat the chicken in flour, but the fryers in many restaurants become contaminated because they also fry other gluten foods in the fryer.
The best gluten free flours to use for frying chicken and other savory dishes like eggplant parmesan are Tapioca Starch (the star of this easy chicken recipe), Cassava Flour, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour Blend (in the red label bag), and Gluten Free Bisquick.
The length of time to cook fried chicken depends on whether you cook it in a frying pan, air fryer, or deep frying. When cooked, you want to ensure the chicken’s internal temperature is 165º F.
A deep fryer like this recipe calls for takes about 18 minutes. Cooking this recipe in a skillet with an inch of oil will take about 25 minutes. You will need to turn the chicken often so all sides get crispy.
I have not tried this recipe in an air fryer yet, but one of my readers has tried it. She said the fried chicken would take around 25 minutes to cook in an air fryer.
Buttermilk definitely adds to the flavor profile of this recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk, why not make some with milk and lemon juice?
For this recipe, use regular milk and add one tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes then you are ready to go :-). If you want delicious baked fried chicken, try this Gluten Free Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken recipe!
Sides To Serve With Fried Chicken:
- Deli-Style Gluten Free Macaroni Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes with this easy Gluten Free Gravy
- The Best Kale and Apple Salad
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If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know that this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Best Gluten Free Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Marinade
- 8-10 pieces Bone-in chicken of your choice
- 1 cup buttermilk (*see note)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- dash of salt and pepper to taste
Prep
- 1 cup tapioca starch (*see note)
Cook
- hot oil for frying (*see note)
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Instructions
Marinade
- Put 1 cup buttermilk, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 tablespoon red wine vinegar, and dash of salt and pepper to taste (except chicken) into a bowl and whisk until fluffy.
- Put 8-10 pieces Bone-in chicken of your choice into a large dish and pour the marinade over the butchered chicken.
- Move chicken around to make sure all of the raw chicken is all covered in the marinade.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Prep
- Drain marinaded chicken in a large strainer.
- Place chicken in 1 cup tapioca starchand toss it around to cover the whole piece of chicken.
- Let the chicken rest 2-3 minutes on a baking pan.
- Gently heat oil in a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. If you have a deep fryer, that is great! I would use that instead. The oil should be 350-375 F degrees before adding the chicken pieces.
- Fry the chicken for 10 minutes on one side. Flip the chicken to cook the other side another 10 minutes. (Do this if you are not fully submerging your chicken in the hot oil. After you cook each side of the chicken, check the internal temperature of 165 F degrees. The total cook time would be around 20 minutes, but it depends on the cut of chicken you are using. If you are deep frying the chicken it will take less time for your chicken to cook.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Many ask if you can use cornstarch instead of tapioca, this should be okay.
- If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- If you like your chicken extra crispy, double-dip it! After doing one dip in the tapioca starch, put back into the buttermilk, then redip into the tapioca starch.
- Use an oil that is made to tolerate high heat. Canola, avocado, and coconut oil are all great high heat oils for frying. (Note if you use coconut oil it will impart a flavor where canola and avocado oil are tasteless.)
- You want your hot oil temperature to reach between 350-375 F degrees before adding the chicken.
- This fried chicken will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. To reheat, put onto a baking sheet, cover with foil (to prevent burning the crispy coating), and bake in the oven at 325 F degrees for 20 minutes. Check to see if it is heated all the way through.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Fried chicken breast and thighs last night. Made a few mistakes with the mixing. Put the tapioca starch in with the buttermilk mix. Then after marinading 2 hr. followed the part about tossing in tapioca flour. Oh well….But it turned out fantastic. Hubby was so excited to finally find a recipe for fried chicken. This is a keeper and will be used many times. Thank you for all your hard work.
I am so glad the chicken turned out great! Thank you so much, Carol!
I made this with wings since its my first time frying chicken. I used cornstarch, didn’t have tapioca flour and followed the recipe otherwise. It was cripsy and moist, but I had to play around with cooking times, since I only did a sampling of wings. This is the first fried chicken I’ve had in over 3 years….it was so good. Will make with other chicken parts now…Love your recipes! Thank-you for sharing your wisdom.
Thank you so much, Bonnie. I really am glad you are enjoying my recipes.
I tried the fried chicken recipe and your easy fresh herb potato salad last night. The fried chicken came out amazing. It was the best fried chicken I have had in over 15 years. Came out super crispy (I only dipped once) and the chicken was moist and flavorful. Your directions were easy to follow and made all the difference to me. I am 83 years old and now I can have fried chicken again. Two others in my household (one a gluten-free skeptic and does not like anything GF) said the chicken was the best they have ever had.
The potato salad was excellent and easy to make. I will never make my regular potato salad again. This one is fabulous.
Thank you for the recipes.
You absolutely made my day, Ellen. My goal is to make food even non-gluten free people like. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know.
Quick question – will Otto Starch work also?
I haven’t tested using the tapioca flour. The recipe was shared with us from a chef, so I don’t know how to answer this question. If you try it, please come back and let us know how it worked.
Not sure what I did wrong but, did anyone else have a problem with it getting crispy? Once I took it out of the oil, it was kind of soggy , and stayed that way. I ended up throwing in the air fryer and that helped crisp it up a little. Any tips? I miss fried chicken so bad lol.
Hi Natalie, if your chicken was not crispy, my first guess is your oil was not hot enough for frying.
This looks amazing. Wondering how this will freeze to make ahead and reheat in the oven.
Hi Pat. That is a good question. I haven’t tested freezing it.
It passed the “day old fried chicken test!” It was wonderful cold, out of the fridge the next day. Everyone loved it. I did, however, make one little change, I used coconut milk instead of buttermilk – or any other kind of milk. I mixed the coconut milk with the red wine vinegar and cayenne pepper and used that to soak. I also used refined coconut oil for frying. It was really tasty.
Oooh, I love this chicken passed all of your tests. Thank you so much for letting me know how much you loved it.
Between steps 2 and 3 it mentions nothing about coating the chicken in gluten free flour? It just says drop it in the oil from the buttermilk soak? Or I missed it somewhere
I added some text to make this more clear. Thank you Cheryl.
Can you cook this chicken in the air fryer,not much on cooking in oil
Hi! I personally haven’t made this recipe in the air fryer, but one of my readers did with great success. She left a comment so maybe scroll down and read what she said?
What are thoughts on using air fryer?
I have not tested an air fryer. I seem to recall a commenter saying they had success, but it may be helpful for you to review the comments to see what they said.
Thank you so much for sharing! We order proposition chicken several times a month and I order the gluten free chicken. It’s great to see how simple ingredients can produce an amazing gluten free fried chicken.
I would love you see a post on the salad dressing they make, because I’m dying to make it for my everyday salad.
I am so jealous you can get Proposition Chicken that much. We are in the South Bay and haven’t been up to SF much. I haven’t tried their salad but I will the next time we do go.
Would it be possible to bake?
Hi Kristin, I do not know. I haven’t tested this recipe in the oven. I haven’t seen any comment that my readers have tried that either.
Hi Sandi,
I made this chicken today for thanksgiving, and my family said it was the best fried chicken I have made. This is a keeper, thanks for sharing
I am so glad everyone loved it, Liz. I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!!
Is there a reason why you don’t salt it before frying? KFC had something like 14 herbs and spices. This doesn’t sound very spiced. I’m in Canada and haven’t heard of the restaurant you spoke of. Does anyone who can’t tolerate dairy know if buttermilk is ok?
Hi Lorraine, If you want to add salt, feel free to season as you like. This recipe is not mine, but the owner of Proposition Chicken so I printed it as he gave it to me. You are the first to comment on the salt. Buttermilk would be considered dairy so if you don’t tolerate it, you would need to use a non-dairy option.
I use Kite Hill sour cream and thin a little with my homemade almond milk in place of buttermilk! Works great in lots of recipes!
I am so glad you were able to work out a dairy-free version Diane. Thank you for letting my readers know so they can try too.
Have you tried this recipe in an air fryer? Any changes or edits to the recipe?
Hi Sasha, I have not tried it in an air fryer. I am not sure if it would work. If you do try it, please let me know how it goes.
Did you (or did anyone else) ever try this in the air fryer? I would love to use the air fryer.
Hi Stacie, I haven’t tested this in an air fryer, nor has anyone commented as trying. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Omg this recipe was amazing. The chicken was so crunchy and even my family who doesn’t EAT GF loved it. Def making this a stable in our dinners
I am so glad you enjoyed it Teresa! It is truly one of the best ways to eat chicken.
Would it still coat and fry fine if using plant based milk?
I haven’t tested non-dairy milk but in theory it should work.
This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe on any website but I feel compelled to because HOOOOLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYY MOOOOLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYY THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!!! I’ve never made fried chicken before and this was better than any non-gluten free chicken I’ve had! I’m beyond impressed. I’m celiac but my husband is not and he thought it was amazing too. You’d never know. Tapioca flour is definitely the move. So light and crispy. This is definitely going into our regular recipe rotation!
You made my day. I am so glad you liked the recipe!
What a great recipe!
If you want extra crispy chicken, you can do 2 coats of breading/flour; 1 the day before frying and 1 the day of. If you like grocery store fried chicken, this is how it’s done! Adding your favorite spice blend to the flour will make sure every bite is full of flavor, and doesn’t add any more calories or fat.
Thanks for the extra crispy tip Rae!
Thanks for the tip Rae- before the second dip in the tapioca starch on the day you fry, do you dip in anything “wet” first? The brine, or an egg wash? Or just back in the tapioca starch again? Thanks!
I would very much like to try your recipe. Can you make it using an all purpose gluten free flour?
Hi Jackie, I assume it would be fine. I haven’t used all purpose flour in this recipe. Please do come back and let us know how it turns out 🙂
A quick note on this: if using a gfap flour make sure there is no xanthan gum or any other gum based alternatives or the coating will come out messy and gummy, not crispy.
That is a good point. The chef doesn’t use an all purpose flour. Thank you Scott.
Do you have any idea how long you fried the tenders for this recipe? You made it a long time ago, but I thought I’d try! 🙂 I am using boneless, skinless breasts that I am going to slice into “fingers,” and I doubt they’ll take 18 mintues in the fryer but I’m also not an experienced fryer!
Hi Nikki, I would try cooking 5-8 minutes then maybe take one out and check the internal temperature. If it is 165 degrees F, they would be ready.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for this recipe!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING.
I used skinless chicken breast cut into long strips and the coating stuck to the chicken just fine.
I also added a bunch of herbs & spices to the tapioca flour to make it a bit like KFC (so rosemary, basil, salt, pepper, paprika, celery salt, thyme, garlic powder, oregano – meant to add mustard powder but forgot).
It was really crispy and delicious. I cooked it in my electric fry pan and served it with chips and coleslaw. YUM!
Will have leftovers for dinner and will make again in the future!
🙂
You absolutely made my day. I am so glad you came back to let me know you liked it 🙂
Hi, thank you for the recipe! I have one question, what oil do you recommend to use when frying?
Hi Edmond, I recommend an oil that does well at high heat like avocado oil or canola. Enjoy 🙂
This WAS so easy and delicious. Turned out perfect. Even leftovers were delicious. Thank you for this gf and egg free recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Jennifer 🙂
Hi Sandi. This chicken looks delicious! I was wondering if the recipe would still work if the skin were removed from the chicken before frying to cut down on the fat content. I wasn’t sure if the coating would possibility still adhere to the chicken if air or oven fried. Thanks for your reply.
Hi Sharon, I am not sure as the coating really sticks to the skin…but I would definitely say to give it a try and see.
I would really love to try this recipe, but I am also dairy intolerant. Has anyone tried this recipe with an alternative non-dairy to replace the buttermilk?
Hi Minette, since this recipe was given to us by my chef friend, I don’t think he has tested it out as a dairy-free recipe. If you try using an alternative milk, can you please come back and let us know how it turned out? I recommend using an unsweetened non-dairy milk as the original flavors often have sugar, which may be weird in a savory recipe.
Ive done it – totally works! It is one of the ways I make homemade creamy based vegan salad dressings…
You can easily create a modified buttermilk using unflavored almond milk and vinegar…. or instead of vinegar, a little lemon juice.
It will still create the same reaction as if it were regular milk. Just be mindful of adjusting your spices as the viscosity created may be a bit more thicker than traditional made-on-the-fly buttermilk.
Good luck!
I never once saw the oil temperature described in the recipe. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, some require lower temperature with a longer frying time, but Japanese Kaarage or Chinese sweet and sour chicken have smaller sized pieces requiring higher temperature and less frying time.
What temperature does this recipe require ???
Hi Jack, Thank you so much for pointing this out. The chef didn’t give me an oil temperature so I reached out to him. He said to get the oil between 350 and 375F degrees. I hope this helps.
Please send me lots of Gluten Free recipes as I am a Recipe Collector and the demand for G/F recipes is on the increase.
I will fill in the info required below and if possible, I can get a gluten free idea for working on for Wednesday’s, I’d be very appreciative. Even if you could email me something during a Tuesday, we could get max more sorted for Wednesdays!
Kind regards.
Lynne
I am sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about Lynne.
I have been frying chicken using gf jules flour mix. It does quite well and is very tasty. And my celiac husband is very happy! I have never used vinegar in my recipe…will have to try it. Sounds tasty.
Better Byrd, a chicken restaurant in St. Petersburg, says they now serve only gf fried chicken and have separate fryers for the chicken and their specialty, made to order, mini donuts (not gf). We haven’t tried the chicken since they made the change to gf, but I hear good things.
It is funny, I never used vinegar until the owner of Proposition Chicken gave me this recipe. I wonder if it helps tenderize the chicken. Thank you so much for stopping by Jane :-).
Hi Sandi. Mouthwatering! That sounds delicious! I’m a new cooker and finding fried recipes. I’m thinking to practice this recipe. Thank you for your sharing. It works very well, I think it is suitable for chicken fried for this menu. What do you think about that?
I will have to try an air fryer. Thank you so much and let us know how it turns out Mily 🙂
Hi there, I’m so glad I came across your site. I’ve been gluten free off & on (I know that sounds silly) for about 2 years now & was researching GF fried chicken. I just purchased some Cassava flour, but don’t have any tapioca starch/flour on hand. I’m kicking myself for not ordering any from Amazon. I will place an order for some today. Can’t wait to try the breading with the tapioca. I’ll use my cassava tonight, however. Will be my first time using that as well. I think I also read somewhere that cassava is really good for fish & chips. I’m reside in Wisconsin and fish & chip Friday’s are big here.
Just wondering, though, have you ever used potato starch/flour for breading? I understand some Asian recipes call for potato starch. I have used cornstarch & sweet rice flour. They add a bit of an extra crunch. And I read where someone commented on the vinegar factor. Yes, that does make the chicken really tender.
Thanks again. I can tell I’m going to love your website.
I am so glad you are here Tara :-). I use potato starch to thicken sauces, but I have not tried it for a fried recipe…Cassava flour is very similar to Tapioca, it is from the same plant so I would think it could work in this recipe.
Well I have made the delicious Paleo Apple Cinnamon Donuts, then the Banana Chunky Monkey Donuts and tonight we are having the fried Chicken & Cauliflower Cheddar Pancakes, so far they have all been great.Thanks for sharing!
Wow John, you have made my day, and quite possibly my week. Thank you 🙂
Hi I’m wondering if you can use an air fryer to eliminate some of the extra calories and oil?
Hi Cindy, I am so sorry, I have never used an air fryer so I am not sure what to advise. I suspect it would be okay, but I haven’t tried it myself. Would you be so kind as to come back and let us know if you try it?
This southern girl has never been more excited! The idea of gluten-free fried chicken makes me so happy. I can’t wait to try this!!! Out of curiosity, which oil do you use? I’m thinking avocado oil but unsure if it would vibe.
Hi Michele, I used avocado oil, but I suspect the restaurant uses canola. Enjoy :-).
Love this recipe! I’ve made it as is and loved it but tried it out with a few tweaks this weekend and my family was blown away! I added a TBSP of hotsauce and 1 TBSP of salt to the buttermilk in the place of cayenne & wine vinegar. It was how I brined my chicken before going gf and always resulted in incredibly juicy chicken. I also added rosemary… next time I’ll put soak the rosemary in the buttermilk then strain before adding the chicken. (I love the flavour but not the feel of eating little sticks ?) After dredging each piece in the tapioca starch, I went back and dipped it in the buttermilk and back into the tapioca starch… I let it rest on a wire rack for about 20 min before I put it in batches into my deep fryer. I just like the ease of a deep fryer for bigger pieces. I forget to turn it in my cast iron ? The ease of only needing one starch/flour and the incredible taste and crunch of this chicken made it 5☆ for me!! Just as good, and crispy, cold for lunch the next day! Thankyou so much for sharing ?
I am so glad you liked it Mary. I thought of you today because I went to Proposition Chicken for dinner 🙂
What type of oil do you use for frying??
Hi Melissa, you want to use an oil that can tolerate high heat. I like to use Avocado oil for frying.
I do like some well cooked, juicy fried chicken in my life!
Hi,
I was curious if I could make this with regular gluten free flour instead of Tapioca flour?
Thank you!
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte, I would try arrowroot starch if you can’t have tapioca. I would assume you can use gluten free flour, but you want to make sure it doesn’t have xanthan gum in the mix. Take care and let me know how it turns out 🙂
How deep should the oil be in the pan? Is there a way to oven fry this chicken so it’s crispy but healthier and easier?
Hi Su, I would say the oil should be deep enough to cover half the chicken. That way when you flip it, the other side cooks perfectly.