This crispy baked chicken recipe is a riff on old-fashioned oven-fried chicken. This version is gluten-free and paleo-friendly using an almond four base. Perfect for your next Whole30 or any night you feel like the crispy taste of paleo fried chicken!
Paleo Fried Chicken
Do you ever long for crispy fried chicken, but you have to pass on those craving to stick to your diet? That’s how my husband has been feeling ever since I started going grain-free, which meant we had to give up one of his favorite weeknight dinners, my Oven Fried Chicken. Well, no one, including you or my husband has to suffer any longer because I finally perfected a paleo fried chicken recipe!
Yup, you heard that right, this recipe is paleo and whole30 compliant, and it couldn’t be more delicious. This chicken is coated in a crispy grain-free mixture and baked in the oven until it reaches that peak crispy perfection.
There is no doubt that this dish will be devoured almost as soon as it’s set on the table, so you might even want to make a double batch.
What Is The Difference Between Fried Chicken and Oven-Fried Chicken?
There is one dib difference between regular fried chicken and oven-fried chicken. Regular fried chicken is usually deep-fried in a vat of oil. You typically need to use a deep fryer or get a large pot of oil and a heat resistant strainer. This method of cooking, while insanely delicious, can be very high in calories, and a whole boatload of other things, making it a meal you don’t want to be incorporating into your diet on a regular basis.
That’s where the difference of oven-fried chicken comes in handy. Oven-fried chicken opts out of the deep fry method, and instead, you cook the chicken in the oven, using a LOT less oil, making it way less indulgent overall.
When done right, oven-fried chicken can taste just as good as regular fried chicken, especially when you have a recipe as good as this one!
Is This Crispy Baked Chicken Whole30 Compliant?
Yes, it is! With my love for crispy baked chicken, I was determined to make a Whole30 compliant and Paleo Oven Fried Chicken Recipe that was just as crispy, crunchy and spicy as my original recipe.
Oven-Fried Chicken is ALL ABOUT THE CRUMB and getting a crispy, crunchy crumb that sticks well without any type of grain flour is no easy task. I managed to to get that perfect crumb though, so no flavor of crispy goodness is lost, even when doing the whole30 diet!
How To Make Paleo Fried Chicken
After playing around with different ratios of almond meal and almond flour, I finally nailed this recipe and man, it is GOOD. It takes a bit of patience and practice to perfect, but once you have it down, you’ll be making it once a week! Just follow these simple instructions and you’ll be on your way to the best paleo fried chicken in no time!
1 Ace an oven rack in the upper third position. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with tin foil and placing the cooking rack on top. Use the olive oil sprayer to generously coat the cooking rack.
Mix the almond meal and almond flour in a bowl. Use a fork to sift through and break up any clumps.
2. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, oregano, and garlic powder to flour and use a fork to mix thoroughly.
3. In a separate bowl (flat enough to dip each piece of chicken in) beat the eggs with the almond milk.
Grab a small baking sheet or plate. You are going to use this to coat the chicken instead of dipping in the almond flour.
4. You are doing this for two main reasons – almond flour tends to absorb moisture and get crumbly which you desperately want to avoid so you can get a good crumb and because you only need about 3/4 of the almond mixture and we don’t want to contaminate it all with raw chicken. You should have your small tray or plate, skinless, bone-in chicken, almond flour mixture with spices, beaten eggs and olive oil mister set to the side.
5. Use a spoon to spread some of the almond flour on the bottom of the tray.
6. Dip a piece of chicken in the egg until well coated.
7. Place on a tray and use the spoon to dump some of the flour mixture on top of the chicken. Pat the flour mixture onto the chicken until all sides are coated and place on the cooking rack.
8. Repeat until all of the chicken is evenly coated and on the cooking rack. Make sure to leave space around each piece of chicken. Finally, use the olive oil sprayer to give each piece of chicken a nice coating (it should shine or appear misted).
Tips For Making Paleo Fried Chicken
- I very rarely tell you to buy stuff just to make a dish but if you are serious about oven-fried chicken, you need an elevated baking tray (they are called cooling racks) so the bottom can get crispy instead of soggy.
- If you want to avoid non-stick cooking sprays, get an olive oil mister. The spray of olive oil before going into the oven is crucial for crispy-success!
- I used a combination of almond meal (ground raw almonds with their skins on) and blanched almond flour (finely ground blanched and skinless almonds). You can make your own almond meal if you have raw almonds and a food processor. Trader Joe’s also sells it pretty cheap ($3.99 / lb). As for the blanched almond flour, I just buy that! I have tried this recipe with just almond meal and with just almond flour as well as other combinations and it didn’t have the crunch.
- You can make this with all legs, thighs, breasts or any combo of the above. But if you go with a whole chicken, make sure to ask the butcher to remove the skin and cut it into 8 pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs, and 2 wings). This is a major time saver!
More Gluten-Free Chicken Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This crispy baked chicken recipe is a riff on old-fashioned oven-fried chicken. This version is gluten-free and paleo-friendly using an almond four base. Perfect for your next Whole30 or any night you feel like the crispy taste of paleo fried chicken!
- 4 to 5 pound whole chicken cut up into 8 pieces, skin removed
- 1.5 cups almond meal
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1.5 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/8 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk
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Place an oven rack in the upper third position (second one from the top). Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with tin foil and placing the cooking rack on top. Use the olive oil sprayer to generously coat the cooking rack.
-
Mix the almond meal and almond flour in a bowl. Use a fork to sift through and break up any clumps.
Add salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, oregano and garlic powder to flour and use fork to mix thoroughly.
-
In a separate bowl (flat enough to dip each piece of chicken in) beat the eggs with the almond milk.
-
Grab a small baking sheet or plate. You are going to use this to coat the chicken instead of dipping in the almond flour.
You are doing this for two main reasons - almond flour tends to absorb moisture and get crumbly which you desperately want to avoid so you can get a good crumb and because you only need about 3/4 of the almond mixture and we don't want to contaminate it all with raw chicken. You should have your small tray or plate, skinless, bone-in chicken, almond flour mixture with spices, beaten eggs and olive oil mister set to the side.
-
Use a spoon to spread some of the almond flour on the bottom of the tray.
-
Dip a piece of chicken in the egg until well coated.
-
Place on tray and use the spoon to dump some of the flour mixture on top of the chicken. Pat the flour mixture onto the chicken until all sides are coated and place on the cooking rack.
-
Repeat until all of the chicken is evenly coated and on the cooking rack. Make sure to leave space around each piece of chicken. Finally, use the olive oil sprayer to give each piece of chicken a nice coating (it should shine or appear misted).
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Bake for 1 hour, 10 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
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NOTE that I had about 1/4 cup flour mixture leftover on the tray that was contaminated by the raw chicken so I threw it away. Same thing for the egg - trash it.
If you were careful and used a spoon to scoop the flour mixture from the mixing bowl and have any leftover (I had 1 cup), store in an airtight glass jar and save for the next batch!
- I very rarely tell you to buy stuff just to make a dish but if you are serious about oven-fried chicken, you need an elevated baking tray (they are called cooling racks) so the bottom can get crispy instead of soggy.
- If you want to avoid non-stick cooking sprays, get an olive oil mister. The spray of olive oil before going into the oven is crucial for crispy-success!
- I used a combination of almond meal (ground raw almonds with their skins on) and blanched almond flour (finely ground blanched and skinless almonds). You can make your own almond meal if you have raw almonds and a food processor. Trader Joe's also sells it pretty cheap ($3.99 / lb). As for the blanched almond flour, I just buy that! I have tried this recipe with just almond meal and with just almond flour as well as other combinations and it didn't have the crunch.
- You can make this with all legs, thighs, breasts or any combo of the above. But if you go with a whole chicken, make sure to ask the butcher to remove the skin and cut it into 8 pieces (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs, and 2 wings). This is a major time saver!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
UPDATE NOTES: This Paleo Fried Chicken recipe was originally published in May 2013 and was updated in August 2019 with step-by-step instruction photos and more helpful recipe information.
Yes it is the Red Mill blend. It still tasted great, but next time I will try to find the Almond meal to add. I guess if I had the Almond meal and the olive mister the chicken would’ve came out crispier. Overall I thought it was great and my wife loved it. We normally don’t eat fried chicken and this was our 2nd day of Paleo so this recipe blew our minds. Every bite I felt like I was eating real fried chicken! Cant wait to try more of your recipes.
If you live near a Trader Joe’s, they sell almond meal for $4.99 / lb. If not, you can make it yourself with some raw almonds in the food processor! Just don’t process so long it becomes almond butter. Glad you loved the chicken and have a great weekend! 🙂
Yes it is Bob’ Mill Almond Meal/Flour
Cynthia – that is almond flour. I hate that it says “meal” b/c it’s not. Almond Meal has the skins on. I love BRM but I wish they would change the product name b/c it is very confusing! I hope it came out good 🙂
Our Whole Foods (Ann Arbor) sells almond flour in bulk, which I discovered when they didn’t have the BRM that I was looking for.
Unfortunately I don’t have an olive mister on hand. I sprinkled some olive oil lightly on the chicken. Crossing my fingers and hoping to get some crispness. Smells amazing can’t wait for it to finish. Is there a difference in measurement if I’m using the almond meal flour blend?
Hi Jeremie – how did it come out? What is almond meal flour blend? Are you talking about Bob’s Red Mill that says “Almond Meal / Flour”?
www. hi Mav your oven -fried- chicken sounds like “The One! and Thank You for doing the points plus. I have all of the equiptment , because I’ve been trying to fine the right recipt. I’m doing the chicken this week end!! I ordered my cooking racks from Amazon so i’m ready!! Like you said “. You must have the racks!!
Enjoy it Gloria – hope you love it as much as we do!
Can you use almond Meal/Flour for this recipe? We are new to paleo and being from Georgia, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE good fried chicken. What self respecting southerner wouldn’t? My question is because I see different amounts of almond meal and almond flour but I found a blend of almond meal/flour.
Hi Cynthia,
Is it by any chance Bob’s Red Mill Brand Almond Flour/Meal?
FINALLY! A gluten free ‘fried’ chicken that tastes amazing! I love the crunch and the flavors have the perfect level of heat. I made it twice – once ‘as is’ and one time I didn’t have almond flour so I subbed non-GMO corn flake crumbs. I know, I know, not Paleo, but I’m primarily GF and sometimes you just gotta make substitutions instead of running to the store!
Hi Teri! So glad to hear it worked out for you and you all loved it!! No judgement from me. I am not 100% Paleo or anything else for that matter (most people aren’t!) and everyone’s body is different. My thing is make the best choices you can and buy the best quality ingredients! 🙂
Yes, it was the coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s. It went really well with the coating!
My husband and I made this tonight and I’ve got to say it is some of the best “fried” chicken I’ve ever had. The only substitution we made was using coconut oil spray (only oil spray we had on hand). It was perfect and it felt good to eat it! I feel great right now too. We have set aside the extra coating for our next batch because we will be definitely making this again. Thank you for this healthy and tasty recipe.
Hi Jan Marie! Is it that coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s by any chance? So glad you guys loved it!! 🙂
Just made this last night – this is delicious! Definitely will be making this again.
Thanks for letting me know Sara – so glad you like it 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight. Loved by my kids and husband. Excellent! Thank you so much.
Nice Jennifer! So glad to hear it and thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
It is a peeve of mine when people comment on recipes they haven’t tried and say it sounds delicious. I want to know if it IS delicious. I made this tonight. Super easy and one of the best fried chickens I’ve had. Just went into my rotation. Thank you!
Hi Julie – so glad you liked it!! This chicken is one of my go-to comfort foods – I love it! 🙂
Yes, couldn’t agree more, big peeve of mine, as well. 😉
I e-mailed everdaymaven 3 weeks ago asking her permission to feature one of her recipes on a best of series I’m planning on launching when my own blog goes live. She suggested this recipe – wow she didn’t disappoint. This is honestly one of the best pieces of chicken I’ve ever eaten. As I type this out I’m literally fighting back the urge to go back into the kitchen and eat the rest.
Thanks so much,
Dan
Hi Dan!
So glad to hear you loved the chicken!!! Thank you so much 🙂
I just finished making these and boy oh boy are these amazing! I must say I am not someone who cooks on a regular basis and I usually stick to the easiest things when I do cook. Lately I’ve been itching to try new things and this was a great choice. I definitely recommend to anyone who is living the Paleo lifestyle and misses fried chicken. I also feel like your directions are perfect on how to cook this. It made it that much easier. This will definitely be my go-to meal when I want to impress someone.
Hi Iris! So glad to hear it was easy for you to make 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and letting me know!
This recipe looks so tasty. I can’t wait to try it.
OMG – Just tasted – IT’s GOOD!!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe – I just started eating ‘Paleo’ and after 2 weeks, I’m already feeling so much better. I just ‘almond breaded’ up my chicken breasts with your recipe and it’s in the oven right now.
I have a suggestion for the almond flour and eggs that have touched raw chicken – If you have dogs (not sure about cats) you can take the extra eggs and almond flour – sauteed it really quickly to get it cooked and give it to your dogs. Dogs have a much shorter digestive track than humans and usually can handle much more than we can. I have two retired racing greyhounds – they used to feed the greyhounds raw meat on the racetracks. My vet recommends cooking it – so that’s what I do. I just know that the extra eggs and almond flour will be dog food for breakfast tomorrow. 🙂
thanks again for the recipe!
Mary
Hi Mary! You are so welcome – so glad to hear you loved it!!! Great idea for the leftover breading. We don’t have a dog right now (or cat) but when we did, we fed her raw and she would have loved this for sure 🙂
Woolies and Coles has almond flour in both the nuts and snack/chips sections, or the baking sections. Also, try the health food section as well. I find it readily available in Sydney. Cheers!
This recipe is just outstanding.
can boneless breast be used?
Yes Renee. I haven’t tried it but a couple other readers asked about it in the comments. Enjoy!
I recently went gluten-free and had a craving for friend chicken, so I found this online and tried it. Delicious! I ground my own almonds then used blanched almond flour. I didn’t have a sprayer, so just used regular non-stick spray. My husband raved about it – and he doesn’t even particularly like eating chicken off the bone. I’ll be making it again. A+! Thank you!
So glad you all loved it Amanda! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and let me know 🙂
TRIED THIS FOR MY FAMILY, IT WAS RELLY YUMMY, I USED SPROUTED ALMONDS!
Nice Erycka – so glad it worked out with the sprouted almonds!!
Thanks! I do! Can’t wait to try!
Do you need to use an olive oil sprayer? I would like to make this but do not have a sprayer…
Hi Haley! You need something to spray the coating so it gets crispy. Do you have non-stick cooking spray – that would be the next best thing.
Hi EM,
I love your site. I like skin on my chicken. Would this work with bone in, skin on chicken breasts?
Thanks,
Kelley
Hi Kelley,
It should work. I “bread” the wings with the skin on and they come out just fine. Just make sure that you keep one hand dry while breading so you don’t get clumps.
I made it with bone in, skin on breasts and it was terrific! Super tasty crispy crust! Thanks EM.
That is great to hear!!
I reviewed a cookbook for an author who made chicken tenders this way. I used my cookie rack for his recipe and have used it ever since. I even use it for baked fries. They come out crispy instead of mushy on the bottom. I’ll have to try this recipe for my daughter-in-law who eats gluten free. It’s perfect for her!
Nice! I hope she likes it Kristi 🙂
Your chicken looks so good, I can’t believe it’s baked! Nicely done.
Thanks Laura!
Hi Alyssa! I’m wondering how you would change this recipe for chicken tenders? I’m bone-phobic.
Hi Julie!
The breading should work just the same, the only thing that will change is the cooking time. Will you do breasts or thighs?
What cooking time would you do for chicken breast tenders with no skin?
Hi Julie!
I would do 20 to 25 min at 350F depending on thickness. Make sure to check one at the thickest part. I hope the tenders work out!
This chicken is amazing!! I made it for tonight’s supper with the Hasselback sweet potatoes and an arugula salad. My husband, who has a penchant for KFC (ew!), was THRILLED – declared it a winner.
So glad to hear it Lianne! We also had it for dinner last night and my family as well as my guests were loving it! 🙂
We had the leftovers cold for lunch today – very tasty!
Trying this tonight. Hope it works as well with the skin on!
Let me know how it turns out Erin! I haven’t tried it with the skin on (except the wings which worked great). Have a great weekend 🙂
Alyssa,
How sweet are you to indulge your spouse’s favorites in a way that works for your current eating pattern?
I hope he appreciates you and your cleverness.
Thanks!
He does and he deserves it – he is a pretty amazing guy 🙂
I love that you made this paleo friendly!! Sounds like a great dish.
Thanks Joanne! Have a great long weekend xoxo
Wow these look amazing. Almond flour is impossible to find in Australia so do you think using coconut flour would work?
Hi Brooke,
Can you get your hands on some Marcona almonds? If so, grind those at home into almond flour! I don’t think it will work with coconut flour – the coconut flour retains moisture and the coating will most likely be gummy. Let me know how it works out!
Your chicken looks fantastic! I’ll have to try it the next time I have some almond flour on hand.
Yes! Diana – it is such a nice, crispy treat 🙂
Okay, that’s probably the one thing that keeps me away from paleo – I ♥ my bread! However, I’d have no problem eating this…it looks amazing!
I hear you Heather – it’s hard to imagine not eating bread and grains but easier than it seems!
Post the video, quick!
and you are the sweetest wife to have made this paleo for your husband who loves fried chicken. Can’t stop drooling over here 😀
I will post it Kiran! I was waiting for the clips to be released instead of posting the whole show!
This looks fabulous, Alyssa! Cripsy, delicious and healthy – love it!! I can’t wait to make this one.
Thanks Hannah – I am really pleased with the final product. It was a labor of love for sure!
Looks so crispy and crunchy – I can’t believe you pulled it off… AGAIN! Healthy crispy chicken.
Yum!!! This chicken looks so dang good!
It is awesome Ashley! I can’t wait to make it again (Saturday lol)
This looks seriously crispy – so glad you were able to figure out the right combination of ingredients to make your husband’s favorite fried chicken paleo.
It is Jeanette – and Gluten Free!
Fortunately I already have all the hardware I need for this dish! I even have almond flour. No almond meal, but I have almonds and a food processor, so there I go. Great dish – love the idea. Thank you.
Nice!!! Let me know how you like it 🙂
My whole family is trying to cut back on flour. This looks so yummy and I’ve been dying to break out the almond flour I bought. Thanks so much.
Teresa
Thanks for stopping by Teresa – enjoy the chicken, I hope your family loves it!
Hi Maven. I saw you over the weekend on TV, great job!
That led me to look-up your name & recipe online, & I found your site. BIG bonus because you have Weight Watcher recipes, so I ear-marked & signed-up for your e-mails because my wife follows WW.
Thanks for tweaking the recipe, I’ll try this one first!
Looks like you are doing Paleo now…haven’t tried that one yet. Good luck!
Hi Steve,
Thank you so much! We are experimenting with eating grain-free but I wouldn’t label myself Paleo (yet anyway lol). Enjoy this recipe 🙂
Thank you for taking all those trial runs so that we can enjoy a great crispy crusted paleo friendly chicken. This looks amazing and I am sure it is really crispy. Thanks for the hints to keeping your chicken crisp on the outside and juicy in the center. Have a super week. Take care, BAM
Anytime! I hope you love it 🙂