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You are here: Home / Proteins / Poultry / Paleo Fried Chicken

Published September 2, 2020. By Alyssa Brantley 146 Comments

Paleo Fried Chicken

  • Dairy free
  • Gluten free
  • Nut free
  • Low carb
  • Paleo
  • Whole 30
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crispy oven fried chicken with text for pinterest

Paleo Fried Chicken is the gluten-free answer to crispy oven fried chicken! Made with an almond flour and almond meal base for the perfect texture!

cooked crispy oven fried chicken on a serving platter

There is nothing like some crispy fried chicken. AM I RIGHT?

If you love fried chicken but are looking for a grain-free, gluten-free, Whole30, Keto, Low-Carb, or Paleo option, I have got you covered! Yup, you heard that right, this recipe is Paleo and Whole30 compliant, and it couldn’t be more delicious.

This oven fried chicken is coated in a crispy grain-free mixture (almond flour and almond meal mixed with spices!) and baked in the oven until it reaches that peak crispy perfection. It is not anything like the boring oven-fried chicken you may have had in the past!

What Is The Difference Between Fried Chicken and Oven-Fried Chicken?

There is one big 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.

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 messy and wasteful (no thanks to dumping cups of oil after deep-frying).

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!

How To Make Paleo Fried Chicken

After playing around with different ratios of almond meal, almond flour, and spices, I finally nailed this paleo fried chicken recipe, and man, it is GOOD.

collage of steps to make oven fried chicken recipe

  1. Place 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 spices to flour mixture 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.
  4. Grab a small baking sheet or plate, use a spoon to spread some of the almond flour on the bottom of the tray. 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.

collage of steps 5 to 8 make oven fried chicken

5. Dip a piece of chicken in the egg until well coated.
6. Place on the tray and use the spoon to dump some more 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.
7. 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).

8. Discard the beaten egg and any of the flour mixture that raw chicken came into contact with. Save any of the flour mixture that is reserved (and did NOT come into contact with raw chicken).

paleo fried chicken on a wood tray with a beige linen

Recipe Tips:

  • 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:

Paleo Chicken Pot Pie

Baked Lemon Chicken Breasts

Whole30 Paprika Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Paleo Fried Chicken
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
 

Paleo Fried Chicken is the gluten-free answer to crispy oven fried chicken! Made with an almond flour and almond meal base for the perfect texture!

Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almond flour breaded chicken, crispy baked chicken, gluten free fried chicken recipe, how to make oven fried chicken, keto fried chicken, paleo fried chicken
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 433 kcal
Author: Alyssa Brantley
5 from 36 votes
close up of crispy oven fried chicken on a wood platter
Print
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. In a separate bowl (flat enough to dip each piece of chicken in) beat the eggs with the almond milk.

  4. 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.

  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 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).

  9. Bake for 1 hour, 10 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
  10. 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!

NOTES:
  • 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!
  • Please NOTE that the nutrition info contains EVERY single ingredient in full - meaning that it accounts for all of the breading and oil even though not all of it is used in the recipe as well as the chicken skin. 
Nutrition Facts
Paleo Fried Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 433 Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 128mg43%
Sodium 1408mg61%
Potassium 232mg7%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 457IU9%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 92mg9%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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 September 2020 with step-by-step instruction photos and more helpful recipe information.

Filed Under: By Diet, By Occasion, Course, Dairy Free, Fall, Family Friendly, Football, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Keto, Kid Friendly, Low Carb, Mains, Nuts, Paleo, Party Food, Poultry, Primal, Proteins, Season, Special Ingredients, Spring, Summer, Whole30, Winter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer Walcott says

    October 16, 2020 at 9:40 am

    I love this recipe for when I’m on a Paleo kick. This is the perfect Paleo alternative to the “This is the only Fried Chicken Recipe you ever need”, also a huge favorite of mine!

    Reply
  2. Molly says

    March 20, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    Best baked fried chicken ! Followed your seasoning to the tee. We loved it and will definitely use in the rotation.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      March 20, 2019 at 8:39 pm

      LOVE! Day made Molly!!

      Reply
  3. Amy Noel says

    December 31, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Thank you for sharing your recipe. I made a few modifications to fit our dietary restrictions and it turned out great. I substituted Potato Flour and Coconut Flour instead of the Almond Flours. I used canned Coconut Milk instead of eggs to dip the chicken into before the flour mixture. After baking I broiled the chicken about 3-5 minutes each side to add more crispiness.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      January 2, 2019 at 11:19 am

      Hi Amy! Awesome that it worked out with those changes!!

      Reply
  4. Meera says

    September 22, 2016 at 10:28 pm

    Hi! Thank you for posting, this looks fantastic!

    I have almond flour but no almonds/almond meal on hand 🙁

    Is there a chance that it would work with a walnut meal? Or coarsely ground blanched almonds? I also have pistachios and cashews.

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      September 26, 2016 at 9:49 am

      Hey Meera – Coarsely ground blanched almonds would be my choice. Hope it worked out!

      Reply
      • Kella says

        April 23, 2018 at 10:51 am

        I have almond flour/meal. Can I use just that?

        Reply
        • EverydayMaven says

          April 25, 2018 at 1:25 pm

          The mix is what really makes a textured “crust”

          Reply
  5. Zendia says

    July 19, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    This looks yummy and I want to make it this week. This recipe calls for almond meal and blanched almond flour, I believe they are 2 different ingredients since you listed them separately. I have raw almond meal/flour from whole almonds (this is what it says on the package) on hand, is this an almond meal or blanched almond flour or neither? Thanks.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      July 21, 2016 at 8:22 am

      Hi Zendia! They are. One of the easiest ways to tell the difference is the color. Blanched almond flour is beige and one color because the skins are removed. It is also usually a fine grind. Almond meal has the skins on, is speckled beige and brown and is usually a coarser grind. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  6. Megan says

    January 25, 2016 at 2:09 pm

    Absolutely delicious! I made 16 drumsticks with this recipe and they were gone in one night! My husband and children devoured them. They are so good, we are making them tonight, again.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      February 2, 2016 at 1:43 pm

      Yay! Love it Megan – my family is the same way with this recipe 🙂

      Reply
  7. Judy G says

    January 3, 2016 at 4:09 pm

    We had a recipe where we coated the chicken lightly in flour and sautéed it. We weren’t looking for crunch. It just made the sauce adhere nicely and was good. We stopped using flour and have been looking for a substitute ever since. We tried arrowroot, almond flour/meal (Red Mills) and brown rice flour and none of these stuck or coated evenly. Any suggestions for just a plain flour substitute? Thanks. Judy

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      January 6, 2016 at 3:06 pm

      Hi Judy, Cassava flour or white rice flour!

      Reply
  8. Jackie says

    December 10, 2015 at 11:58 am

    I made this last week, with boneless skinless chicken thighs, and it was great. Tonight, I plan to top it with a piccata sauce.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      December 10, 2015 at 2:53 pm

      That sounds amazing Jackie!! Glad you found the almond flour 🙂

      Reply
  9. Erich Bretschneider says

    December 3, 2015 at 4:42 pm

    Love the recipe, one of our favorites, instead of tossing the left over breading and egg, I mix them and fry it like a totilla for the dogs, even snaçked on it myself.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      December 4, 2015 at 10:36 am

      What a great idea Erich – I’ll have to try that next time!

      Reply
  10. Susan Subracko says

    July 6, 2015 at 9:55 am

    Hi Alyssa –
    Do you think the paleo version would work ok using mayo/dijon instead of the egg like in your original recipe? We use an egg-free mayo bc of allergies.
    xoxo
    Susan

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      July 6, 2015 at 10:13 am

      Hi Susan! I do think it would work but just make sure not to make the mayo coating too thick or the crust will just fall off!

      Reply
  11. SK says

    May 26, 2015 at 2:53 pm

    Looks delicious! I’m trying this tonight, but with all chicken breasts. How might that change the cooking time?

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      May 31, 2015 at 10:02 pm

      Hi SK,
      How did it work out?

      Reply
      • SK says

        June 1, 2015 at 3:33 pm

        Oh my goodness- SO good. Cook time was about 50 minutes. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

        Reply
        • EverydayMaven says

          June 1, 2015 at 3:46 pm

          You are welcome SK! So glad you liked it – thanks for letting me know 🙂

          Reply
  12. Julie C says

    November 18, 2014 at 11:24 pm

    I just developed a nut allergy. I am so sad because I loved this chicken so much. Any ideas to make this nut free?

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 19, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      Sorry to hear that Julie! Have you considered sunflower seed “flour”?

      Reply
  13. Scott says

    November 10, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    We eat these all the time now and cook extra for leftovers, often for lunch. We’ve also made them when we host and get rave reviews. Hardly anyone can believe it’s paleo.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      November 11, 2014 at 9:51 am

      We do the same Scott – hardly anyone ever believes me that there isn’t some type of traditional breading in the recipe!

      Reply
  14. Julie says

    May 15, 2014 at 6:34 am

    Would this work for Chicken FIngers? I am not great at experimenting, was just wondering what the adjustment in cooking time should be and if I can just make it otherwise the same way? Thanks!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      May 15, 2014 at 10:23 pm

      Yes, it definitely will Julie! If you read through the comments, you will see a bunch of other readers who made these as chicken fingers and they list their cook time. Good luck!

      Reply
  15. Tami says

    April 23, 2014 at 9:31 am

    Leftovers were amazing! I will definitely make this again. I do need to find a place to purchase almond flour that isn’t $10 for 3 cups. Perhaps Trader Joe’s?

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 24, 2014 at 10:01 am

      $10 for 3 cups is crazy. Are you a Costco member? My local Costco has Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour (3 lbs for $21). At the holidays, they also had a 3 lb bag of Bob’s Red Mill for $19!

      Reply
  16. Tami says

    April 22, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    For the expense this was just “ok.” I have leftovers for lunch, always my favorite, I’ll post.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 23, 2014 at 8:39 am

      Leftovers are always a good thing – one less meal you have to make!

      Reply
  17. Laurie says

    April 3, 2014 at 3:45 am

    Excellent recipe!! Thank you so much. This will go into regular rotation at our house. Delicious!!!!!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 3, 2014 at 10:49 am

      So glad you loved it Laurie!!! 🙂

      Reply
  18. Rose says

    April 1, 2014 at 9:07 am

    Best recipe ever! I was concerned in feeding it to my husband who cannot do nuts due to having Crohns disease. I didn’t tell him what the coating was, and he never showed a symptom!! The almonds were softened, but fabulously crispy!! It is perfect for my picky GF son, too! Everyone I make this for RAVES about it and fights over the last pieces. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      April 1, 2014 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Rose! Nothing like making a dish the whole family loves. Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂

      Reply
  19. Jen says

    March 24, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    Thanks so much! Oven-fried chicken wing drummettes tonight! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes too!

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      March 25, 2014 at 10:00 am

      Can’t wait to hear how they turn out – please check back and let me know 🙂

      Reply
  20. Jen says

    March 23, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Would this work for chicken with the skin on? I just bought a bunch of wing “drummettes”. Plus I’ve been looking for ages for a replacement for the fried chicken at the grocery deli counter.

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      March 23, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Hi Jen,
      Yes, it does! I have made it both with and without skin multiple times. My only complaint when you leave the skin-on is that large sections of crust come off with the skin. Doesn’t bother my family but bugs me. Hope you like it!

      Reply
  21. cinnamon mum says

    March 4, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    Thank for the quick response. I am going to risk soggy chicken over preparing it with hungry cranky kids under my feet;) will keep you posted.

    Reply
  22. cinnamon mum says

    March 4, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    This recipe sounds great…..I would love to try it. Can I ‘bread’ the chicken tonight and bake it tomorrow?

    Reply
    • EverydayMaven says

      March 4, 2014 at 5:15 pm

      I have never tried that because I think the unbaked crust would get soggy. If you do it, let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
      • Jan H says

        March 21, 2018 at 12:55 pm

        I would dip again the 2nd day before cooking! Extra crispy (sound familiar)? Hold oil til cooking day, too.

        Reply
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