The BEST Crispy Keto Fried Chicken Recipe - My PCOS Kitchen (2024)

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Crispy, flaky and juicy ketofriedchickenfriedto absolute perfection using the BEST low carb breading recipe out there. This low carb fried chicken recipe is entirely grain free, gluten free, nut free and pork free.

This recipe was originally published on May 19, 2017 and was since republished with better explanations, pictures, recipe and video.

Do you miss Kentucky Fried Chicken and wish there were a low-carb version? Well, look no further because I’m about to blow your mind with this AMAZING keto fried chicken recipe.

It’s just like the real deal! That’s right. This crispyfriedchickenrecipe is just like KFCfriedchicken. Actually, it’s even better!

Did you know that one piece of Extra CrispyChickenThigh on the bone from KFC has 9g net carbs. That’s one tiny little piece ofchickenfor 9g! Plus, we all know that nobody eats just one piece. So 2-3 pieces ofchickenthighs would equal to 18-27g net carbs just forchicken! And that's just for chicken.

This is where the best part comes in. My recipe for this super crispy and juicyketo-fried chicken has less than 0.5g per chicken thigh! If you add spices to your batter then the carbs will slightly go up, but will still be under 2g net carbs!

And because this is fried with whey protein, it fills you up faster than normal breading so you don’t need to eat that many pieces of my low-carb fried chicken recipe.

The Ultimate KetoFriedChickenBreading

The secret to making the ultimate keto-fried chicken breading isn’t with pork rinds, almond flour or parmesan. No, it’s much better than that. Pork rinds, almond flour or parmesan will never be a batter, which is what I was looking for when I created this recipe.

That originalfriedchickenthat we all know is crispy, flaky and super juicy. That’s not something that you can easily achieve with pork rinds, almond flour or parmesan.

What you want to use iswhey protein isolate. Whey protein is the ultimate secret to getting that perfect low-carb KFC fried chicken. It sticks to the chicken, bubbles up in the oil, and becomes super crispywhen eaten, just like the real deal!

What kind of whey protein is low carb?

Not all whey proteins are created equal. You’ll definitely want to check the ingredients label and nutritional information on your whey protein bottle.

A lot of whey protein powders have added sugars or flavorings. You’ll want to choose an unflavoured whey protein from a reputed brand. My favorite brand for whey protein is NOW.

Choose Unflavoured Whey Protein Isolate

It’simportant you get whey proteinisolateand not any other kind. Whey protein will usually have added ingredients like sugar, fillers and additives. On the other hand, whey protein isolate usually has no artificial ingredients added to it.

Whey proteinusually has2g of carbs per ¼ cup,whereaswhey protein isolatehasless than 1g of carbs per ¼ cup.

Can I deepfryanything else with whey protein?

Yes, absolutely! Thiseasy keto breadingworks for any type of protein. Whether it’s meat or fish, apply the same methods as this recipe and you’ll have differentfriedmeals. My keto fish tacos recipe can use either whey protein or egg white powder to deep fry the fish.

You can also change the recipe a little and make gluten free tempura and low carb corn dogs with whey protein!

Here are some protein options that you can deepfry with whey protein:

• Pork slices
• Pork chops
• Pork tenderloin
• Beef slices
• Steak
• Ground beef, pork,chicken
• Any type of fish (salmon is my favourite)

What type of oil should I use to deep fry Keto Fried Chicken?

I recommend using either lard, avocado oil, beef tallow, or coconut oil. Depending on your budget and what you prefer in terms of health, some oils may be better options than others.

My favorite oils for deep frying are lard and avocado oil. I usually use lard more often because it’s definitely more affordable than avocado oil. Both oils have high smoke points which make them great for deep-frying different dishes.

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is made up of about70% monounsaturated fats, which is believed to increase the high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol in your body.

Moreover, refined avocado oil has an extremely highsmoke point at 500F/260Cand extra-virgin avocado oil has a lower smoke point at 375F/190C. This means that you can safely use avocado oil to sautee, deepfry, bake or sear at high temperatures.

Downside:It’s prettyexpensivecompared to other oils.

Lard

Lard is made up of60% monounsaturated fat, compared to butter which is only 45% monounsaturated fat. It has a slightly highsmoke point at 375F/190C,which makes it perfect for deepfryingthings. Plus, it’s odorless and tasteless so makes it perfect for different dishes.

Upside: It’s prettycheap to buy or make at home.

Beef Tallow

Beef tallow is made up of42% monounsaturated fat. It has ahigh smoke point at around 420F/215C.

Downside:It’spretty expensiveto buy, more than avocado oil, but can be super cheap to make at home.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is made up of92% saturated fat. It’s one of the healthy saturated fats and is very good for your health. It has asmoke point of 350F/175C.

Downside: It can get alittle priceydepending on the brand and whether it’s refined or extra virgin. It can also leave astrong coconut tasteif it’s extra virgin and a slight coconut taste if it’s refined.

What temperature should I deepfrymychicken?

When making keto-fried chicken with whey protein isolate, I suggest deep frying your chickenbetween 140-150C/280-300F. If you deepfryyourchickenpieces at a higher temperature than that, the whey protein isolate will burn before thechickencan get cooked.

How do you makefriedchickenbreading stick?

To make the whey protein isolate stick to each piece ofchicken, youabsolutely must coat the rawchickenpieces in a raw egg beforehand.

So you’ll add your spices and whatnot to your rawchickenand then add an egg to thechicken. Mix everything together and make sure that each piece is coated with egg.

You could also just dip one piece ofchickenat a time into whisked eggs.

Once yourchickenis coated with egg, you can then dip each piece ofchickenindividually with the whey protein isolate. Make sure to coat thechickenevenly so that you have the protein powder everywhere.

Once it’s coated, you’ll simply pop thechickeninto the hot oil and it’ll start to crisp and bubble up. Thefriedchickenbreading will stick without problem as long as you coat yourchickenwith an egg beforehand. If you don’t, your batter will fall off thechickenin the hot oil.

What part of thechickenshould I use?

The best part about this crispyfriedchickenrecipe, is that youcan use any part of thechicken. I chose to usechickenthighs because they are super juicy, but you could usechickenbreasts,chickenfillet,chickenwings,chickendrumsticks or bone-inchickenthighs.

With skin or no skin?

Totally up to you. If you like crispychickenskin, then I suggest you leave it on. If not, then I suggest you cut it off.

How to Make Crispy KetoFriedChicken

The first thing you’ll want to do is cut thechickenthighs into desired size. I prefer to have bite-size pieces, but you can totally do wholechickenthighs.

Once yourchickenis all cut up, you’ll want to add the spices to thechickenthighs. I decided to do a KFC style offriedchicken, which is why I added lots of different spices. But if you don’t feel like adding that many spices, you can always go simple and just add salt and pepper.

I added almond milk to this recipe so that spices could be distributed evenly throughout thechickenthighs. You could also add oil to thechicken, but then the eggs wouldn’t stick as well to the meat.

Let your meat marinate for about 30 minutes or more so that thechickenhas time to absorb all the flavours from the spices.

You’ll then preheat your oil to 140-150C/280-300F.

Once your meat is ready, you’ll then start the breading process.

Crack a couple of eggs into thechickenand mix until all of thechickenpieces have been coated well with the eggs.

Add the whey protein powder to a large plate and dip one piece ofchickenat a time into the protein powder. Make sure that all sides of yourchickenis coated with the protein powder beforefrying.

Add your pieces of chicken into the hot oil one at a time, but don’t overcrowd the pot. You want to make sure that each piece of chicken deep fries properly and becomes crispy.

Pro tip: Wash the utensils and bowls that touched the whey protein immediately as it’s harder to wash off once it’s dried.

I usually use a meat thermometer to check whether mychickenis ready. When yourchickenis 65C/150F and up, you can then take it out of the hot oil.

Serve immediately asfriedchickenis best served freshly out of the oil!

Can thisfriedchickenbe made paleo-friendly?

To make thisfriedchickenrecipe paleo-friendly, you’ll want to check out my paleofriedchickenrecipe. It’s extremely similar to this one, but instead of whey protein isolate, it uses egg white powder.

Egg white powder is simply dehydrated egg whites so it’scompletely dairy free. It also doesn’t raise your blood sugars like whey. It’s definitely more diabetic-friendly.

If you don’t mind a little bit of carbs, you could always deepfryyourchickenin tapioca starch, arrowroot flour, or cassava flour.

Can I use an air fryer?

Unfortunately, no. Whey protein isolate does not work in an air fryer. You need to deepfrythechickenthe old-fashioned way, in hot oil.

I’ve tried to airfrythisfriedchickenrecipe multiple times in an air fryer, but it always ends up the same. The whey protein isolate powder hardens in the hot heat anddoesn’t bubble up or crisp up since there is no oil to do so.

Youreally need to add thechickenpieces to hot oil in order for the whey protein isolate to activate.

Can I reheat this low carbfriedchickenrecipe?

Yes, of course! Just pop it into the microwave the next day and you’ll have deliciousfriedchickenready in no time! Note that itwon’t be as crispyanymore. I suggest using the leftover low carbfried chickenfor making stir-fries!

Low CarbFriedChickenDipping Sauces

If you’re a dipping sauce kind of person, I got you covered! I also love to dip my crispyfriedchickenpieces in different sauces. I give you a spicy dipping sauce for this recipe using my keto mayonnaise, but if you feel like changing things up, then you’ll definitely want to try dipping your ketofriedchickenpieces into mysugar free sweet chili saucerecipe.

If you feel like going Japanese, then you’ll definitely want to dip them insugar free teriyaki sauce. Just stirfryyourfriedchickenwith the teriyaki sauce and you’ll have a delicious homemade Japanese dinner.

If you don’t feel like making another sauce, then there are a couple of pre-bought sauces that I really love.

• G. Hughes Sugar Free BBQ Sauce
• Buffalo sauce
• Plain sour cream

Low CarbFriedChickenDishes

After you’ve breaded your low carbfriedchickentenders, you can eat them as is, or make a different dish out of them!

The great thing about this crispy ketofriedchickenrecipe is that it goes really well with lot’s of different sauces. You could make somehealthy sweet chilichickenand add any kind of vegetables that you want.

Another option you have is to grind up somechickenbreast meat and make some deliciouslow carbchickennuggets! You can either use whey protein isolate or egg white powder for these delicious little nuggets.

You can also pair my keto fried chicken with this delicious cauliflower au gratin recipe or thesesmoked jalapeno poppers.

Final Tips Recap

Before making my low carbfriedchickenrecipe, make sure to read the following tips and ticks to make sure you make the BEST ketofriedchickenrecipe!

• Make sure to use unflavoured whey protein isolate and not whey protein powder.
• You can’t make this low carbfriedchickenrecipe with an air fryer.
• You must absolutely cover the rawchickenwith an egg before coating with the whey protein isolate. This is how you ensure yourfriedchickenbreading sticks to thechicken.
• If you eat dairy free, simply switch the whey protein isolate for egg white protein.
• Deepfryeachchickenpieces in oil that’s about 140-150C/280-300F. Higher than that and your batter will burn before thechickenis cooked.
• You can use any type of spice you want. I chose to do a copycat KFCfriedchickenrecipe which is why I used that many spices.

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