Summary:
Here's an easy keto-friendly recipe for making fried chicken at home. The breading is made from almond flour and parmesan cheese, which keeps the carb count low. Once fried, the breading turns crunchy and golden brown, with juicy and tender meat.
INGREDIENTS
Egg Wash:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Breading:
- 2/3 cup
almond flour (Note 3) - 2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (Note 4)
- 1 teaspoon table salt (Note 5)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon
smoked paprika (Note 6) - 1/2 teaspoon ground
cayenne (Note 7)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep Chicken: Cut each chicken thigh into 3 evenly sized pieces, trimming off excess fat if desired. If moist, pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- Prep Breading Station: Whisk eggs and heavy cream in bowl until combined and pale yellow. Stir together all breading ingredients in another bowl until well-mixed with no clumps. Prepare large tray lined with
parchment paper to hold breaded chicken (Note 8). - Bread Chicken: Working with one chicken piece at a time, coat chicken first in breading bowl, then in egg wash bowl, then again in breading bowl. See Note 9 for breading tips. Place breaded chicken pieces on prepared parchment paper as each chicken piece is breaded in turn.
- Heat Oil: Add 1 to 2 inches of oil to pot (Note 10) over medium-high heat. Heat oil to 350 F, and frequently monitor to maintain temperature by adjusting heat level during frying. Alternatively, use
deep fryer with automatic temperature control.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| (Note 14) |
| Amount Per Serving (3 fried chicken pieces): |
| Calories 380 (61% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 26g | 40% |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 29% |
| Cholesterol 218mg | 73% |
| Sodium 920mg | 38% |
| Net Carb 2.5g | |
| Total Carb 5g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.5g | 9% |
| Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 34g |
PHOTOS
Very good, I loved it! I used different seasonings though because I feel like the seasoning should be up to the cook but I used the almond flour and the egg/cream and it worked like a charm. If anyone wants to know I used garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, seasoning salt and lemon pepper!
Kudos for starting off with the recipe and then following up with the details. I wish others would follow your lead. This is my new go to favorite for chicken strips. Thanks
Just made this tonight and it’s soooo good! My husband is new to keto and also not a fan of chicken, but he said this is the best chicken he’s ever had! I used avocado oil in a bigger pan so I didn’t have more than about an inch probably, and they cooked perfectly! I only had to make one batch, they all fit. I also used breasts because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I’m going to cut them even smaller and make nuggets!
Did you deep fry also…im not sure if you cook in pan then deep fry?
Wife was getting irritated with my menu when I went Keto… i knew she wanted some fried chicken and found this recipe… let’s just say she way VERY happy with the outcome. Flavor, crispyness, and presentation were all perfect!
The best keto fried anything recipe I’ve found to date! I actually fried fresh fish. It passed my 3 point test – 1. Easy. 2. Common ingredients. 3. Delicious!! I’ve found a keeper.
Has anyone made this in the airfryer?
I am going to be making it in my air fryer this evening for dinner.
I made these in the air fryer last night. I left them whole rather than cut them up into 3 pieces. Took about 20 minutes and they came out very crispy. The flavor was on point. My husband who is a fried chicken snob loved them!
What temperature did you cook the chicken? Thanks!
What temp did you use?
Hello, can you tell me how you did it in the air fryer?
Yes! I made it in the Air Fryer. Cooked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Mine were kinda large Thighs, so I added an additional 7 minutes 😋
Unbelievable! I would have never thought it could have mimicked fried chicken so well. I made this for my family last night and we couldn’t tell the difference! The recipe was super easy to follow, it was relatively quick, and outright delicious! I used chicken breasts cut up into strips, since that’s what I had on hand, as well as vegetable oil to fry in. Thank you so much for the recipe. Definitely a meal to have again and again!
Don’t use avocado oil! I have a giant foamy mess instead of frying oil….
I’ve made many Keto/Atkins recipes over the years. Even made a pizza base from flax meal which still gives me nightmares. But this was by far the best nearly better than the real thing. An absolute top class recipe. Used Gran Padano cheese by mistake, but don’t think it makes a difference.
Very nice crunch but a teaspoon of salt with tge salty parmesan is too salty. Also you must cut the thighs in much smaller pieces as this coating browns faster than large thighs can cook throughly. Sure does satisfy the fried chicken craving!
I suspect the type of pan makes a big difference here. Traditional southern fried chicken uses a cast iron skillet to maintain a low and slow, consistent frying temperature that allows you time to get the meat cooked throughout without burning the crust.
Made this recipe tonight and WOW it was amazing. Tasted just like fried chicken. I have tried other recipes of yours and have not been disappointed yet! My family thought it tastes just like fried chicken too. Only thing I did different was add some of my own seasonings to it, other than that followed the recipe to a T. The breading was crispy and didn’t taste like almond flour or cheese at all. Couldn’t believe it wasn’t flour!
Just finished our dinner featured your chicken recipe. So good, and don’t think it could be any better made with regular flour. Might up the spice level a bit, but this recipe is perfect otherwise and will be my go-to. Who would have thought that you can eat fried chicken while staying Keto. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
P.S. – thank you also for the tips included with this recipe. They were very helpful!
how do you make it so crispy looking (your breading looks thick) mine, when done just looks lightly breaded
I would make sure that you’re generously coating the chicken with the breading. Should have good coverage all over. Chicken thighs have lots of nooks and crannies, which means more surface area for breading to adhere to.
made it today–turned out pretty good… I fried it in coconut oil
Great Recipe. Probably the best tasting wings I’ve had out of the oven period. Easily modified with different spice combinations, the key is the baking powder and flour ratio, otherwise modify to your liking but it is fantastic as is.
What temperature and time did you bake them for?
Baking powder? I didn’t see that in the recipe. What step would I add that to- the almond flour?
I made this recipe with 4 whole bone in thighs (skin on). I added hot sauce to the eggs and extra cayene/hot paprika as we love the spice. It was awesome….One last piece burnt a tiny bit as the oil probably got too hot. I did have to finish them in the oven at 375 for about 10 to 15mins, on a rack as they were whole and bone in. Didnt get soggy afterward…loved it!!!
Turned out excellent! Thanks for a great recipe!
(I have pictures.)
I will adjust the amount of salt, reducing it to 1/2 teaspoon next time. Just like the recipe suggested, if a teaspoon it calls for is to salty.
I used canola oil and yes, it did begin to foam over time, but it wasn’t a big problem.
I made this just now and MY WORD it’s so good! I used chicken breasts and it was still juicy and delicious! I’ve done maybe 5 recipes from this website and they’re always so good!!
I did large drumsticks and they were really good. I would highly recommend this for wings!
I have rewarmed chicken strips made with this recipe in the oven on some foil. The residual oil kind of refries the breading. I just made it again and purposely made way too much so I can reheat.
Just made this and I am so pleased with it.
I only added a small amount of parmesan but still tutned out great. Made my Saturday lunch heavenly. Curried scrambled eggs with fried chicken and avocado. Never thought I’d be eating like this on keto. Great recipe
I made this recipe last night but I didn’t have whipping cream so I used milk, but that was obviously a huge mistake because the batter didn’t adhere to the chicken very well and most of it fell off and went soft. Obviously the fat in the cream helps to keep the batter crispy and uniform, so if you make this recipe, use the recommended ingredients. Also, I used my air fryer and brushed olive oil onto the chicken before cooking. It worked, but I’m wondering if this also affected the outcome. I’m going to give this one 4 stars, only because it was my mistake that caused issues.
I used all the recommended ingredients and the batter still slipped off. Next time I’d try it with boneless skinless chicken breast strips rather than chicken parts with skin. The batter was pretty good otherwise.
I tried this recipe tonight. I would have to agree with several other commenters that the breading was not quite as crispy as I would have liked, however I did turn mine into a sandwich with avocado so it was still pretty good. My biggest complaint would be that you probably shouldn’t add much salt, if any, to the recipe since you’re using the Parmesan as part of the breading. It came out extremely salty, in my opinion, and I feel it’s just unnecessary. Overall, I’m not sure I would use this recipe again, but I do appreciate you putting this out there for others to try. Keto is not easy and I’m sure most would agree that we’re willing to try anything!
Burnt in 2 mins in the fryer. My temp was fine. Not impressed
I made this and found I used and wasted a ton of Almond flour. It’s too expensive to waste. I had 8 terradactl size thighs and made the recipe as listed thinking I’d make a 2nd batch of breading. I coated all 8 and threw away over half the breading. This tasted ok but I’ll increase spices next time. On keto I need flavor. But I will cut the flour and parmesan in half at least.
Loved this recipe, tastes better than regular fried chicken… will make it again and again.