Gluten Free Part 2: Fried Chicken

Writing Recipes in my busy busy busy cooking space!

Yes, we all love terrible pictures of me, don't we?  This is what I look like as I'm writing down different notes on what I'm doing to the food.  My kitchen counter sure does look crazy, but this picture was taken in the middle of a cooking/canning non stop marathon (or so it felt like).  I grew up in Texas, so fried chicken is an art form to me.  Each family has their own unique recipe (or so it seems) and each person makes that their own with slight tweaks.  When I moved up to Michigan, I discovered that the art of chicken frying isn't as common place around here.  There's even a really funny story of me serving fried chicken the first time Mike brought home some work friends, but this isn't the post to talk about that!

Ms. Ashley's Gluten Free Frying Batter!  Y'all come 'n get yerselfs a bite, ya hear?

This time the experiment stemmed from menu planning.  That same wonderful friend and her boyfriend were coming over for dinner and I really wanted to wow them.  Fried chicken (since moving to Michigan) has quickly become my "WOW!" dish I serve to guest when I really want to impress them.  Well, that and what else do you serve with fried green tomatoes (something my friend had previously confessed she hadn't eaten since her gluten free life style began)?  Thus, my challenge began!  This time, however, I did some research first.  I knew what fried chicken should taste like and I knew that I didn't like the all purpose flour I used last time, so I turned to my handle friend Google and a website that talked about the different tastes and consistencies of the flours popped up (I tried to find the exact resource but at the moment, it's been slipping through my surfing skills).  I read through all of them and made a short list of ones I was interested in using.

Frying batter....check!

I decided to use the brown rice flour since it has the heavier consistency (I thought this would stick as a nicer breading and fry up a little crispier) as well as since it was described as having a faint nut flavor (something I could cook and compensate for).  The next part was the tricky part to be honest.  I had to figure out the right mixture of flour and seasonings to get it to taste (the only way I was taught to make my family's fried chicken recipe) the way it should.

Green tomatoes soaking....check!

After about an hour, I was successful   Now, in case you've never fried in this manner (something I've come across before since moving up north) I'll share some tips.  I do one of two things with my frying batter.  I either put it in a gallon size zip lock baggie or a Tupperware container that is big enough to hold what ever I am frying in it.  The reason behind this is so that I can just put the article being fried in, close the lid or top, and just shake to evenly coat it.  I've only ever tried the roll to coat method once.  I hated it.  It got everywhere.  My meat didn't have an even coating on it.  It was not a pretty meal!  Now, I guess I should talk about the oil.  I never turn my oil above medium/slightly warmer than medium because it's really easy to accidentally cook the outside of the chicken but not the inside.

Frying away...check!

It is also easy to hurt yourself with popping oil.  So, you are going to want to pre-warm your oil in the pan.  How much oil you say?  Well, I normally try to pour about a half inch of oil into the pan (this is why my chicken fryer isn't huge) so that I don't have to add more oil as I go.  The trick I've always heard to help tell when the oil is ready to be cooked in is to dip your fingers in some water and let one drop fall into the warming oil.  If it bubbles or reacts, you're good to go.  Mike always describes oil that is at the right temperature as having a "dancing" appearance.  I'll be honest.  My first pieces of what ever I'm frying tend to go in before the oil is pre-heated correctly and thus take longer to cook (but no other differences that I've noticed).

Gently putting in some breaded green tomato slices.

My trick to making fried green tomatoes is to slice them up (after washing them of course) and to let them soak in some cold water while I get my batter mixed.  This helps the tomatoes to hold on to the batter when they are coated.  Also, when you put your green tomatoes into the batter, hang them over the bowl of water for just a few seconds so that any excess water will fall back into the bowl and not into the batter to leave you with little batter balls (unless you like extra fried "crunch" as I've heard it called).  When your oil is the correct temperature (so if you're like me, you won't have to worry about this until your second batch), you'll want to be gentle when putting them into the oil.  If you aren't careful, you will learn all about the reaction of water and oil in an unpleasant (not a fire, just a few small oil "spits") way.

What the tomatoes will look like when first put in.

Now, if you have the edge piece (I always end up with sections of tomatoes to fry that are rounded from the end of the tomato), I recommend putting it rounded side down first so that the batter sticks on better.  I've never timed how long it takes to fry, but I always do it by the color.  You want a dark golden brown color before you flip or pull out.  I always line a plate or a bowl (depending on what I'm serving) with a couple of paper towels so that we don't eat "grease soup".  I've also always flipped and removed with a fork.  I'm not sure why, but that's the way I was taught to do it, so that's how I've always done it (Mike prefers longer utensils when frying.  I think my preference is derived slightly from the fact that I feel more agile and less likely to make a mess if I quickly turn/remove with a fork.).

Almost golden enough to eat!

When it truely comes to the color, with the tomatoes, it won't really matter as much.  Nothing in there is going to make you sick.  So, if you are too excited to let it get a dark golden, pull it off and chow down.  (Also, with the gluten free flour, the cooked goods do tend to take longer to brown up.)  The instructions I've given you so far, apply the same to the chicken.  The only real difference is that you really want to either cut open some of the chicken (we tend to fry tenderloins, legs, or cut up breasts in our house since they are easier to tell when they are done) or check it with a meat thermometer.  As you can tell by this Food Network Guide 165 is the normally agreed upon temperature for chicken.  You want to take your reading from the fattiest part of the meat to ensure it's cooked thoroughly.

Mike cutting up some potatoes for a dinner side dish.

It's time for the fun part!  The recipe!

Adventure in True Love's Own Gluten Free Frying Batter Recipe!

(isn't that a long obnoxious title?)

Ingredients:
1 c. brown rice flour
5 Tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

Add all ingredients into a gallon size zip lock bag or container large enough to hold your meat/produce to be fried.  Shake the mix well.  Fry as described above (or as your own preferred method calls for).


And tada!  Another fun (and I know this one was tasty because I tried it) gluten free eating option!  Enjoy!

Leftover Gluten Free Fried Chicken!