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Several pieces of dairy free fried chicken on a plate.

Dairy Free Fried Chicken

Get the ultimate taste of comfort food with this recipe for dairy free fried chicken! Perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword dairy free fried chicken
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
Calories 453 kcal
Author Dairy Free for Baby

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (i.e. oat milk or plain almond milk)
  • 2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
  • 2 egg whites (optional, but can help the coating stick better)
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt (plus an extra pinch for seasoning the chicken directly)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper (plus an extra pinch for seasoning the chicken directly)
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 4 skin-on bone-in chicken drumsticks
  • 4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
  • Oil, for frying (vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil)

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and vinegar. Let sit for about 5 minutes; this will create a dairy free “buttermilk” (you may see the mixture break; this is normal). Whisk in the egg whites (if using) and hot sauce.
  2. In another mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder.
  3. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on the chicken. Working one at a time, dip the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off excess flour. Dip into the buttermilk mixture, then dip back into the flour mixture to thoroughly coat the chicken. Set aside on a wire rack for now.
  4. Add the oil to a pot over medium heat until the oil is a few inches deep (so it will cover most of the chicken while frying). Monitor the temperature of the oil until it reaches 350°F (it should take about 5-10 minutes; do not heat higher than 350°F).
  5. Add several pieces of chicken to the pot, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until a thermometer confirms the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F. Remove the chicken from the oil using tongs, and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
  6. Let the remaining oil in the pot heat back up to 350°F, adding extra oil if needed. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining pieces of chicken.
  7. Cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Vegetable oil, canola oil, and avocado oil all have relatively high smoke points and are good options for frying. I do not recommend using other types of oil for this recipe.
  • Using a thermometer to determine the temperature of the oil, as well as the temperature of the cooked chicken, is an essential step in getting this recipe right. If the oil is too hot, the outside will burn before the inside is cooked. If the oil is too cool, the coating will not crisp up properly.

 

Nutrition analysis (**approximate per serving; note that we have estimated around 50% of the dredging liquid and flour mixture was used and estimated around 20% oil absorption from 2 cups of oil; these numbers may be inaccurate): 453 calories, 31 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 480 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 0.5 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 30 g protein, Vitamin D: 3%, Calcium: 4%, Iron: 10%, Potassium: 7%