If you love the crispy delicious flavor of chickfila chicken, then you must try this oven fried chicken recipe. Not only is the chicken crispy, but the meat is succulent and super juicy.
You will never guess the secret ingredients that set this recipe apart.
2 Secrets to the Best Gluten Free Oven Fried Chicken Recipe
There are two secrets to my oven fried chicken recipe.
One of the secrets is borrowed from the popular fast food chain, Chick-fil-A. Although the restaurant is not exactly know for a clean menu, most people agree their chicken sandwiches are delicious! I was so happy to learn one of the Chick-fil-A secrets is compatible with a clean eating diet.
Before you read further, just know that the two “secrets” might not sound all that appetizing. But trust me, you will be amazed at the end result…
Secret #1: Dill Pickle Juice Brine
Soaking chicken in salty pickle juice brine does an incredible job of tenderizing meat and infusing it with flavor.
But don’t worry! Your chicken won’t taste like pickles. The zesty pickle juice just helps liven up the flavor. Thanks to secret #2, the pickle flavor does not dominate the chicken.
If you don’t have pickle juice on hand you can always make your own brine. For what it is worth, any cut of meat, especially super lean cuts of meat will be better if soaked in a brine.
If you are going to use pickle juice, be sure to look for pickles that are naturally fermented. Not the ones made with vinegar.
The acids and enzymes in fermented pickle juice do an incredible job of breaking down the collagen and tenderizing the meat.
Note: Naturally fermented pickles are also a great source of probiotics–soaking the chicken in pickle juice won’t necessarily infuse your chicken with probiotics. However, if you serve the whole PICKLES along with the oven fried chicken recipe is a delicious way to get a probiotic boost!
Secret #2: Almond Milk
Although I never met him, my mom has told me many times how her dad, my grandfather (Charlie Rice), made the best fried chicken ever. One of his secrets was soaking the chicken in milk.
Apparently milk-soaked-chicken is not exactly a secret among Southern cooks though. Of course when I refer to the “milk” my grandfather used, I am not talking about almond milk. I am absolutely certain he used cow’s milk.
Since I don’t buy cow’s milk (here is why we don’t drink milk at our house), I figured I would try soaking the chicken in almond milk instead. I use “whole” almond milk.
It’s not quite understood how milk helps tenderize chicken, but it is believed the lactic acid helps to break down the proteins.
Almond milk doesn’t have lactic acid, so I am not sure if soaking the chicken in almond milk without the pickle brine would actually tenderize the chicken or not? However, it definitely doesn’t hurt!
The main reason I add the almond milk is to cut the acidity of the pickle juice and help mellow out the flavor of the brine a bit.
This combination of soaking the chicken in pickle juice + almond milk delivers on amazing piece of chicken.
Don’t Forget the Sauce!
And finally, although it is not technically part of the recipe, if you have just 5-minutes to spare then do be sure to make my lemon sauce recipe. For my lemon sauce I added some extra thyme and parsley.
Serve this lemon sauce as a dip for the oven fried chicken recipe. It’s a creamy sauce with a bright, tangy flavor. Plus, it’s dairy free too.
It’s delicious with just about any protein, but it seems to be made for chicken!
Ok, let’s get cooking…
PrintOven Fried Chicken Recipe
Oven Fried Chicken recipe that is a chickfila chicken copycat recipe and completely gluten free. Enjoy one of our favorite family dishes.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven Fried
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup “whole” plain unsweetened almond milk, homemade recipe or check out Goodmylk
- 1 cup pickle juice, see notes below
- 1.5 – 2 lbs pasture-raised skinless bone-in chicken legs or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2.5 cups gluten free plain panko crumbs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2/3 cup cassava flour, we love Otto’s brand
- Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 organic, pasture-raised eggs, such as Vital Farm
- Unrefined avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- Creamy Lemon Sauce, for dipping, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk and pickle juice. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours and up to overnight.
- When ready to coat, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two large baking pans with unbleached parchment paper.
- Then, select 3 shallow bowls or large plates with a rim and add the following:
- BOWL #1: Combine the cassava flour, salt and pepper
- BOWL #2: Add the eggs and whisk
- BOWL #3: Combine the gluten free panko crumbs and italian seasoning
- BOWL #1: Combine the cassava flour, salt and pepper
- To coat the chicken, remove one piece of the chicken from the brine and shake off any excess moisture.
- Dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour mixture, dip in the egg and then roll in the seasoned panko crumbs.
- Transfer chicken piece to the parchment paper. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
- When all of the chicken pieces have been coated, lightly brush the tops with a very thin coating of oil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven, flip and lightly brush the top of the other side with oil. Bake for another 20 minutes or so, or until outside is crispy and brown and inside is cooked through.
- For crispier chicken, broil on low for 3-5 minutes, flipping the chicken and broiling for an additional 3 minutes.
- Serve with Creamy Lemon Sauce for dipping, if using.
Notes
Look for naturally fermented pickles, such as Bubbies brand (Note: naturally fermented pickles are sold in the refrigerated section of your supermarket or natural foods store.)
Terri Willoughby says
OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! This is the BEST…tastes just like I fried it, yet it’s obviously not greasy! It was super flavorful, tender, juicy and CRISPY!!! I made a couple of changes. 1. I used homemade hemp milk. 2. I used 1 c. of G-F panko crumbs & 1 c. G-F bread crumbs; it was plenty and I probably had 2 1/2 lbs. of chicken thighs (made 14) 3. I used spray organic canola oil rather than brushing it on. Didn’t have to worry about knocking any of the coating off and it was fast! 4. Don’t skip the broiling part as it made it extra crispy. I only broiled it for 2-3 minutes on LOW & did NOT flip it and do it again! Anyway, for those who are doubting the milk/pickle juice combo, JUST DO IT! UH-MAZING!!! If I could give 10 stars, I would! 🙂
★★★★★
Aimee Harris Niedosik says
Thank you Terri for this wonderful review — I am SOO thrilled that you made the effort to make this recipe. I sure know that it’s a lot of steps, but in the end it is so worth it.
Eileen Koborie says
Can oatmilk be used in lieu of the Almond milk? We like it better than almond milk.
Aimee Harris Niedosik says
Yes, absolutely. Any nut milk will do. Please come back and let us know how you like the chicken.
julie says
Hi. if trying to avoid salt the brine sounds super salty. am also wondering about the sodium in the pickle juice. can you offer any suggestions? thanks
Ivy Larson says
Hi Julie, I realize it sounds salty, but it truly doesn’t taste salty at all. Only a small bit of the salt from the pickle juice actually permeates the chicken. However, you can always replace the pickle juice with almond milk and 1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt if you like. The flavor won’t be quite the same, but it is still delicious (I know because that’s how I make it when I don’t have pickle juice on hand!) Hope this helps?
Mary E Gallagher says
Some recipes posted for instant pots show instructions if you don’t have one – we don’t nor do we have a food processor. It would be helpful if an alternative even non-power directions were added.
Thanks
Ivy Larson says
Hi Mary, I think I understand what you mean (and that is a great idea!) Do you happen to have an example of how another blogger does it? If so, would you mind cutting and pasting the link for me? Thank you again!
L J Doyle says
Hi Ivy, I enjoy your blogs on clean eating. In regard to the succulent chicken; commercial chefs sometimes soak the chicken in buttermilk, so perhaps you could add lemon juice to the almond milk, thereby getting the affect without using dairy. Just a thought. Kind regards L J D
Ivy Larson says
Oh that is a GREAT idea (in regards to adding the lemon). I definitely think that would be a great addition to the recipe. My son is CRAZY for this recipe so I am actually making (again!) later this week. I will test your lemon addition suggestion then. Thank you so much =)