Gluten-Free Oven Fried Chicken (Shake & Bake)

You do not have to be an expert to pull off this easy gluten-free fried chicken recipe! It's simple to make baked fried chicken without bread crumbs, a mess, or even experience. To make crispiest chicken with juicy, moist, tender meat (thanks to a buttermilk marinade), simply shake in a seasoned GF breading and bake until golden, crispy. Easy peasy!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

marinate 4

Total Time 5 15

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

Buttermilk Marinade

2 cups buttermilk see recipe notes for dairy-free
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4-5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces breasts, drumsticks, thighs (see recipe notes)

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken

¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour
½ cup white rice flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

First the chicken pieces will marinate in the buttermilk mixture. Whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce, and salt in a bowl. Place the chicken in a ziplock bag or large shallow bowl. Pour in the marinade, move chicken around to coat, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but really 4 hours - overnight is best!
2 cups buttermilk, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 4-5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
When you are ready to coat and oven fry the chicken, preheat the oven to 425℉.
In another ziplock bag shake to combine the gluten-free flour, white rice flour, baking powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper.
¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour, ½ cup white rice flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
Take out two baking sheets. On one is where you will place coated chicken pieces. The other is where you will bake the chicken. Set aside the sheet you will bake on right now.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, letting the excess drip off back into the bag or pour everything into a colander, letting the buttermilk drain away. Transfer a couple pieces at a time to the dry coating bag and shake to coat the chicken pieces all over. Transfer the coated chicken to the prep baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken until they are all coated. (See recipe note tips for leftover coating.)
On the sheet you will bake the chicken on, place the butter on. Put it in preheated oven for about 5 minutes so the butter completely melts and the pan becomes nice and hot. Spread the butter around evenly.
2 tablespoons butter
Remove the hot pan from the oven and carefully arrange the chicken pieces on the pan, skin side down. Bake for 30 minutes.
Use a spatula to flip over all the chicken pieces and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until golden brown and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165℉. Let rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

Dairy-Free

For dairy-free buttermilk, place 2 tbsp vinegar in a 2-cup liquid measurer. Pour in a non-dairy milk, such as almond, oat, or soy, up to the 2 cup mark. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Replace the butter with a non-dairy substitute, such as Earth Balance.

Chicken Pieces

If you don't want to cut apart a whole chicken, I bought a pack of skin-on thighs and drumsticks with a separate pack of skin-on split chicken breasts. The breast pieces are a lot bigger so I used a sharp knife to cut those in half so all the chicken bakes in an equal time.

Leftover Coating

It will take a bit to dredge the chicken in the breading, which means as they sit, the moisture soaks into the breading. After shaking all the chicken, don't throw away that extra coating! I like to give a brief reshake in the mixture before baking for an extra crispy, doubled-up coating.

Nutrition