Keto Southern Fried Chicken

Fried chicken! Probably the favorite meal of most southerners. We want it to be juicy, but crispy. We want a perfect selection of herbs and spices to enhance but not overpower the chicken flavor. Many southern cooks have their own secret recipes. Some keep it simple with just salt and pepper and somehow their fried chicken turns out delicious. Some spice it up quite a bit.

There is no shortage of keto/low carb fried chicken recipes out there. Several are really good. Many recipes use pork rinds, almond flour, and grated parmesan cheese. These are delicious options. I tend have an issue with getting almond flour to become crispy.

I decided to create one that best suited my taste.  I definitely like a crispy crust and skin. It is a challenge to achieve a crispy texture in low carb/keto cooking. In the early 2000's I used soy flour. this worked for chicken strips. It was difficult to keep from overcooking the strips though. Also, soy is not ideal for many keto dieters. I was trying low carb and had never heard of keto at this point. After some experimentation, I found that whey protein isolate did the trick.

I want my chicken to be well-seasoned. I decided to use the herbs and spices that are in many recipes. I needed to amp them up though. If you like spicy chicken, I would suggest that you increase the cayenne pepper to at least a teaspoon and increase the black pepper to 1/2 teaspoon.

It was also a challenge coming up with the right cooking method. The oat fiber, whey protein, spices tend to want to over brown in the skillet. I found that starting the chicken in the skillet and then finishing in the oven worked beautifully. You will need to use a 1/2 sheet pan for this. Be sure to place a baker's rack in your pan. You do not want the chicken to become soggy. I would suggest lining the pan with aluminum foil to help out with clean up.

Let me be honest! I love this recipe! It is very juicy and the crust and skin are crispy. High carb dieters would also like this recipe! So, please try and enjoy! Of course make changes as you would like!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken or 5 to 7 lbs of your favorite chicken part.
2 eggs beaten with one tablespoon water
1 cup lard

Dredging mixture:
1 1/2 cup unflavored, unsweetened whey protein isolate
1/2 cup oat fiber (optional)
1 cup ground pork rinds
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

Instructions:
1. Soak chicken in salt brine overnight. (optional)
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Dry chicken with paper towels. (Lightly salt the skin side if you do not use a brine.)
4. Mix all dry ingredients and place half in gallon sized zip bag.
5. Dip 4 to 5 pieces of  chicken in beaten eggs and place in gallon size.
6. Shake bag until all chicken pieces have been well coated.
7. Remove from bag and place  on a plate.
8. Repeat steps 4-6 as necessary.
9. In a large frying pan, heat lard over medium heat to 375 degrees.
10. Place 4 pieces of chicken in pan skin down.
11. Fry skin side down for 4 minutes. Turn when chicken has browned.
12. Place on cooling rack in a 1/2 sheet pan.
13. Repeat steps 9-12 as necessary. (Clean pan and add fresh lard. The bits of crust will over brown and cause your chicken to look black.)
14. Lightly salt if desired.