Paleo-Styled KFC [Dairy free, Gluten free, Grains free, Sugar free]

KFC Chicken

Paleo KFC Chicken breast strips served on raw baby spinach with skinny butternut fries and Paleo Chilli Mayonnaise

KFC on Paleo?  This recipe indeed comes close to it and while it does not have the greasy finish as well as the grain-based batter, which does include a fair amount of sugar too, it does indeed satisfy the craving for those who have a weakness for KFC or with an extra bit of pungent spice addition, using chicken wings to replace the chicken breast strips,  the popular South African Chicken Licken Hot Wings :) A healthier KFC or Chicken Licken indeed!

This is a recipe that has appeared on various Paleo food blogs, with similar ingredients.  If you are looking for the zinger or pungent flavourings, then the chilli-powder can always be increased in ratio with paprika and freshly ground black pepper.  I am fortunate to have a supply of dried jalapeno flakes and chipotle powder and seasonings, which I had sourced during my past travels – these go a long way too in adding the extra zing to this recipe.

While I have used chicken breast strips in this recipe. legs, thighs and wings may be used too and oven grilled till cooked.  My George Foreman grills worked well in grilling these breasts to perfection. You may fry them on the stove-top in a non-stick pan with a small amount of coconut oil or ghee, as I have done in this recipe, or oven grill them in an oven-proof dish, greased with coconut oil, also dabbing a small amount of the coconut oil onto the chicken.  (Foil-covered works well in keeping the chicken moist – removed in the last 10 minutes of cooking time to brown the coating)

The side mash of choice is a decadent one, similar to the mash and gravy that many opt for in the high-carbed processed variety, but in this recipe, totally vegan and low carb.  Creating your home take-away meal does not get better than this combination, by far!

Ingredients

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500 – 800g Chicken breast meat, cut into strips

2 large Eggs

1 cup Almond Flour (you may grind raw, whole almonds to flour consistency)

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Himalayan or Sea Salt

1/2 – 1 tsp freshly milled Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Chilli Powder / Cajun Spice / Jalapeno flakes /Chipotle seasoning (optional, for the zinger taste)

2-3 tblsp Coconut Oil or Ghee for frying or grilling

 

Here’s How

  •  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.
  • Whisk the eggs in a bowl and keep both bowls side by side for  dipping and coating the chicken.

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  • Dip the chicken into the eggs, then roll in the almond flour mixture to coat the chicken well.  Once all the chicken has been coated, cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for the minimum duration of an hour for the coating to adhere well to the chicken

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  • When the chicken is ready to be cooked, using the utensil and cooking medium of choice, add the coconut oil or ghee (lightly on an electric grill, or on an oven tray or 2 tblsp in a non-stick frying pan) and cook, turning the chicken once the one side is evenly browned and cooking until the it is done.

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Serve as desired.  I opted for a creamy cashew nut cream, cauliflower, eggplant and sweet potato mash – similar in texture but fabulously flavoursome in taste, as KFC mash and gravy. A remake recently prompted me to serve the KFC chicken strips with oven-baked butternut chips seasoned with paprika, rubbed with coconut oil, and Paleo Chilli Mayonnaise. 

KFC Chicken

Enjoy :)

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Prava Singh

A Mom, daughter, wife, sister, aunt and friend experiencing life through an evolutionary body with a revolutionary mind... A recent past former Type 2 insulin dependent and hypertensive walking time-bomb for 13.5 years, I have made positive lifestyle changes that has aided and abetted my health status for my overall betterment. Passionate about all things food, with a proud Indian heritage, I regularly blog my culinary attempts that have worked for me in my endeavours to break the shackles of food addictions and food slavery. Passionate about people too, my decision to share these endeavours is driven by informing others that a lifestyle change through food is indeed possible. I have indeed survived high school and survived life too in the most interesting and thought-provoking ways. Having lost over 50kgs of excess weight in just under a year, I have reclaimed my life and am thoroughly enjoying the journey.

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