Healthy and fried usually don’t belong in the same thought, let alone the same sentence.  But it IS possible to eat your favorite, unhealthy foods and cook them in a healthy way.  This was honestly the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life.  Of course it made a mess in my already messy kitchen (frying always does), but it was SO worth it.  This recipe was so good, the chicken even stayed crispy for leftovers several days later- I know, that’s unheard of.  You can see above I made some gluten free mac and sautéed some broccoli with garlic for the sides.

Inspiration for this recipe also came from “Paleo Takeout: Restaurant favorites without the junk” by Russ Crandall.  Give credit where it’s due.

“Healthy” Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Coating:

• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• pinch of dried thyme

• 3 cups ghee, for frying

Instructions:

• Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels- don’t skip this step!  Think it’s unnecessary?  Think again!
• In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chicken, coconut milk and apple cider vinegar and stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes at least to overnight.  When you’re ready, drain the chicken in a colander like a human being, or dump everything into the sink like I did and let it dry on a wire rack.  I suggest definitely putting a baking sheet lined with foil underneath to catch the drippings, otherwise you’ll have a mess on your hands.
• Combine the coating ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl.  Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (if you want to keep the chicken warm- I’ve found this unnecessary).  In a cast-iron skillet, heat the ghee.  Pat the chicken dry again, coat it in the seasonings, shake off the excess, then place in the skillet and fry- about 10 minutes per side.  It’s tempting to keep checking on the chicken and turn it over multiple times.  The best thing you can do is ignore it, then flip once- this will make the crispiest chicken and won’t disrupt the frying process.  Place the finished chicken in the oven to keep warm, if you so choose.

That’s it!!  Bite into that crispy, moist chicken and send me your thank-you’s.