This keto Southern fried chicken is the real deal — properly fried, golden, and crunchy — just made with low carb, gluten free ingredients. It’s coated in a seasoned blend of coconut flour and almond flour, which gives you a crisp exterior without traditional flour.
This recipe includes three cooking options: frying, baking, and air frying. Frying delivers the most authentic Southern-style texture and flavor, while baking and air frying offer lighter, more hands-off alternatives depending on your preferences.
The updated coating uses a half-and-half mix of coconut flour and almond flour. Coconut flour alone can brown too quickly, while almond flour helps mellow that out and creates a more balanced crust. The combination gives you better texture, better color, and a coating that holds up well during frying.
If you’re frying, oil temperature matters here. Keeping the oil at a moderate heat is key so the flours don’t burn before the chicken is cooked through. You’re looking for steady bubbling and even browning — not aggressive sizzling. Taking your time pays off and gets you a juicy interior and golden exterior instead of a burnt crust and possibly raw meat in the middle.
For baking or air frying, the coating will be lighter but still flavorful. Both methods work best when the chicken is spaced out and flipped partway through cooking to encourage even browning. It’s a solid option for easier cleanup or when frying just isn’t happening that day.
Whether you fry or bake it, this is a practical, satisfying way to enjoy Southern-style fried chicken on a low carb or gluten free diet — without pretending baked chicken is the same thing as fried.
This recipe is featured in the Week 4 Keto Low Carb 7 Day Menu Plan
Southern Fried Chicken Tips & FAQ
Is this chicken actually fried?
Yes. Frying is the primary and most authentic method, and it produces the best texture and flavor. Baking and air fryer options are included for convenience, but frying gives the crispiest, most traditional result.
Why use both coconut flour and almond flour?
Coconut flour alone can brown too quickly and burn before the chicken is cooked through. Almond flour helps balance the coating, improving both color and texture. The combination creates a more even, forgiving crust. That said, if you have a nut allergy the recipe works with all coconut flour.
What oil temperature works best for frying?
Moderate heat is key. The oil should bubble steadily when the chicken is added, but not aggressively. Oil that’s too hot can cause the coating to burn before the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature.
Can I use the air fryer instead?
Yes. The air fryer works well for a lighter option with less oil. While it won’t fully replicate deep-fried texture, it still produces flavorful, crisp chicken when sprayed lightly with oil and cooked at the proper temperature.
Can I bake this instead of frying?
Yes. Baking is a good alternative if you prefer a hands-off method. Using a rack and flipping the chicken halfway through helps promote even browning.
How do I know when the chicken is done?
The safest way is to use a meat thermometer — the internal temperature should reach 165°F. If you don’t have one, cut into the thickest piece and make sure the meat is no longer pink.
What’s the best way to reheat leftovers?
Reheat in the oven or air fryer to help restore crispness. Microwaving works but will soften the coating.
Cooking Method Notes
- Frying: Best flavor and texture
- Air Fryer: Crisp, lighter option with minimal oil
- Baking: Easiest cleanup, mild crunch
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Keto Southern Fried Chicken (Low Carb & Gluten Free)
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This keto Southern fried chicken uses a seasoned blend of coconut flour and almond flour for a crisp, flavorful coating without traditional flour. Includes frying, baking, and air fryer options, with frying offering the most authentic Southern-style result.
Ingredients
- 5lbs chicken leg quarters
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil for the pan
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Using your hands, massage the spices into the chicken and be sure it’s well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- To prepare: Add the coconut flour to the seasoned chicken and toss well to coat.
- Heat oil about 2 inches deep in a large, heavy bottomed pan (cast iron is ideal or use a deep fryer if you have one) to 375 degrees (F). Add chicken in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan or it won’t get crisp. Cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until a rich, golden brown.
- Test with a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees. If you don’t have one, cut into a piece and make sure the meat isn’t pink before serving.
To bake instead of fry:
-
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and place a wire rack on top if you have one (this helps with airflow and browning).
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Arrange the coated chicken pieces on the rack or baking sheet, leaving space between each piece.
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Lightly spray or brush the chicken with oil to encourage browning.
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Bake for 35–45 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the coating is golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
-
For extra browning, you can finish under the broiler for 1–2 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
Note: The baked version will be lighter and less crisp than frying, but still very flavorful.
Air Fryer Instructions (Optional)
To air fry instead of fry:
-
Preheat air fryer to 380°F.
-
Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil.
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Arrange the coated chicken in a single layer, leaving space between pieces. Work in batches if needed.
-
Lightly spray the tops of the chicken with oil.
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Air fry for 18–22 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
-
For darker color, increase the temperature to 400°F for the final 2–3 minutes if needed.
Air frying produces a crisp exterior, though it won’t fully replicate deep-fried texture.
Notes
Cooking note: Because the coating uses coconut flour and almond flour, moderate heat is important. Too high a temperature can cause the coating to brown too quickly before the chicken is fully cooked.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes plus marinating time
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: keto dinner recipes
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh+1 drumstick
- Calories: 425
- Fat: 32g fat
- Carbohydrates: 1g net
- Protein: 34g
Frank weir says
By the way….TV is stupid. They should have focused on you. I looked at those other recipes and they appear to be low fat, high carb which has resulted in our obesity/diabetes epidemic. I’m type 2, runs in my family, and my blood glucose would skyrocket with those other recipes. Sure not healthy for me. I would never watch or pay attention to a TV physician…that’s show business, not patient care or good advice. Oz Shmoz….
Malainie says
I agree with Frank! I looked at the other recipes…those that didn’t have a broken link…and that’s the kind of wrong thinking that got us where we are today! I wonder what it’s going to take to get the media’s attention on what’s true? Oh, wait. They still are delusional over what their role as journalists are in covering the news and what news is! LOL (I was a former TRUE journalist the Constitutional meaning of the word.) ;)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Frank, I definitely think the recipes they featured were still stuck in that old low fat high carb way of thinking that doesn’t produce long term results for most people. Hopefully over time people will start to see the truth about it – for now I’ll do what I do and be happy for all of you guys that appreciate my recipes and are having success using them! :)
Vanessa says
And this is what I wish people would finally open their eyes and realize. It’s not fat making us fat. It’s a gigantic excess of useless carbs that don’t end up being converted to energy. Instead, your body says, “hmmmm. I think I’ll need that later, maybe I should store it”. And thus, it becomes FAT.
Frank weir says
Melissa….I get confused by oil, smoking points, healthy, unhealthy…and COST. Can you tell me what oil you use for this recipe and do you use different oils for different recipes? I am using peanut oil exclusively since it’s affordable. Not sure about the taste but that’s due to my ignorance of the topic! Lots of low carbers insist on coconut oil but I can’t imagine a couple inches worth of that. It seems expensive, those little jars for $5 unless I’m looking at the wrong thing. This is all baffling. Thanks if you can help.
Malainie says
Frank, I found this article online about peanut oil that you might want to check out:
http://voices.yahoo.com/the-health-benefits-peanut-oil-heart-healthy-2992725.html?cat=51
I use extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and more recently have discovered avocado oil, which is even healthier than olive oil. However a gallon of it, with shipping, will run you almost forty bucks, so not very cheap!
Frank weir says
Malainie…many thanks! This gets me started. And I agree wholeheartedly on journalism. I’m a 1972 j grad. Profession has collapsed for a number of reasons. Very serious implications for democracy.
william says
Years ago 1953, I worked for a restaurant in Iowa, locally famous for its fried chicken. I was one of the cooks for the chicken. I was a part time high school student. No steaks or fish, just chicken with a side of slaw and hot buns.
The day before, we filled a large pressure cooker with 1/2 chickens in racks, throw in a handful of garlic cloves, and cooked it until it was just done, not falling off of the bone. They had the time/temperature all worked out for the large batches we cooked, so it was repeatable.
When an order came in, we dipped half of a chicken into eggs, and milk with some pepper, rolled it in a cheap pancake flour, and then just deep fried it long enough to bring the outside to a beautiful golden brown, and served.
It was hot all of the way thru, and the outside was very crispy and not greasy. And inside was cooked to perfection.
I would now use Mellissa’s coating recipe on the precooked chicken, and then fry it in whatever fashion would brown the outside to a nice Golden Brown Crispy chicken.
I guarantee it will be good.
bill,
Alb.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS!!!! Thanks for posting this Bill – nice to get some tips from a chicken frying professional!!!!
William says
Melissa said: “nice to get some tips from a chicken frying professional!!!!”
I was a high school student, working part time, evenings and weekends, some professional…. LOL,
The point was, that the method, was pretty much foolproof, if you could judge Golden Brown…. Fry it until the outside was Golden Brown, the center would be hot, and serve, that was it….
At some of the fairs, and local carnivals they had 2 city buses outfitted as a kitchen, and would serve up to 300 dinners a day, all cooked first in the pressure cooker at the restaurant kitchen. Always then cooled overnight, before they hauled the chicken to where they were set up, as well as in the restaurant itself.
bill
Nancy says
When I saw that your coating fell off (on your facebook post), I had to look through the comments to see if anyone suggested dipping the chicken into eggs and milk. I’m glad Bill added this. The old-timey way of making fried chicken I always heard was dip in flour, then egg/milk mixture, then back into the flour. Then you were supposed to let it set for a little while (5 minutes) before putting it on the hot oil. That should keep the good crunchy stuff on the chicken. I like the idea of pre-cooking the chicken too.
Can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hi Nancy! I would typically dip anything fried into an egg/milk mixture first as well, but when I moved to the South I was surprised that a lot of locals don’t do that to their fried chicken – and the chicken comes out fantastic! But I think Carolyn was right on her comment on Facebook, that without gluten in the coconut flour to help bind it, something extra may be necessary to keep the coating on nice and thick during frying. I’m going to experiment with adding xanthan gum, and then also with the egg/milk mixture to see which combination gets the best results and then I’ll edit the recipe accordingly with those options! Please let us know if you experiment and what the results are too!! Enjoy!
ngyoung says
For baking I recently heard about parboiled the chicken first before baking to get them crispy as fried when baking. I don’t know how that would go with breading it though
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds like some experimenting with that is in order too! I used to parboil my chicken wings before baking them and it definitely helped render out some of the fat so that the skin would get super crispy. I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for larger pieces of chicken as well!
Willow @Will Cook For Friends says
So awesome! Congrats on having such a fun opportunity, even if you didn’t win. Which, for the record, I totally think you should have. Not that I’m biased or anything. ;)
This “fried” chicken sounds deeelish!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Willow! You may be biased, but you’re obviously wicked smart as well – ha ha! ;)
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
So fun getting to know bloggers from all over the country because of this experience! I am totally down with your idea to do bacon wrapped fried chicken, even if it’s not your typical “healthy” recipe! : )
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Heather – thinking I’m going to stuff something delicious under the skin first and THEN wrap it in bacon. Time to start experimenting – this is going to be fun! :)
Britt @ One&20 says
Yum!
I am definitely going to make this soon!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That is a great decision – you won’t be sorry! :)
Grace hart says
Will the chicken taste like coconut?
Lindsay says
So nice to connect with you, Mellissa! I have to confess that I have actually never made fried chicken before – looks like your recipe will be my first try! Oh and I’m a fat-lover as well! Bring on the bacon! :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
You too Lindsay – I would say connecting with you guys was the best part of the Dr. Oz Show experience!
Tricia Kristoff Rampata says
What are your thoughts on “oven frying” this chicken? I hate to use a big fry pan with hot oil if I can throw the thighs on a pan in the oven.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Just coat them in a few Tablespoons of olive oil and roll them in the seasoned coconut flour – then bake at 400 (F) for about 40 minutes and you should be good to go!
Tricia Kristoff Rampata says
Thank you! I will try it and let you know how it goes!
William says
Melissaa wrote:
“Just coat them in a few Tablespoons of olive oil and roll them in the seasoned coconut flour – then bake at 400 (F) for about 40 minutes and you should be good to go!:
Would anyone care to estimate the time needed, if the chicken was precooked, and at room temperature.
How long would it take in the oven to heat a pan of thigh,s (with bone, and skin), and crisp the chicken?? Using the cocoanut flour breading.
Thank You,
bill
Kathy says
Thank you! While I LOVE fried chicken I, too, hate frying in oil on the stove! The oven is easier for me!
Tera says
Thanks for this tip to make them in the oven. I also prefer to bake instead of frying. This is dinner for tonight!
GInger Peacock says
How do you eat fried food cooked in coconut flour!!!!? The flour is so dense that it burns & crumbles plus it will CHOKE You to death ? when trying to eat it! I am so disappointed with all these people telling us that this works so well- It doesn’t! I do use Coconut oil & that’s great, but the flour I will NEVER try again because I almost died-literally
Mellissa Sevigny says
It works great for me.
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
I love how you used coconut flour in this traditional southern fried chicken recipe to keep this low carb. Can’t wait to watch the Dr. Oz Show today to see all the healthy recipes for their Healthy Recipe Challenge. So great to connect with you through this experience!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Jeanette!
Shari Ann says
Hello Melissa :)
First I just want to say you’re too good for “Dr. Oz”. The guy is an embarrassment to the medical community. At least your sweet face and amazing talents were shown to the world so I guess that’s something.
Seriously – you are amazing, and have helped me become healthy and happy.
Onto the chicken! Wow, so delicious I could not believe it. I used a deep fryer and it came out so golden, crunchy and juicy. I always follow your recipes to the ‘T” (Maybe we should start saying to the “M” lol) and I’ve never found a reason to deviate.
This chicken was really good cold too, with coleslaw and a big Iced tea. Thank you for all your hard work, you truly have a gift for cooking . We are so lucky to have you!
Kindest Regards, Shari Ann
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you Shari Ann, I appreciate your kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! I LOVE the chicken cold too – my husband thinks that’s really weird so thanks for validating me ha ha! ?