Gluten-Free Fried Chicken Tenders and Okra
These classic comfort foods, fried chicken tenders and okra, are made using gluten-free brown rice flour. And instead of dipping in a traditional buttermilk and egg wash, we substitute goat milk yogurt, water and eggs for absolute fried chicken perfection.
We Really Love Fried Foods!
Isn’t fried chicken and okra such a classic comfort food? Before I had to start eating gluten-free we loved picking up fried chicken and okra and mashies from Chicken Express. Yum.
But since I can’t do that anymore, we try to make similar food at home for the occasional treat.
And although we’ve used lots of different methods for the breading, this one is my absolute new favorite way to fry chicken. It’s also great for frying okra, mushrooms, and making onion rings. And of course, chicken fried steak. So good!
So we usually fry everything in a mixture of olive oil and coconut oil on the stove in a large frying pan. But here are some of the different ways you can bread and fry all of the things.
Brining with Seasoned Salt
Brining chicken tenders is a great choice if you have to keep the fried chicken dairy-free, too. It adds flavor and keeps the chicken nice and tender. It is awesome with healthy homemade ranch dressing, too.
I keep a jar of homemade seasoned salt on hand because we use it a lot and most of the spices we buy in bulk are organic.
Homemade Seasoned Salt
- 8 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 1/2 tbsp organic raw cane sugar
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp GF cornstarch
Mix together the spices and cornstarch to make the seasoned salt and store in an airtight container.
To make the brining solution you use a few tablespoons of seasoned salt and filtered water. The chicken tenders are placed in the brining solution and left in the fridge for a few hours.
Then take them out and dip into certified GF oat flour, bean blend all-purpose flour, or garbanzo bean flour (all flours from Bob’s Red Mill) to get a nice crispy breading. And then fry them up!
These are perfect for tossing in homemade Buffalo Sauce, too.
Breading with Rice Cereal
Using gluten-free ground up rice cereal is another favorite method to fry things and get a nice crispy crust (basically just a gluten-free replacement for panko).
And this is another dairy-free option for frying.
You grind down the bread cereal in a mini-prep and place it in a shallow bowl with a seasoning blend, like Italian seasoning. Next to that you place beaten eggs and another bowl of gluten-free flour (any type as long as it is light).
Then dip the thing you want to fry in the flour, then the eggs, then coat with the rice cereal. And just fry them up!
We’ve used this “panko” method to make lot of fried goodies like:
Eggplant Chicken Parmesan
Fried Mozzarella Goat Cheese Sticks
Fried Artichoke Hearts
and even fried goat cheese croutons!
Brown Rice & Buttermilk
Okay, so let’s talk about these gluten-free fried chicken tenders and okra.
Another popular method for frying is using buttermilk and eggs and gluten-free brown rice flour seasoned with cayenne pepper and seasoned salt.
You dip the chicken tender in the seasoned flour and then into the buttermilk then back into the flour. And it gives you the most delicious crispy flavorful fried chicken tenders.
Substituting Goat Milk Yogurt for the Buttermilk
Well I can’t digest cow milk dairy very well so we cut dairy out of our diet years ago. Which included buttermilk.
Then information suggested that goat, sheep and buffalo milk are easier to digest. Mainly because they have a different form of the protein casein. So I started using goat milk cheese and goat milk yogurt again. And it has been amazing.
BTW- we like to use humanely raised Smart Chicken organic air-chilled chicken tenders.
And I love Redwood Hill Farm plain goat milk yogurt, which is actually a little sour so it reminds me of buttermilk. We dilute it down with water and use it as the perfect substitute. The breaded coating on the chicken tenders is just amazing.
Frying Okra & Other Things
This method is awesome for frying up okra as well as mushrooms and onion rings. Yay!
So if you have just one pack of chicken tenders, then there will be enough flour and yogurt/egg wash left in this recipe for frying a few other things. Why not, right?
We took a bag of frozen pre-cut organic okra and thawed it out. Then rinsed some of the slime off with filtered water. We picked out the ends and some of the weird pieces.
Then all you do is toss the okra pieces into the flour then into the yogurt, water, egg mixture. And then toss them in the brown rice flour again. Then fry them up. So easy. They come out incredibly delicious, too. Yay!
Happy gluten-free frying y’all!
Gluten-free Fried Chicken Tenders and Okra
Fried chicken tenders and okra are made using gluten-free brown rice flour. And instead of dipping in a traditional buttermilk and egg wash, we substitute goat milk yogurt, water and eggs for absolute fried chicken perfection.
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen sliced okra
- 1 package organic chicken tenders
- 2 cups brown rice flour
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup plain goat milk yogurt
- 1 cup filtered water
- 2 large eggs beaten
- Olive oil and coconut oil for frying (or a clean vegetable oil)
Instructions
Remove the frozen sliced okra from the package and set out to thaw.
Set up two wide rimmed bowls next to each other. Add the brown rice flour, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper to one bowl and mix until well combined. Add the yogurt, water and eggs to the other bowl and mix until well combined.
To batter the chicken tenders, first coat it with the flour. Next add it to the yogurt/egg mixture. Then place it back into the flour. When well coated place on a plate until ready to fry.
Meanwhile, heat enough oil for frying in a large skillet. Once it reaches a temperature of 350 degrees it is ready. Place the chicken tenders (3-4 at a time into the oil and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side until brown and crispy.
- When done frying place the chicken fried steak onto a plate covered with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
Rinse the okra with filtered water. Pick out any weird pieces and discard. Place the handfuls of the okra pieces into the flour. Then into liquid yougurt mixture. When well coated, add them back into the flour and toss until well-covered. Place on a plate.
Fry the okra in large batches until nice and crispy brown, about 4-5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oil and place on a plate covered with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
