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Oven Baked Keto Southern Fried Chicken

Naomi ShermanUpdated 4 March 2024★★★★★4.8 (187 ratings)
  • Ready in 2h 30m
  • 2 g net carbs
  • 318 kcal
  • Serves 6
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Oven Baked Southern Fried Chicken (low-carb, keto, paleo)

Easy dinner? Picnic meal? Make ahead lunchbox filler? Southern Fried Chicken ticks so many boxes.

But my days of dancing with The Colonel are over. This recipe combines the juiciness of buttermilk brined chicken pieces with the crunch of smoky, spiced coating and it’s oven baked so you don’t have to stand over a pot of hot oil.

Could it be any more perfect?

You can really experiment with the herbs and spices that you have on hand, or that you know suit your tastes. Make it your own. The “buttermilk” in this recipe is a dairy-free alternative, but by all means use buttermilk if it fits your requirements.

I love to throw together a batch of these on the weekend for easy snacking or lunches during the week.

Note: Nutrition facts for ingredients used as marinade are included partially (25%) as they are only used for marinating. Buttermilk can be used in place of almond milk and lemon juice if you do not require a paleo, dairy-free version.

Step-by-step

  1. Combine almond milk, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano in a bowl. (Note: The amount of salt sounds like a lot but remember, this is only in the brine. You won't actually be consuming this much salt. You can use half if you prefer.)

  2. Submerge chicken pieces and leave to brine for a minimum of 90 minutes and a maximum of overnight.

  3. Once brining is complete, add remaining ingredients, except cooking oil, into a food processor and pulse until combined into fine crumbs.

    Oven Baked Southern Fried Chicken (low-carb, keto, paleo)

  4. Preheat oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted), or 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional). Shake crumbed coating out onto a tray. One at a time, remove chicken pieces from brine solution and roll in coating until evenly coated.

    Oven Baked Southern Fried Chicken (low-carb, keto, paleo)

  5. Place coated pieces on a lined baking tray. Once all pieces are coated, bake for approx. 45 minutes depending on the size of your pieces. Mid-way through the baking time, remove from oven and spray with olive oil cooking spray.

    Oven Baked Southern Fried Chicken (low-carb, keto, paleo)

  6. Serve with Keto French Fries!

    Oven Baked Southern Fried Chicken (low-carb, keto, paleo)
Oven Baked Keto Southern Fried Chicken

Recipe

Oven Baked Keto Southern Fried Chicken

★★★★★4.8 (187 ratings)

Healthy grain-free chicken drumsticks marinated in herbs, coated in gluten-free and zero-carb breading. A ...

Hands on
15m
Overall
2h 30m
Servings
6
2 g
Net carbs
32.3 g
Protein
17 g
Fat
318
kcal
PinRate

Ingredients makes 6 servings

Instructions

  1. Combine almond milk, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano in a bowl. (Note: The amount of salt sounds like a lot but remember, this is only in the brine. You won't actually be consuming this much salt. You can use half if you prefer.)

  2. Submerge chicken pieces and leave to brine for a minimum of 90 minutes and a maximum of overnight.

  3. Once brining is complete, add remaining ingredients, except cooking oil, into a food processor and pulse until combined into fine crumbs.

  4. Preheat oven to 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted), or 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional). Shake crumbed coating out onto a tray. One at a time, remove chicken pieces from brine solution and roll in coating until evenly coated.

  5. Place coated pieces on a lined baking tray. Once all pieces are coated, bake for approx. 45 minutes depending on the size of your pieces. Mid-way through the baking time, remove from oven and spray with olive oil cooking spray.

  6. Serve with Keto French Fries!

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 3%Protein 44%Fat 53% of calories

Net carbs
2 g
Total carbs
3.8 g
Fiber
1.7 g
Sugars
0.6 g
Protein
32.3 g
Fat
17 g
Saturated fat
6.3 g
Calories
318 kcal
Sodium
752 mg · 32.7% RDA
Magnesium
39 mg · 9.8% RDA
Potassium
476 mg · 23.8% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
Per servingNet carbsProteinFatkcal
Chicken drumsticks, raw0.1 g24.1 g12.3 g215
Almond milk natural (unsweetened)0.2 g0.2 g0.5 g6
Lemon juice, fresh0.1 g0 g0 g0
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt0 g0 g0 g0
Pepper, black, spices0.2 g0.1 g0 g1
Oregano, dried0.1 g0 g0 g1
Paprika, smoked (spices)0.1 g0.1 g0.1 g2
Garlic powder, spices0.3 g0.1 g0 g2
Onion powder, spices0.3 g0 g0 g1
Pork rinds (pork skins), dry, plain (for "breading")0 g6.8 g1.1 g51
Coconut flour, organic0.5 g0.9 g0.8 g18
Coconut oil, extra virgin0 g0 g2.2 g20
Total2 g32.3 g17 g318
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • Egg free
  • Nut free
  • Avocado free
  • Fish free
  • Shellfish free
  • Beef free

Goes well with

Add a side and it's a complete meal.

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Comments & ratings (14)

4.8187 ratings
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  • 4 ★19
  • 3 ★2
  • 2 ★5
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  1. Emma

    Two TABLESPOONS of salt?! Surely not?

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Emma, this sounds like a lot but it is only for the brine - you don't actually end up consuming this much. If I had to guess it would be 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of actual salt in the recipe. You can use less though - start with a tablespoon.

  2. Mary Petnel

    Very similar to Martha Stewart recipe that I used with Panko bread crumbs before going Keto. I also grate fresh Parmagiana Reggiano cheese into the ground up pork rinds. Use buttermilk as my brine. Delish quick and easy

  3. Patrice DeLaPaz

    Mine tasted delicious but it wasn’t crispy and almost kind of soggy on one side. What would you recommend for more crispness? But the taste is delicious!! Thanks!

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Patrice, this technique helps crisp chicken up: Crispy Low-Carb Chicken Drumsticks (using baking powder as the key ingredient). I hope this helps!

  4. Karen

    Hi Martina, can you get pork rinds in the U.K.? The links on your site are to the U.S Amazon, thanks, Karen

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Karen, I included a link to homemade (I make my own from pork skins I get from my farmer). Or you can get them here: http://mexika.co.uk/shop/crackling-chicharron/

  5. Yevgeny

    Looking great! Going to give it a go 😄

  6. Anne

    Is there anything to substitute for the porkrinds? My husband does not eat pork.

    1. Martina @ KetoDiet

      Yes, you can try other ingredients instead. What I use sometimes is a combination of almond flour and flax meal.

  7. Tess

    Thanks so much for including the nutritional info. Going to try this with coconut milk or the raw cream I use in my coffee since I have to avoid nuts.

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      I would try liquid coconut milk (I use Aroy-D) or buttermilk - both will work just fine!

  8. Kerry Lynn Hebert

    I'm allergic to coconut, can almond flour be used instead?
    This looks so good!

    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor

      Hi Kerry, I don't see why not! 😊 You can try more pork rinds or almond flour.

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