Hi Friends,
Like baked goods, fried foods are one of the things we’re often left missing in the gluten free world. It’s hard to find true gluten free crispy comfort foods, even more so to find them made in dedicated fryers, so I wanted to share this recipe for Gluten Free Chicken Schnitzel with you. My husband grew up with schnitzel (his favorite made with chicken thighs instead of breasts) as his favorite special comfort meal and on his birthday I recreated it for him, gluten-free!
You can eat this as is with a fresh bracing salad to balance it out, or a pile of fries. You can dip it in butter and hot sauce for a spectacular gluten free hot chicken experience or you could put it on a gluten free bun, add a couple of pickles and have AMAZING gluten free sandwiches for your next game day meal. I can think of SO many ways to enjoy this dish, I’m sure you can too!
You can use chicken breasts here if they are your favorites instead of the thighs although they may cook quicker. This recipe uses a standard 3 part dredging procedure. You can do this step ahead and then refrigerate the chicken for a couple of hours if that’s easier for you. I’ve used white rice flour in the recipe but you can use a gluten free all purpose or 1 to 1 mix if that’s what you have, they both work very well here.
If you don’t have a meat tenderizer or mallet (I have a medieval looking one from Romania that my mother in-law gifted me) you can pick one up or use a heavy rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan, be careful not to tear up the chicken too much or you’ll have nuggets instead!
Happy Schnitzel Making,
Rachel
Next Level Gluten Free Chicken Schnitzel
Serves 4
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and black pepper
1 cup (130g) rice flour or gluten free 1 to 1 flour mix of your choice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp paprika
2 cups gluten free panko breadcrumbs or fresh gluten free breadcrumbs (I find 4C brand, Ians brand)
2 or more cups neutral oil for frying (sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, etc)
Chopped flat-leaf parsley and Lemon wedges for serving
Trim your chicken thighs. Place one in a large ziplock bag without closing it. Use a meat tenderizer or kitchen mallet to pound the thigh to 1/8 inch thickness. Repeat with each chicken thigh. Once pounded, season each chicken thigh with the salt and pepper.
Get out three pie plates or shallow bowls. Put the rice flour in one, the eggs in another and the breadcrumbs in the third. Season each of these with additional salt, pepper, and equal amounts of the paprika. Using tongs, dip each chicken thigh into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat evenly with each. Put the coated chicken thighs on a plate until ready to fry.
Heat the neutral oil in a wide shallow pan such as a braising pan over medium high heat. When the oil temperature reaches 350F add two of the coated chicken thighs and fry until golden brown on that side approximately 4-5 minutes. Flip the thighs and cook 4-5 minutes more until the exterior is golden brown on all sides and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165F. (Use a meat thermometer to check the thickest part of the schnitzel) Remove the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels or a cooling rack lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt immediately. Repeat with the remaining two chicken thighs.
When ready to serve, sprinkle with parsley and add the lemon wedges so diners can squeeze them over at the table.
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Gluten Free Chicken Schnitzel