Can You Fry Chicken Without Flour?

When it comes to fried chicken, it's all about that glorious, crispy texture. At its most basic, this classic comfort food uses minimal ingredients: chicken, flour, and some seasonings. But, if you take the flour away, can you still create crispy fried chicken? It turns out, yes, you can. The reason flour is helpful when making fried chicken is because it absorbs extra moisture on the surface of the chicken. This ensures that the batter and breading better adhere to the meat. That being said, the chicken will still crisp up without any flour, batter, or breading as long as it has been dried well and the oil it is fried in is nice and hot.

If you do like a coating on your fried chicken but don't want to use flour, you can try experimenting with a mixture of cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. This will give your egg wash (or buttermilk wash) something to cling onto, and using cornstarch also helps keep your chicken crispier for longer. Dredge the coated pieces of chicken in egg wash (for the best results dredge the chicken pieces twice), then bread the chicken with whatever you're working with, whether that's breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, or anything else. Of course, if you are sensitive or intolerant to gluten and can't eat wheat flour, you should check that none of the coatings contain gluten either.

Other substitutes for regular flour include things like potato starch and rice flour. In fact, a mixture of rice flour and cornstarch is often used to make Korean fried chicken. This batter gives the meat a delicate yet satisfying crunch.

When it comes to the coating, breadcrumbs are the classic choice as these offer a delicious flavor and that coveted, crispy texture. Both regular and panko breadcrumbs (which in some situations are interchangeable) can be used on chicken with the latter giving the crispiest results. However, if you want to avoid using wheat flour, there are several gluten-free alternatives you should reach for. Gluten-free Corn Flakes are a classic choice, but you can also use Rice Chex. Just make sure both cereals are well crushed before you use them. 

If eating gluten is not an issue for you, I'd suggest using Cap'n Crunch (without the crunch berries) to coat your chicken. The first time I had chicken coated with this childhood favorite was at Planet Hollywood in the late 1990s. It was a fried chicken tender appetizer that came coated in the cereal and was served with a honey mustard sauce. The tenders were crispy and just a little sweet with a toasty corn flavor that was absolutely delicious.