Creole Fried Chicken

I’m always interested in the favorite foods of others. When I met the Baron, I learned that he enjoys dishes like BBQ ribs, prime rib, key lime pie, Spanish tapas and  fried chicken. I knew it would only be a matter of time before we either had dinner out to eat these foods or better yet, I would cook these dishes for him. Then our weekly ‘Tuesday Dinners with The Baron’ nights came about. The last few weeks I’ve prepared themed dinners inspired by various cuisines but the dishes I’ve made weren’t any of his said favorites. So when I hosted my Southern Inspired Sunday Dinner, it was only fitting to include fried chicken on the menu. I prepared this Creole Fried Chicken as a twist to the traditional. Marinated in buttermilk,Glory Foods hot sauce, coated in a Creole seasoned {GF} flour and fried to a golden crisp, this chicken was definitely finger-licking good for even Colonel Sanders…

I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I had really good, crispy fried chicken. That’s because it can be time consuming and if ordered out, it’s rarely gluten free. But the great thing is being able to make it home and having friends over to share it with. Essentially, I took Martha Stewart’s recipe and subbed the all purpose flour called for in the recipe with my standard gluten free flour blend. Yes, it’s that simple. And by using it, the result is a super crispy, flavorful coating on tender, juicy chicken. Everyone enjoyed it and since I made quite a huge batch, the leftovers were happily received as well.

• Creole Fried Chicken
  recipe barely adapted from Martha Stewart

• 4 cups buttermilk
  1/2 cup Creole seasoning (recipe follows below)
  2 tablespoons coarse salt
  2 tablespoons sugar
  1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
  2 whole chickens, each cut into 8 pieces
  2 tablespoons Glory Foods hot sauce {optional, or to taste}
  4 cups all-purpose flour {or GF flour blend}
  Peanut oil, for frying

In a large nonreactive container, mix together buttermilk, 1/4 cup Creole seasoning, salt, sugar, and garlic. Add chicken and hot sauce to container, pushing down to immerse in liquid. Cover and transfer container to refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

In a large resealable plastic bag or a double brown bag, combine flour, and remaining 1/4 cup Essence; shake to combine. Working in batches, add chicken pieces to bag and shake to coat.
Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour. Place coated chicken on a large wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let stand for 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, heat 4 inches of oil over medium-high heat in a medium Dutch-oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan until it reaches 300 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add chicken, skin-side down, to pot and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Turn, and continue frying until golden brown on bottom side, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Let chicken stand 5 minutes before serving.

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 
  
• Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.