Oh, fried chicken. Something I couldn’t have for a whole decade on account of my gluten allergy. Now I have it many times a year. It’s also really easy to make.

The thing that makes other fried chicken unhealthy is not the fat or the frying, but the type of oil (usually crappy vegetable oil) and the common wheat used. Frying foods in coconut oil turns them into a health food, and using spelt flour avoids the problems with common wheat (like stomachaches). It is, after all, a large helping of protein to build muscles and support the nervous system, carbs to run the metabolic rate, fatty acids to make steroids and hormones, and all the other minerals and nutrients it contains. There’s no reason not to eat indulgent, so long as this kind of food is made in this manner.

HEALTHY FRIED CHICKEN

1 whole chicken, divided
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 cup milk
1 egg
Enough coconut oil for frying

Cut up the chicken into parts (or you can buy already cut chicken if this is difficult—make sure you get it with the skin on/bone in).

It is very important that your chicken be room temperature. If it’s cold it won’t cook through and you’ll be left with cooked crust and raw meat inside. Set chicken out to come to room temperature for at least an hour.

In a large bowl add the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika and mix well. In a separate, medium bowl add the milk and egg, beat. Heat the coconut oil in a large, deep pan or pot such as a dutch oven. FRYING FOODS IS VERY DANGEROUS. KEEP CHILDREN AWAY. USE EXTREME CAUTION. IT WILL POP ON YOU WHILE YOU ARE MAKING IT, SO KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. KEEP A FIRE EXTINGUISHER HANDY AS HOT OIL CAN EASILY CATCH FIRE. Medium high tends to be the right setting for heating the oil. It should be very hot but not smoking at all. If it’s too hot the crust will burn before the chicken is cooked through, and you won’t be able to eat it (if that happens, cook it in the oven to cook through). The oil should also be deep enough to cover 1/2 the sides of the chicken pieces.

Plunge the chicken pieces several at a time into the milk/egg mixture and coat well. Transfer each piece one by one into the flour and generously coat each piece, then place carefully into the oil when it is hot (to test the oil, drop a small amount of flour into the oil, it should sizzle aggressively). Don’t crowd the pan, but you can add about 3-4 pieces at a time. Fry the large pieces first because the frying will drop the oil level. Cook about 8-10 minutes on each side until it is nicely browned, careful not to burn it, but it should be well cooked to make sure the meat is tender and done. The oil will get hotter as the chicken cooks, so it’s a good idea to turn down the heat a little after about 5 minutes for each batch (if it bubbles extremely aggressively that’s a sign it’s too hot). Allow to cool a little before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy for a real treat. Save the scraps and the parts of the chicken you didn’t fry to make homemade chicken stock.