This time of year is perfect for hearty meat dishes such as this grain-free version of an all-time favorite. Using homemade buttermilk not only adds a rich flavor to this chicken dish, but it also tenderizes the chicken to perfection via the naturally occurring acids in the buttermilk. Baking the chicken, instead of frying, saves much of the mess and hands-on time involved in the usual breaded and fried chicken. But, because the chicken is marinated in buttermilk, you don’t skimp on flavor or moistness. Serve this up next to a big pan of roasted vegetables and a large portion of kraut for the perfect winter evening meal. Or use some more of that buttermilk to make a big pan of buttermilk biscuits to serve to the hungry crowd.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4-5 lbs. chicken, cut up
- 2 cups cultured buttermilk
- 1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp. thyme (ground or rubbed)
- 1-1/2 tsp. Celtic sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. crushed dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic powder
- 1/4 butter or ghee, melted
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour buttermilk into a large bowl; add chicken pieces and mix to make sure all pieces are covered with buttermilk. Cover bowl and refrigerate 2-24 hours. Meanwhile, make coating mix.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mix together almond flour and spices. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and pour melted butter or ghee over the surface. Set aside.
- Place 1 cup of coating mix in a bowl with lid. Remove chicken from buttermilk marinade and shake off excess buttermilk. Drop a few pieces of chicken at a time into the bowl of coating mix, place the lid on, and shake to coat chicken. Place chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat with all of the chicken, adding additional coating mix to bowl if needed.
- Bake 1 hour or until golden brown and crispy.
- Brush pieces with additional melted butter several times during baking, if desired.
Note: Recipe makes extra coating mix. Store the extra in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for several months.
