Keto Fried Chicken is the best! It is a classic comfort food that is easy to make and delicious. Our version is crispy, juicy, and completely satisfying. This dish is keto, low-carb, grain-free, and gluten-free!

Keto Fried Chicken
What is it about fried chicken that is so addicting? We were so excited when we created this recipe! Now you can enjoy the crispy, juicy chicken, even on keto!
We can't wait to tell you how we created a low-carb "breading" that gives you the satisfying crunch, without all the carbs.
It is so easy to make and is ready to serve in under 20 minutes!

A Weeknight Staple
You will want to serve this dish over and over again. It'll become a part of your regular weekly menu.
Oh, and it doesn't need deep-fried either. We made it in the oven.
There is a small part of the recipe where you sear the thighs for a little bit in a skillet, but then you bake them the rest of the way.
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Our Foolproof Method
Our method consists of first frying the chicken in a skillet for a few minutes to give is a good crust.
Then we bake it in the oven to ensure the chicken is crispy outside and fully-cooked, juicy inside.
It is perfection.

How to Make Spicy Keto Fried Chicken
Our recipe uses just a small bit of paprika and cayenne pepper.
But if you like your fried chicken to have more of a kick, add more cayenne pepper and some red pepper flakes.
You'll notice more heat for sure!

What's In Keto Fried Chicken?
To make our keto fried chicken, we used the following low-carb ingredients.
- Coconut oil
- Chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- Pork rinds
- Parmesan cheese
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Eggs

Mix Two Separate Bowls
Put the dry ingredients in one bowl and the eggs, salt, and pepper in the other bowl.
You'll use these different bowls for dipping.

Coat the Chicken and Cook
Go through and coat the chicken thighs with your mixtures.
First, dip them in the egg mixture. Then, toss them in the pork rind mixture. Do this for all your chicken pieces and set them aside on a plate.
As you can see, we didn't cut the thighs up at all. But if you wanted, you could slice them into thinner pieces. This will make them cook faster and make them a little easier to handle.
After they are all coated, fry them in some coconut oil, then bake them in the oven.

Are Pork Rinds Keto-Friendly?
Yes, pork rinds are definitely keto-friendly.
But read the nutrition facts and ingredients list before you buy them. Once in a while a variety of pork rinds could have added sugar.
Just make sure and pick out the ones with as few ingredients as possible.

Can You Use Chicken Breast or Legs Instead?
We recommend using chicken drumsticks/legs before you try to make this recipe with chicken breast. You see, thighs have more fat and dark meat on them. So they fry better. Chicken breasts will cook faster and might even turn out drier.
If you choose to make this recipe with chicken drumsticks, pay close attention to the cooking temperature.
You could try to bake them for an hour at 375°F and skip the frying step.
Then, use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 170-175°F. We like this higher temperature for dark meat.

Don't Forget the Dill Pickles
We love adding a few sliced pickles on top of fried chicken.
The tanginess goes perfect with the crunchy-hot fried chicken.
Pickles are basically just cucumbers, vinegar, spices, and water. For a little extra fun, add a few extra spicy pickles! Oh yum!

What to Serve with Keto Fried Chicken
This is a recipe the entire family will love. They won't even know it is Keto. Serve it with some of our favorite side dishes for an unforgettable meal.

Recipe

Keto Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 6 chicken thighs boneless skinless, about 1.5 lbs/6 thighs, patted dry with paper towels
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3.5 oz. bag pork rinds crushed in the bag or in food processor
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350°F.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 1/3 teaspoon black pepper together.
- In another shallow bowl, mix together the remaining black pepper, salt, crushed pork rinds, Parmesan cheese, paprika, and cayenne.
- One at a time, dip your chicken thighs into the egg mixture and then dredge in the pork rind mixture to fully coat. Make sure to press the crumbs into the surface and crevices of the chicken firmly.
- Heat the coconut oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Once the oil begins to smoke, place in the chicken thighs in the skillet.
- Fry the chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes on one side and then flip and fry for another 2-3 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 170-175°F.
Nutrition
We Can't Wait To See You Try It!
We love seeing our recipes come to life!! We can’t wait to see how you make these and loving seeing each person's unique spin on it! Tag us on Instagram @cleanketolifestyle or use the hashtag #CKLrecipe!
Erinn
Could you please tell me if the nutritional info on this is actually 1378 per serving (which appears to be 2 chicken thighs each)? I'd like to use this, but that calorie amount is freaking me out. Realistically I know it shouldn't be that high, but still, it would be helpful to readers.
Annie
Excellent. I made this exactly as written except I used a chicken breast. About an inch thick. Fried 2-3 minutes each side then into the oven raised off the dish on crumpled foil for 12 minutes at 350. It was moist and delicious. I’ll never cook breast any other way.
Clean Keto Lifestyle
Hi Annie!! So glad you liked the recipe! And great tip on using chicken breasts 🙂
Jan
Super YUMMY and fairly easy!
Sierra Cole
This was absolutely delicious and we will be adding it to our rotation!
With the nutrition info- is that per serving? How many chicken thighs is a serving? Thank you!
Tamina Hart
Just made this and it was AMAZING!!! Even my picky kids tore these up!!?
Clean Keto Lifestyle
Yay!!! So glad the recipe was a hit!
Casey Williams
Added some almond flour with the pork rinds. It was delicious.
James Rippey
Absoulutly delicious
RebeccaE
Your nutrition information appears to be wrong. The calories per serving should be 1/3 of what you’ve listed since it’s 3 servings. Didn’t check the rest of the info for errors. Please update. Thanks
Donna
Good afternoon,
Just tried the recipe it was good!
Thanks,
Donna
Mary
This is the BEST recipe ? Highly recommend
Clean Keto Lifestyle
Yay!! So glad you liked the recipe!! Thank you Mary!
jenny
you dont have the eggs listed as ingredients and dont tell about the egg mixture
Clean Keto Lifestyle
Hi Jenny!! Great catch! Thanks for letting us know! We updated the recipe to add the eggs!