Gluten-Free Tuesday: Fried Chicken Strips

To me, fried chicken means one thing: skin on, bone in Southern fried chicken. So when a Serious Eater asked for a gluten-free conversion of Ree Drummond's (The Pioneer Woman) fried chicken recipe, it surprised me when they pointed me to a recipe for skinless, bonelessfried chicken strips.

The how-to photos left me intrigued. Drummond dredges the chicken pieces, cut so small they are almost nuggets, in flour that's been dampened with buttermilk.

I'd seen this technique used before in aCook's Countryrecipe but never got around to trying it. As Drummond promises, the damp flour mixture creates a final coating that contains little nuggets of extra-crispy goodness. And whilethe gluten-free breading is satisfyingly crunchy,it's a little different than the original gluten recipe. Without any gluten to hold the little flour clusters together, the finished breading isn't quite as thick and chunky as the original.

While this recipe makes really tasty chicken strips, the breading can also be used for Southern Fried chicken. For one fryer chicken, double the amount of buttermilk and breading called for in the recipe and heat oil 1 1/2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven until it reaches 375°F. Fry until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.