Giancarlo's 'Finger Lickin' Crispy Chicken

When Giancarlo found out that he could no longer have gluten in his diet he made it his quest to create the best tasting gluten free versions of the food he loves. One of his guilty pleasure is ‘Southern Fried Chicken’ which he’ll often cook up on a rare Sunday off and enjoy while watching the Formula 1 racing and his beloved team Ferrari.
Here’s the recipe for his gluten free ‘Southern Fried Chicken’ version he says is tastier than the original and is baked rather than deep fried so healthier too!
For the chicken
250ml buttermilk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1.5kg bone-in chicken pieces or breast meat
olive oil spray or 4 tablespoons olive oil
For the coating
1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems
2 tablespoons dried or fresh roughly chopped sage leaves,
stripped from the stems
2 garlic cloves
100g gluten-free flour (try coconut or gram flour for a nutty taste)
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
First mix together the buttermilk, mustard, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl. Pour it into a large plastic food bag (or a container with a lid) with the chicken and seal well. Leave the bag in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours and preferably overnight. Turn the bag a couple of times to ensure the chicken is evenly coated.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or baking parchment.
Gather the fresh herbs, if using, and garlic together on a chopping board and finely chop them with a sharp knife. Put them into a bowl with the remaining coating ingredients. Remove the chicken from the bag and dip all the pieces into the coating mixture, making sure they are well covered. Put them on the lined baking sheet.
Now spray the chicken pieces with oil spray or drizzle over with oil, and bake for about 20 minutes for the breast meat pieces and 30–40 minutes for the bone-in pieces. To be sure the chicken is cooked through, test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer – it should be 74°C. If you don’t have one, pierce the thickest part of the chicken with a skewer and make sure the juices that run out are clear.
This recipe can be found in our book ‘Around the World in Salads’ which can be purchased here.
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