Warning: These crispy chicken thighs are seriously delicious! This recipe is one of my staples. I’ve been making and refining these for many months, so it’s about time that I share this recipe with you all!

This recipe is completely free of gluten, dairy, and soy.

I enjoy making this recipe with all non-GMO or organic ingredients.

Gluten Free + Dairy Free Crispy Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

• • a 6-piece pack of chicken thighs
  • 1 box or bag of gluten free crackers
  • 6 oz coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is preheating, prepare the chicken.
2. Set up your chicken-making station. You’ll want to have:

• • a dish for the flour/spice mixture
  • a dish for coconut milk, big and deep enough to dunk a whole chicken thigh
  • a dish for the crushed gluten free crackers
  • a stainless steel baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper

You’ll want to have your station set up in that order, or in reverse order. I work right-to-left when I make this recipe since I have more space to the right of my oven, so I set up my station in reverse order. Adjust according to your preferred kitchen setup.

• Chicken: You’ll want to get a 6-pack of chicken thighs. You can use this recipe with other cuts of chicken if you want, I just like using thighs best! If you decide to use drumsticks, you’ll want to cook them for at least another 10 minutes longer than the thighs.
• Coconut Flour and Spices: Add about 1/4 cup coconut flour to a dish, then add your preferred spices and mix it all up with a fork. I like to use 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp granulated garlic. You can use more or less to suit your preferences. You are more than welcome to add any other spices that you feel intuitively guided to include. Maybe you could add a little cayenne to give it a kick. (I rarely measure spices, I only did so to finally document this recipe, hah!)
• Coconut Milk: I normally open a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk and use less than half of it. You can place the rest of the coconut milk in your refrigerator to make another batch of this same recipe within a couple days, or use it for something else. Pour the coconut milk into a dish that is big and deep enough to dunk a whole chicken thigh in.
• Crackers: Most fried-chicken-esqe recipes use bread crumbs or panko. Trust me when I say that this recipe turns out just as good as if it contained gluten. I’m so grateful for gluten free crackers! I’ve experimented with using a variety of gluten free crackers. My favorites are Crunchmaster Multi-Seed and Mary’s Gone Crackers Real Thin Crackers. Both come in multiple flavors, and they are all pretty good. Take your gluten free crackers and crush them up as much as possible. If your crackers are within a bag (or within a bag within a box), you can crush them up without opening the bag. Place the bag on a solid surface and use your palms or a rolling pin to crush them up. If that doesn’t work for you, you could use the slightly messier way where you empty the bag of gluten free crackers onto a cutting board and crush them with a rolling pin. When you’re done crushing up the crackers, place them into a dish.

Once you have your station completely set up, follow this process for each chicken thigh:

1. Dip the chicken in the flour/spice mixture. Completely coat both sides and get it into all the crevices. Shake it off slightly.
2. Dip the chicken in the coconut milk, completely submerging it. Pull it out of the milk and let it drip off for a few seconds.
3. Place the chicken in the crackers. Lightly and briefly press the chicken into the crackers, then flip it over and press it a little more.
4. Remove the chicken from the crackers and place it on the parchment paper-covered baking sheet.
5. Repeat this process for each chicken thigh.
6. Slightly rearrange the thighs on the baking tray if needed so that there is enough space between each of them.
7. Place the baking tray in the oven and allow it to cook for 45 minutes at 450 degrees. (Note that you may need to cook these a bit longer depending on your oven. Have no fear because it’s really hard to overcook chicken thighs. They will be done when the cracker coating looks like a nice crispy dark brown.)
8. When complete, remove from the oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauces and side dishes. I love pairing these chicken thighs with dairy-free ranch dressing.

I hope you enjoy these crispy chicken thighs as much as I do!

If you gave it a try, I’d love to hear about your experience, so add your photos to the “tries” on Pinterest or share them on social media and tag me @strongwithpurpose!