In this class we’ll share the number one secret to perfect fried chicken; pork. That’s right, the best fried chicken begins with bacon. You’ll learn how to get a crisp and perfect crust that will amaze you, gluten-free!

Ingredients:

• 6 slices gf bacon
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup gf flour (We used the Gluten-Free Pantry’s Country French Bread Mix as a straight substitution for flour)
• 1/2 cup fine ground yellow corn meal
• 1 Tablespoon gf flour
• 2/3 cup gf chicken stock
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 4 green onions, chopped

How to Cut up a Chicken:

Step 1. Make a cut with a sharp knife between a thigh and the body of the chicken. Grab the severed hindquarter and pull away from the body to break the thigh joint. Cut through the joint. Repeat for other hindquarter.

Step 2. Grab the leg of a hindquarter and run your thumb over the top of the drumstick. You will feel an indention where the leg is joined to the thigh. Cut through this spot, separating the leg and thigh. Repeat for other hindquarter.

Step 3. Grab a wing and pull away from the body of the chicken. You will see the shoulder joint. Cut through the joint, separating the wing from the body. Repeat for other wing.

Step 4. Remove any parts that may be packed inside the cavity.

Step 5. Hold the chicken neck side down on a cutting board and turn the body so that the side of the chicken is facing you. Look inside the cavity and you will see where the ribs come together, similar to a herringbone pattern. Starting at the opening of the cavity, cut directly through the center where the ribs come together. Turn the chicken to the other side and repeat the same cut. In one hand, firmly grab the breast and in the other, grab the back. Pull the pieces apart so that they lie flat. Cut through the bone where the breast and back attach and repeat on other side.

Step 6. Hold the breast upright with the inside of the breast facing you. Make a cut on one side of the center cartilage that separates the two breasts. With both hands, grab each side of the top of each breast half, separating by pressing flat and breaking the small breastbone. Lay the breast on a cutting board, skin side down and cut through separating the two breasts halves.

Step 7. Cut each breast half in half cross-wise, creating two fairly equal sized pieces.

Step 8. Wash the chicken, discarding visible fat.

Making the Perfect Frying Grease:

We believe the key to perfect fried chicken is in frying it in bacon grease.

Place the bacon in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until bacon is crisp then remove skillet from heat and transfer bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel, reserving grease. When bacon is cool, crumble and set aside.

Dry, Wet, Dry Coating:

Place the buttermilk in a baking dish. Combine flour and corn meal in a small bowl and blend. Add the flour mixture to a large dinner plate.

Generously salt and pepper the chicken pieces.

Return skillet with grease to medium-high heat.

Dip chicken pieces into the flour mixture,	then into the buttermilk
and then into the flour mixture again.	Place the coated chicken pieces in the hot grease and fry until well browned on all sides, about 40 minutes total. If the chicken gets too brown, reduce the heat to medium. When chicken is done, remove to a plate lined with paper towels and loosely tent with foil to keep warm.

Making lump-less gravy:

The trick to lump-less gravy is to mix a small amount of liquid with flour by shaking it vigorously in a sealed container. When it is blended, pour it into the skillet, stirring constantly. Lumps are caused by not stirring and by adding dry flour to the grease.

Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon grease from the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat. Pour a little of the chicken stock into the skillet, stirring vigorously to loosen browned bits.

Add 1 Tablespoon of flour to a small sealable container. Add about 1/4 cup chicken stock to container of flour, seal and shake vigorously to blend. Pour flour mixture into skillet, stirring constantly. Pour in remaining stock, milk and thyme. Cook and stir until thickened. Add green onions and 2 Tablespoons crumbled bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve fried chicken with gravy.

- Glutenfreeda