Perfect Paleo Fried Chicken

 

I’m lucky enough to have a guest cook!  Stefanie Meck is a longtime friend who kept telling me about her bomb-ass paleo fried chicken! So we decided to make a day of it and try it out.

 The girl is definitely right! If you are craving some homegrown goodness this is the closest thing to fried chicken. She made sure she took her time and cooked each piece to perfection! They looked just like Chik-fil-A and tasted so so goooooood!!!! I’m obsessed.  

 Not only am I obsessed with this recipe but I love this girl. It was a nice reminder of how important it is to immerse yourself with those who love and cherish you... and to enjoy the “small” things in life. I spent over 4 hours at the Meck home cooking fried chicken.... and loving every second.  We talked and laughed and truly enjoyed ourselves the entire time.  When was the last time you did anything similar?

 Life can be so fast-paced and there are so many unrealistic expectations I feel sometimes can be associated with the CF community. Don’t get me wrong, Crossfit has saved me, in more ways that one ... but just like anyone else, the expectations of living up to a standard are often unrealistic.

 Why not praise people for their work, effort, dedication and perseverance - or for their ability to go against the norm.  To consciously make the choice to live a better life. That is HUGE! That is the old CF. 

 CrossFit becoming more mainstream freaks me out. I pray douchebags won’t come piling into the CF community, sporting bro tanks and doing bicepcurls....

But I do feel blessed to be part of Evolve. They have an embedded loyalty to old school Crossfit. The box is filled with camaraderie, intensity, support, accountability and acceptance. The ingredients are healthy and combine for one hell of a recipe when it all comes together.  They genuinely want to inspire each person there ---- I  love being in an environment where the main purpose is to share something enjoyable with others. 

 I absolutely LOVED Hamming it up while cooking with this passionate and vibrant couple. 

 

Ingredients

• Chicken Breast strips; 2 packages
• Coconut flour
• Coconut oil
• Eggs
• Salt
• Paprika
• Cayenne

* serve with paleo ranch or hot sauce!

Directions

Start out by rinsing the chicken and patting dry. This allows the breading to stick to the chicken better.

 

Next, make two separate bowls.   In one, whisk 4 eggs and put the coconut flour mixture in the other. 

 

The flour mixture is approximately 2 cups of the coconut flour, a heaping handful of salt- Maybe 3 TB worth.  Also add about 1-2 tsp each of cayenne, paprika and pepper.  Mix well

Next, dredge the chicken. Dip the chicken in the flour, then egg, then back in flour.  Stef made sure this step was perfect.

Stef used a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one just make sure it is something sturdy that won’t tip or fall.

 

Add a big scoop of the coconut oil to the pan and heat until it reaches around 350 degrees.

A good rule of thumb to test the heat is drop a small piece of flour in the hot oil.  If it loses control, turn down the heat. You want it to be as close to the perfect temperature, which you’ll know you’ve reached when it immediately bubbles and fizzes. 

Once the right temperature is reached, cook 1 piece of chicken to make sure the level of oil is covering just a little bit over half of the chicken. You don’t want to submerge it in the oil!

Carefully add pieces of chicken to the pan, making sure not to crowd them.  Once golden brown, flip and let the other side cook until golden as well....

 

Share with close friends over laughs, add a healthy dose of Hamm’s and whiskey if you’re health-conscious.