Garlic Fried Chicken (Gluten-Free)

EXTRA CRISPY Garlic Fried Chicken recipe is hands down my favorite fried chicken recipe ever!

Crispy, juicy, savory garlic fried chicken is finger-licking good, AND it’s gluten-free.

With a few secret tips, I can promise that your fried chicken will be fail-proof, crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside.

If you are a vegetarian, don’t worry, I got you! You need to try my popcorn mushroom recipe that is also super crispy and gluten-free. 

Growing up, my dad used to bring me to night markets every weekend, and one of my favorite thing to order was Garlic Fried Chicken.

It is impossible to say no to fried chicken; you can smell the savory chicken from blocks away!

One thing that stuck to me the most is that the coating is always super crispy and light at the same time.

The garlic fried chicken never felt heavy, and the batter always stayed crisp even after hours. I wanted to put my twist, and I am excited to share my crispy, light, and juicy recipe! 

My secret is to CRISPY while LIGHT Garlic Fried Chicken is to use the combination of rice flour and corn starch.

Taiwanese Fried Chicken is known for its light and crispiness.

You want a thin enough batter that the skin is still crispy and thick enough, so the meat doesn’t dry up.

All you need to make the batter is rice flour, corn starch, egg, and COLD soda water.

The cold soda water is the secret to making the batter light yet super crispy. 

It is important to marinate the chicken to flavor but also tenderize the Garlic Fried Chicken.

Therefore, I marinated the chicken with soy sauce, ALOT of smashed garlic, garlic powder, black pepper, and Chinese cooking wine.

Let the chicken rest for at least 1 hour or overnight. The longer the chicken is marinated, the more tender the chicken will get. 

Do you want more TAIWANESE NIGHT MARKET recipes? Here are some of my re-creations that are easy to make at home! 

• BIG Green Onion Pancake (5 Ingredients ONLY!)
• Taiwanese Deep Fried Sweet Potato Balls (3 Ingredients!)
• Garlic Mushroom Sauce – Taiwanese Nightmarket Style
• Crispy Fried Tofu with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients 

• 6 Chicken Thigh (skin on & bone-in) 
• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 2 tbsp of minced Garlic 
• 1 tbsp of Garlic Powder 
• 1 tsp of Black Pepper 
• 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional) 

Batter: 

• ½ cup of Corn Starch 
• 1 cup of Rice Flour 
• 2 Eggs 
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water (COLD) 
• 2 tsp of Garlic Powder 
• 1.5 tsp of Paprika 
• 2 tsp of Chili Powder (optional) 
• 1 tbsp of Chicken Powder (optional) 
• Salt & Pepper 

1. Optional: cut a slit along the bone of the chicken thigh to open up the chicken, this will help the chicken fry more evenly and the chicken to not curl up. 
2. Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, garlic powder, black pepper, and Chinese cooking wine for at least 20 minutes or overnight. 
3. To prepare the batter, mix corn starch, rice flour, eggs, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, chicken powder, season with salt and pepper, and ice-cold soda water. 
4. Add in the chicken and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. 
5. In a pan, add in oil (I am using grapeseed oil), and bring it to 150 C. Add the chicken legs into the oil and fry for 6-7 minutes. 
6. Remove the chicken, increase the heat to 180 C and fry for another 2-3 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Print

Garlic Fried Chicken

EXTRA CRISPY Garlic Fried Chicken recipe is hands down my favorite fried chicken recipe ever! Crispy, juicy, savory garlic fried chicken is finger-licking good, AND it’s gluten-free. With a few secret tips, I can promise that your fried chicken will be fail-proof, crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. If you are a vegetarian, don’t worry, I got you! You need to try my popcorn mushroom recipe that is also super crispy and gluten-free.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Active Time20 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese

Keyword: Air Fryer, Asian Food, Asian Recipe Easy, Asian Recipes, Asian Recipes for Dinner, Authentic asian recipes, chicken, Chicken Recipe, Chinese Food, crispy, Deep Fried, dinner Ideas, Easy, Easy Recipes, Fried Chicken, Taiwanese Food

Yield: 6 Fried Chicken

Materials

• 6 Chicken Thigh skin on & bone-in
• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp of minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp of Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp of Black Pepper
• 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine optional

Batter:

• ½ cup of Corn Starch
• 1 cup of Rice Flour
• 2 Eggs
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water COLD
• 2 tsp of Garlic Powder
• 1.5 tsp of Paprika
• 2 tsp of Chili Powder optional
• 1 tbsp of Chicken Powder optional
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions

• Optional: cut a slit along the bone of the chicken thigh to open up the chicken, this will help the chicken fry more evenly and the chicken to not curl up.
• Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, garlic powder, black pepper, and Chinese cooking wine for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
• To prepare the batter, mix corn starch, rice flour, eggs, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, chicken powder, season with salt and pepper, and ice-cold soda water.
• Add in the chicken and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
• In a pan, add in oil (I am using grapeseed oil), and bring it to 150 C. Add the chicken legs into the oil and fry for 6-7 minutes.
• Remove the chicken, increase the heat to 180 C and fry for another 2-3 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Notes

Optional: cut a slit along the bone of the chicken thigh to open up the chicken, this will help the chicken fry more evenly and the chicken to not curl up.