How to Coat Chicken for Frying Without Flour

By: Zora Hughes

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Flour may be the traditional main ingredient for a fried chicken coating or batter, but it's not your only option. If you wish to avoid white flour in your diet or if you're just fresh out of flour, you've got a variety of alternatives, from cornstarch to crushed cereal, that can give your fried chicken that signature crunch factor. While the texture and flavors won't be the same as with white flour, you may find an alternative coating that comes pretty close or that you like even better than flour.

Step 1

Make a cornstarch-based coating, commonly used in Korean-style fried chicken, by combining 2 parts cornstarch, 1 part water and salt and pepper to your taste in a bowl. Dredge the wings in the batter right before adding it to the hot oil.

Step 2

Dredge each piece of chicken in a seasoned egg wash, then coat it in crushed corn flakes. Experiment with a variety of corn and wheat cereals.

Step 3

Crush pork rinds in a resealable plastic bag to coat the chicken with. Dip the chicken in an egg wash, then add the pieces to the bag of crushed pork rinds and shake well to coat all sides.

Step 4

Coat the chicken in an egg wash, then roll in panko bread crumbs, plain or seasoned. Press the breadcrumbs into the chicken to make sure they stick.

Step 5

Dip your chicken in a seasoned egg wash, then coat it with an alternative flour. Use peanut flour, which crisps well for frying and adds protein, or almond flour, which creates a light, yet crunchy coating. Pan-fry the coated chicken in a small amount of oil, allowing you to control the heat a little better, as alternative flours typically burn much faster than traditional four.