This Gluten-Free Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich requires only 30 minutes from start to finish and is full of flavor. Swapping all purpose white flour for chickpea powder makes this recipe gluten-free and adds a boost of protein.

Top 5 Reasons Why I am Keeping Today's Post Super Short and Sweet:

Campbell hasn't been sleeping at night as he has taken to climbing in and out of his crib All. Night. Long. This morning when I woke him he was wearing a fedora hat, a pair of his brother's underwear on (on the outside of his diaper) and clutching a Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme book in one hand with a braided belt he wore for Easter in the other. This situation is disastrous beyond the fact that it it TOTALLY unsafe. He isn't sleeping. No sleep = cranky baby. Cranky baby = EXHAUSTED Mommy.
Joe has worked 80+ hours this week. Now, I realize that your first instinct might be to say, "yeah, but that's Joe." Let me tell ya, my energy and sanity is directly related to the amount of time Joe works. Joe home = HELP.
In a desperate attempt to bring normalcy and order to the crazy days that have made up my life this week I purchased and am slowly making my way through the book, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up." Who knew you could derive so much pleasure for opening your underwear drawer to find neat little rows of identically folded undergarments. You guys, this is good stuff! However.. brining it back to the short post.. neat little rows of identically folded undergarments do not fold themselves. 3 hours. Yes, I know that I need to take a serious look at my time management, but tiny little rows of identically folded things make me happy. The author, Marie Kondo suggests making tidying up "an event" and not an ongoing endeavor. However, there is no time for extra "events" in my life these days so for now.. short posts and on to the camisoles!
Joe's Home!!!!!
It's Beautiful Outside!!!!!

So... without further ado, My cleaned up and healthier take on Damaris Phillips' Hot Chicken - Fried Steak Sandwiches. (Side Note: If you are wondering why in the world I am remaking recipes (especially fried stuff) check out THIS POST. Added Bonues.. it contains an awesome recipe for vegan smoked macaroni salad that pairs perfectly with this Gluten-Free Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich).

Here's the breakdown of the changes that I made:

I swapped out all purpose white flour which contains little to no nutrients for chickpea flour (also called garbanzo flour). This swap adds a boost of protein and nutrients and has the added bonus of making this recipe gluten-free.
The original recipe was for chicken fried steak sandwiches. After trying this recipe with minute steak and chicken I found that the the texture of the chicken was better for eating on a sandwich. My family unanimously preferred this version. Added bonus.. chicken has less calories and fat than red meat.
The biggest switch next to swapping flour types was switching things up in the oil department. In lieu of canola oil I used unrefined coconut oil which doesn't go through the refining process (think chemicals of questionable safety). I was concerned that the coconut flavor would impact the overall flavor of this dish but nobody in my family even seemed to notice (perhaps the cayenne pepper sauce masked it?). Coconut oil has a high smoke point so it worked perfectly for frying!
The original recipe suggests mayo be added to the sandwiches to contrast the spicy nature of this sandwich, I used a combination of ½ avocado ½ plain greek yogurt instead. The result was perfection.
Finally, I swapped out white buns for a gluten-free whole-grain hamburger buns.

You guys, the result was better than I imagined. This chicken is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.. just like intended and it packs some serious flavor. The buttermilk ensure that the spicy cayenne flour mixture sticks to the chicken and the avocado yogurt sauce.. well, just trust, you gotta try it!

Time Saving Tips and Tricks:

Prep: If you are looking to turn this 30 minute meal into a 15 minute meal, you are in luck. The flour mixture and the buttermilk bath can both be prepared 1-2 days ahead of time. Store the liquid mixture in the refrigerator and the flour mixture in a cool dark place until you are ready for it.

Make Ahead: These sandwiches can be made ahead. Since Joe hasn't been around this week and I'm not a huge meat eater I let the chicken cool, assembled the sandwiches and wrapped them in plastic. No doubt they would taste better warm and fresh but there was no complaining when Joe came home to a refrigerator stuffed with pre-made crispy fried chicken sandwiches.

Freezer: This recipe required quite a bit of trial and error. The happy ending.. my freezer is stuffed with spicy fried chicken and spicy fried chicken steak. I allowed the chicken to cool completely on a cooling rack and then transferred it to a sheet pan. I popped the sheet pan into the freeze for about 3 hours (or until the chicken is frozen through) and then placed the frozen chicken in labeled and dated ziplock bags. When I need them.. I'll just pop the frozen chicken into the oven at about 350 and cook until it is warmed through.

📖 Recipe