Can You Eat Fried Chicken On Keto?

A keto diet is a diet in which you consume minimum amounts of carbohydrates and high amounts of fat.

This drastic reduction in carbohydrates puts the body into a state called ketosis.

During this process of ketosis, your body burns energy using fats instead of carbs.

Fat is converted to ketones in the liver which then supplies energy to the brain.

The keto diet recommends carb consumption to around 50 grams or less each day. But what about eating fried chicken

With the keto diet, carbs are allowed but just in very small amounts so if you eat a small portion of fried chicken and keep it within the daily carbohydrate limit for this diet you will be fine.

The keto diet is flexible enough to include some of your favorite meals.

In some cases, you may have to make a few changes or substitutes so it meets the diet requirements.

When it comes to eating fried chicken on the keto diet you can also make your own fried chicken that is low in carbs.

A great white flour alternative that is keto-friendly is to fry the chicken with almond flour.

Almond flour is made after blanching the almonds and then sifting it into flour.

This type of flour is very low in carbs which makes it perfect for keto.

Is Fried Chicken High In Carbs?

If you are following the keto diet but don’t want to give up fried chicken, fret not!

There are several ways to make keto-friendly chicken. Here’s one of them!

Ingredients you would need:                    

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 tablespoons of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of onion powder
• 4 cups of almond flour, a keto-friendly flour substitute
• 3 full-sized eggs
• Two cups of heavy cream
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 and a half tablespoons of salt

Steps to making keto-friendly fried chicken:

• You can purchase pre-cut chicken pieces or you can cut an entire chicken into smaller pieces to separate the thighs, breasts, and wings.
• Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, and almond flour into a bowl by itself and ensure everything is mixed.
• Crack open and whisk eggs, placing them into a bowl alone.
• Dip the individual chicken pieces into the egg mixture.
• After coating the chicken in the egg mixture, dip the chicken into the dry seasoning mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, and almond flour, and ensure that all chicken pieces are fully coated in this mixture.
• Pour extra virgin olive oil into a deep frying pot or deep fryer and preheat the oil till very hot.
• When oil is heated, place the coated chicken pieces into the pot or deep fryer and let it fry until golden brown.
• When chicken is fried crispy light brown, serve and enjoy!

Even though a lot of the options that KFC offers aren’t necessarily keto-friendly, you can still find a few dishes on the menu that are low in carbohydrates that are still appropriate for the diet.

Some great keto-friendly meal options you can consider are:

Grilled chicken – This is one of the best options at KFC for the keto diet because it contains very few carbs.

Caesar salad – The Caesar salad contains lettuce, tomatoes, and chicken breast.

It also comes with croutons in a separate packet but in order to minimize carb intake, you should avoid eating the croutons.

Green beans – Green beans are low in carbohydrates so they can be eaten on the keto diet without any consequences.

Coleslaw – This is a salad-based meal that contains cabbage, carrot, and other vegetables all combined together with mayonnaise.

You can still also have other carb-containing options on the menu as long as it doesn’t exceed the average carb limit of 50 grams per day.

It’s important to note that if you exceed the carb limit it can throw off the ketosis process.

Ketosis is the state in which your body burns fat as its major source of energy.

The body prefers using carbs as energy, and the moment you eat carbs, your body will start consuming them, kicking itself out of ketosis.

Once the body is out of ketosis, it usually takes around 1 to 3 days for it to go back.

If you come out of ketosis you may have some side effects such as:

• Weight gain
• Spike in your blood sugar levels and this can cause fatigue.
• Headache
• Increase in hunger
• Bloating

If you want to come off the keto diet and avoid some of the negative side effects, you should gradually add carbs and slowly transition off the diet.

Smaller portions – Introduce carbs back to the diet by eating small portion sizes.

Unprocessed carbs – Eat more plant-based carbohydrates versus processed carbs.

• Avocado oil – This type of oil contains healthy sources of fats that are great for the keto diet. It has a high smoke point which makes it perfect for cooking in high heat. It can tolerate high temperatures without breaking and losing some of the major health benefits.

Some of the benefits of avocado oil are :

• It has high amounts of monounsaturated fats and it’s great for lowering your cholesterol.
• Lowers blood pressure
• Encourages nutrient absorption
• It contains high levels of protein which makes it great for cell renewal.

• Extra virgin olive oil – This type of oil has a lot of health benefits. It is very rich in many powerful antioxidants which protect the body from free radicals.
• The oleocanthal in the oil possesses anti-inflammatory properties and as such this helps to reduce pain and inflammation.
• It is rich in polyphenols which promote good bone health. Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in monounsaturated fats which is great for the keto diet.

• Coconut oil- Coconut oil has a multitude of benefits. It contains MCT which is also referred to as medium-chain triglycerides which is a source of fat that can be readily absorbed by the body. The body can break this down easily into what is called ketone bodies and these are used as a source of energy.