I made you double-coated fried goat cheese balls and my first reaction after they emerged crisp and golden brown just 30 seconds after being submerged into hot oil was, LOOK WHAT I HAVE CREATED! I HAVE MADE FRIED GOAT CHEESE BALLS! a la Tom Hanks in Castaway when he finally got his bonfire going. Minus the whole harrowing ordeal. Has anyone looked at a packaged volleyball the same way again? Anyway, this epic Strawberry-Basil Chicken Salad with Fried Goat Cheese Balls is going to get a similar reaction from you. Absolutely gorgeous and as good as a restaurant — yet easily made at home. I’ll show you!
Watch How To Make It!
Fried Goat Cheese Balls at Home
An almond-infused, gluten free bread crumb mixture coats the goat cheese balls giving them an irresistible crunch after being quickly fried. The warm goat cheese balls top a bed of lettuce along with sweet strawberries, torn basil, and sliced sauted chicken in this decadent tasting yet healthy salad. I can’t even pinpoint what I like best about it because it’s just ALL OF THE THINGS.
This salad is stunning and would be great to entertain with. Bread the goat cheese balls then impress your friends while you fry ’em up live in – get this – under 1 minute. That’s all it takes! If you’ve been intimidated to deep fry foods at home then this is the dish to get started with. I’ll show you how it’s done!
How to Make this Recipe
Start by assembling the coating station for the fried goat cheese balls. Add 1/4 cup almonds to a food processor then process into crumbs – a little bit finer than the photo below, though this texture is ok too. You just don’t want them so fine that they turn into almond butter. Add the almond crumbs to a large bowl then process 1-2 slices gluten-free bread (or regular bread if you don’t need the dish to be GF) to make 1 cup crumbs.
Add the bread crumbs to the bowl with the almond crumbs then season with salt and pepper. Whisk together 2 eggs + 2 Tablespoons water in another bowl, and 1/4 cup gluten-free flour seasoned with salt and pepper in a third bowl. Breading station = done!
Next consult your goat cheese. I use regular, unflavored goat cheese but you could use whatever flavor you like. Honey or herb would be divine! You’ll need 8oz goat cheese total. If you’ve never had goat cheese, the flavor is tangy, kind of like cream cheese, while the texture is creamy yet firm. I adore it.
Divide the goat cheese into 10 slices then roll each slice into a ball. Roll said balls through the flour mixture, egg mixture, and finally the bread crumb mixture.
THEN, roll the ball back through the egg and bread crumb mixtures to create a double coating. Three cheers for super crispy fried goat cheese balls!
Place the balls onto a baking sheet lined with foil then place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to setup. If we were to fry the goat cheese balls right away, all the coating would fall off and we’d have greasy goat cheese soup. Not the vibe! Time saving tip: roll the goat cheese balls the night before then store, covered, on a baking sheet in the fridge. Coat then fry the next day.
It’s fry time! There’s two ways you can go about heating the oil for frying the double-coated goat cheese balls. First add 2-3″ vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot then: Test the temperature by adding a bit of extra almond/bread crumb mixture to the oil. If it sinks to the bottom, the oil is too cold. If it floats in the middle with a few bubbles it’s still too cold. If it sits on the top and bubbles continuously, but not ferociously, it’s ready!
Very carefully add 2-3 goat cheese balls into the hot oil at a time then fry until golden brown, 30 seconds to a minute, turning the heat up slightly if necessary to avoid dropping the temperature of the oil.
Give the goat cheese balls a stir every now and again with a straining tool then pull them out when golden brown.
Place onto a paper towel lined plate to drain then sprinkle with salt. Easy. As. That!! I honestly could not even believe my eyes after I fried the first one. Why have I been so scared to deep fry foods at home?!
Once all the goat cheese balls have been fried, place them on top of a bed of greens paired with sweet sliced strawberries, more chopped almonds, torn basil, and a simply seasoned sauteed chicken breast for staying power. Timing instructions are in the recipe below.
Drizzle on your favorite dressing – I recommend balsamic or raspberry vinaigrette – then devour! You have to taste this salad to believe it for yourself. Crispy warm goat cheese paired with crunchy almonds, sweet strawberries and herby basil – it is a TREAT! Enjoy!
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