Extra juicy and flavorful, this keto chicken nuggets recipe is a healthy dairy-free and gluten-free option for the popular finger-food that kids and adults love. Serve it with ranch dip, ketchup, or your favorite BBQ sauce!
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Ingredients and substitutes
Chicken - I use fresh chicken tenderloins, but you can also use chicken breasts. If you use frozen meat, make sure to thaw it completely before you start cooking it.
Baking soda - The method of combining baking soda with chicken meat and letting it marinate for a while before cooking is called velveting. It's used to tenderize the meat and make it extra juicy for different stir-fries recipes.
Almond flour and unflavored protein powder - This combo makes perfect keto breading for gluten-free chicken nuggets, in my opinion. I love to use this mix because it creates a very flavorful coating that doesn't dry out the chicken. However, it's not super crispy! If you really want your nuggets to have a crispy shell, replace almond flour with extra protein powder (I use whey protein powder).
Egg - We're gonna need egg wash made of one large egg to coat all the chicken before breading it.
Seasoning - This is a place where you can experiment and add something that you like. I add garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika to the breading mixture. You can also add cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder, white pepper, and so on. Also, we need some extra salt to season the chicken separately.
Oil - I use extra mild olive oil (a very generous amount for every batch of chicken) for frying, but you can use avocado oil as well as refined coconut oil to avoid the coconut flavor.
Step by step directions
In a bowl, combine the chicken and baking soda. Let it marinate for 20 mins. Then, place in a sieve and rinse well with cold water. Shake off the excess water and return to the bowl. Season with salt.
In another bowl, combine the protein powder, almond flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Add the beaten egg to the chicken and mix until all chicken is coated. Then, bread each piece of the chicken in the dry mixture.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium high heat. Fry the breaded nuggets for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Add olive oil when needed and work in batches to not overcrowd the skillet. Then, remove onto a paper towel to crisp up and rest. Enjoy with the sauce and side dish of your choice!
Serving ideas
Most often, I serve my low carb chicken nuggets with any sugar-free ketchup I can buy in the store or simple sour cream (salted and peppered). However, on special occasions, I take 10 extra minutes to whip up either this RANCH DIP or this BLUE CHEESE DIP - they are both great with the chicken.
As for the side dishes, I like to serve my juicy nuggets with OVEN ROASTED RUTABAGA RECIPE or simple salads like KETO BROCCOLI SALAD, ARUGULA BEET SALAD WITH FETA AND WALNUTS, or KETO COLESLAW.
Carbs in low carb keto chicken nuggets
This recipe will make 4 generous portions (7-9 chicken pieces per each), enough to feed 4 adults. Each serving will have around 2g net carbs, which fits a keto diet well. Also, this recipe fits those who follow a paleo diet because there's no dairy in it.
FAQ
Store completely cooled chicken nuggets in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can! Place cooked and cooled chicken nuggets on a baking tray and freeze until solid. Then, place them in a zip lock bag, remove as much air as possible, and keep freezing for up to 2 months.
More chicken low carb recipes
BRINED AND BAKED MUSTARD CHICKEN BREASTS
Recipe
Keto chicken nuggets
Equipment
- Non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb. 700g chicken tenderloins cut into nugget-sized pieces
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- ⅓ cup 25g unflavored protein powder
- ⅓ cup 35g almond flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt + for seasoning the chicken
- Black pepper to taste
- Mild olive oil or avocado oil for frying
Serving ideas
- Unsweetened ketchup
- Ranch dip
- Blue cheese dip
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the chicken and baking soda. Let it marinate for 20 mins. Then, place in a sieve and rinse well with cold water. Shake off excess water and return to the bowl. Season with salt.
- In another bowl, combine the protein powder, almond flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Add the beaten egg to the chicken and mix until all chicken is coated. Then, bread each piece of the chicken in the dry mixture.
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium high heat. Fry the breaded nuggets for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Add olive oil when needed and work in batches to not overcrowd the skillet. Then, remove onto a paper towel to crisp up and serve.
Notes
This website, https://heretocook.com, offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculators such as Cronometer.com and MyFitnesPal.com
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