Chili Lime Keto Chicken Strips (Low Carb, Gluten Free)

These Takis inspired chili lime keto chicken strips are a great keto recipe. Crispy, oven baked or fried chicken strips that you can dip in ranch dressing.

chili lime chicken (low carb, keto)

There was a time when I enjoyed the wonderful taste of Takis. The spicy kick they provided, with the nice lime flavor that followed. Thinking back maybe I enjoyed it to much. Afterwards I’d hurt a little but that’s another story.

Moving along, I came to think while preparing a new dish,”How could I be inventive?” What could stand out in flavor? In conclusion of that thinking, ladies and gentlemen…

Behold, Takis-inspired chili lime keto chicken strips!

chili lime chicken (low carb, keto)

This recipe is extremely tasty. It’s something about the flavor of the chili and lime combo that works well with this. I went searching and who knew chili lime chicken was a thing?

Maybe I should get out more?

What’s the best keto dipping sauce?

Before even making the recipe I thought, what goes with keto chicken strips? How about some cilantro lime cauliflower rice or even my cauliflower mac and cheese recipe?

A great option for dipping is ranch dressing. Not only does ranch and chicken pair well together, it’s super delicious. Ranch is keto friendly due to the dressing being fat based with very few carbs. Fitting your macros perfectly!

Pork rind breading vs almond flour breaded chicken

I am a little iffy on this one!

Pork rinds tend to be the best due to their crunch. Almond flour breaded chicken seems to burn quicker. Nothing can produce what traditional flour provides. I mean it is man made. And this gluten free chicken is a far better option yet there are a few hoops to get that flavor you want.

Texture is key! We love crispy keto chicken strips. That crunchy chicken is everything to us and the closet thing I have even fried with always came to be pork rinds.

Are pork rinds bad for you?

On keto pork rinds are a easy way to get fats in. Not to mention a flavorful way to do so. To add I use to drench mine in some buffalo dipping sauce or plain hot sauce and vinegar.

The catch is what are they fried in? Lard will always be the option to go for. But remain weary of soybean and vegetable oil fried products.

Before diving into the recipe here is a video tutorial.

YouTube video

How to make keto chicken strips:

So, now that you received your dose of entertainment for today let’s dig into this recipe…

Start by making your chili powder Takis crust, these are the ingredients you’ll need.

Pork rinds
Mexican chili powder
Onion powder
Salt
Cayenne pepper

This makes up the crust, as far as the brine goes all you need is…

Lime juice
Salt

Let’s say it’s just me, so I don’t require much. I used about half the life juice bottle I got from Walmart for the 5-6 chicken tenders I prepared. I made my brine that morning and allowed it to sit in the refrigerator in a bowl, wrapped in plastic until that night. The lime juice simply covered the chicken with a sprinkling of salt for seasoning of the chicken.

On to the preparation,

After you have your chicken done brining, and crust made from earlier, time to combine. If you have the same amount of chicken I use 1 egg is great. Of course, more chicken, more egg.

Dip the chicken into the crust mixture then transfer into the egg. After putting into the egg wash, toss it right back into your Takis crust mixture you made. As with anything else, it’ll be sticky but cover the best you can.

chili lime chicken (low carb, keto)

So, now the question is to freeze or not to freeze? I have done both in my trials of this thing. The end result is a bit different, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to matter. I’ll explain…

The fresh chicken cooks in the oil you choose all the way through. Due to, the chicken being frozen though the crust will hold better during the cooking process. Yet, you will have to put it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes after frying to cook all the way through. Pork rinds aren’t flour, they will burn faster.

Fried chicken on keto?

Fried chicken has never been the issue. It has always been in the breading and the oil for frying. The best oil for frying will always be animal fat. That includes:

  • Beef Tallow
  • Lard
  • Duck fat
  • Ghee

If you are counting your calories and meal prepping it will be much harder when frying. Due to not knowing how much of the cooking oil is absorbed into the food this will be difficult.

Side note. The oil I chose was lard. Coconut oil has such a high smoking point I knew I didn’t want rancid oil. Therefore, I went with the lard.

Either way while eating the crust seems to fall apart inside your mouth. Which isn’t a bad thing I must add.

Tips

  • Freeze before frying, the pork rinds stick better and longer if they are fried first
  • The chicken may be dark when finished but don’t burn so keep heat controlled to allow proper cooking
  • Ranch dressing, I recommend a nice dip with these because the spiciness meeting a nice cool ranch flavor will take these even higher.

Full recipe details and measurements down below*

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! It truly brought back the memories of what I loved about that beloved snack. Takis keto chili lime chicken is where it’s at. Low carb and keto, I think I outdid myself.

(Brushes off shoulders)

Chili lime chicken (low carb, keto)

Chili Lime Keto Chicken Strips (Low Carb, Gluten Free)

These Takis inspired chili lime keto chicken strips are a great keto recipe. Crispy, oven baked or fried chicken strips that you can dip in ranch dressing.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 1 people

Ingredients
 

Chicken Brine

  • 7 oz lime juice (to cover chicken for brine)
  • 1/2 tsp Salt

Takis seasoning crust

  • 1 TB Mexican chili powder
  • 1 TB Onion powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup Crushed pork rinds (Careful how much you add, don't overpower seasoning)

Instructions
 

  • Add chicken to the bowl, I used about 5 or 6 pieces. To create the brine its simply lime juice and salt. About a half of a teaspoon of salt and enough lime juice to coat the chicken.
  • Chicken should sit in brine for a few hours, I'd say 2-3 at the least.
  • Create the Takis chili lime seasoning with 1TB of Mexican chili powder, 1TB of onion powder, 1 tsp of salt, and 2 tsp of cayenne pepper.
  • Crush pork rinds either in food processor or with your hands by crushing in a bag. With the amount of seasoning you made about 1oz or 1/2 cup should be the perfect ratio.
  • Whisk 1 egg
  • Pull brined chicken out of fridge and begin to coat chicken
  • Out of the brine coat chicken with crusted seasoning, then into egg wash, after that back into your crust. Coat well then set each piece aside until finished.
  • At this point you have the option to freeze or to cook. Personally it doesn't matter the frozen chicken will hold better while cooking but both with eat the same. One doesn't taste better it's just a matter of presentation..
  • I chose lard to fry because chicken and lard just go together so well. Plus coconut oil reaches it's smoking point super fast. But I put on medium heat and cooked until they got a little darker. With the seasonings and pork rinds you want to watch and avoid burning. If anything turning often will help.
  • For those that didn't freeze your chicken should be done when finished frying if you used a similar cut as mine. For those that chose freezing first. Put into a oven at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep a eye on it because if you leave into long the crust due to the oil will begin to seperate itself from the chicken.
  • Enjoy
Tried this recipe?Leave a rating and comment, thank you

2 thoughts on “Chili Lime Keto Chicken Strips (Low Carb, Gluten Free)”

  1. These were pretty good! Made them the freezing method. Had to sub some almond flour cause I didn’t have enough pork rinds but the pork rinds definitely did have a better crunch! Thank you!

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