Keto chicken nuggets with tender, juicy chicken breast in each bite. These are easy to make and baked right in the oven or air fryer. Breaded with almond flour or pork rinds for a extra crispy texture!
You can’t beat a good chicken nugget! Just about any food you can toss in your mouth without thinking is pretty satisfying. Meat just makes it all better. So, enjoying keto chicken nuggets aren’t much different from the ones you’re use to. You have the option to bread them with almond flour or pork rinds. But, what’s the difference? Simply put, one will get crispy the other one won’t.
Are Chicken Nuggets Keto
I know what you’re thinking, they’re small, lightly breaded they couldn’t be that many carbs right? Well, wrong traditional chicken nuggets are loaded with starches and flours, then they are coated with breading on top of that. The grilled nuggets from Chick fil’A are an option but it’s kinda hard when the other nuggets are on the menu. I will say and don’t send the keto police after me, but the Chick fil’A nuggets are lightly breaded and would be much lower in carbs than say McDonald’s.
Pork Rind Or Almond Flour Breading
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I prefer pork rinds but being concerned where they are sourced from, how fine they are ground and cost. Almond flour is easier to source but I don’t like the idea of ingesting so many almonds on a daily basis.
Pork rinds, when using pork rinds you will get a crispy nugget. This isn’t question, the current brand I use is Pork King. They are fried in pork lard and sourced well.
Almond flour, will have the most neutral flavor. Yet, can give the breading a drier texture along with no crunch at all.
How To Make Keto Chicken Nuggets
To start, cut your chicken breast into small chicken nuggets. About 1 inch in length. A note, I know there is a thing where people use canned chicken or ground. But, I have always felt a whole chicken breast chunk was always best.
If using almond flour or pork rinds you can swap them 1:1. Now, depending on how much you bread them you may have to double the breading. Mix all the seasonings into breading of choice.
Next, make the egg wash with heavy cream and hot sauce.
Then, dip the chicken into the egg wash and roll through the breading to cover.
Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until done. Remove, then serve!
Helpful Recipe Tips
- How to air fry, preheat air fryer to 400ºF. You will want to cook about 15 minutes flipping the chicken nuggets halfway through. Don’t skip the flip because the heating source is so close to the chicken in the air fryer.
- Roll don’t shake, traditionally you will shake the breading on the chicken. In keto it doesn’t work like that. Add the chicken to the egg wash, then roll the chicken through the breading with your hand.
- Can I pan fry? Yes, you can if your chicken is small enough. In order to fry pork rind or almond flour requires a skill. It burns so fast and at a rate quicker than the chicken can cook. In my keto chicken sandwich I did a flash fry then finished in the oven. Most times this will be the best method. But, with chicken nuggets they’re small so if you don’t push the heat too much then you very well can get away with frying over baking or air frying.
- Should you brine? I would say you should but it isn’t needed. That’s up to you if you want to brine in something like buttermilk or pickle juice.
Keto Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
Egg Wash
- 2 large egg
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Breading
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (sub with pork rind 1:1)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F, Air Fryer instructions below in notes.
- Combine the almond flour or pork rinds with all the spices in your breading.
- In a small bowl beat the eggs, heavy cream and hot sauce. Add your seasoned breading to a plate and place bowl and plate side by side
- Dip the chicken nugget in the egg wash then place it in the plate. Roll the nugget around to cover with breading evenly.
- Place in oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove and serve.
Notes
Helpful Recipe Tips
- How to air fry, preheat air fryer to 400ºF. You will want to cook about 15 minutes flipping the chicken nuggets halfway through. Don’t skip the flip because the heating source is so close to the chicken in the air fryer.
- Roll don’t shake, traditionally you will shake the breading on the chicken. In keto it doesn’t work like that. Add the chicken to the egg wash, then roll the chicken through the breading with your hand.
- Can I pan fry? Yes, you can if your chicken is small enough. In order to fry pork rind or almond flour requires a skill. It burns so fast and at a rate quicker than the chicken can cook. In my keto chicken sandwich I did a flash fry then finished in the oven. Most times this will be the best method. But, with chicken nuggets they’re small so if you don’t push the heat too much then you very well can get away with frying over baking or air frying.
- Should you brine? I would say you should but it isn’t needed. That’s up to you if you want to brine in something like buttermilk or pickle juice.
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