Chicken nuggets have never been more easy or delicious to make homemade thanks to this quick grain-free coating. gluten-free, keto, & low-carb too! No one will miss the traditional breading since these chicken nuggets come out crispy and kids just love them too. You can also make homemade gluten-free chicken tenders from this same recipe, by simply cutting them into bigger strips and cooking them longer.
Making your own chicken nuggets helps you control the ingredients you are eating. You can use organic chicken if you want to for this recipe. You can use white breast meat, dark thigh meat, or both. The beauty of this recipe is just that, you can alter it a bit to make it perfect for what you and your family like best. The parmesan and almond flour coating for this recipe you will not want to change. It is the best and easiest way to ensure you have the crispiest and most delicious homemade grain-free/gluten-free chicken nuggets ever.
No more running to McDonald's, Chic-fil-A, or Burger King to get the kids to eat dinner. These also taste so much better than any frozen store-bought chicken nuggets like those made by Tyson, Perdue, or Costco. This is the only chicken nugget recipe you will ever need.
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Nuggets are great with Hot Honey to dip
Best Dips for Chicken Nuggets
Everyone has a favorite. I will be honest, my favorite dip to go with these grain-free chicken nuggets depends on my mood. Some days I just want them crispy and plain and then on a different day, I want to drizzle them with my Hot Honey for an addicting sweet and spicy combo. The good news is no matter what you choose to eat with these homemade nuggets, you cannot go wrong. Here are some amazing recipes and ideas that I highly recommend:
- HOT HONEY (seen above) is sweet, sticky, and spicy goodness
- HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING WITHOUT MAYO is cool and creamy
- Blue Cheese dressing for tang and creaminess
- Ketchup for the kid's favorite
- Honey Mustard for some sweet and spicy kick
- Red's Hot Sauce for buffalo-style nuggets
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Nuggets
You only need a few ingredients for this homemade recipe. I like my chicken nuggets fried versus baked. When on a keto or low-carb diet, fried food is not frowned upon as much but we do consider this a treat meal and by no means eat it often. About once a month I do make these since they are a favorite with the kids.
It is not the norm to fry in olive oil as typically olive oil is thought of as fat to be enjoyed in its natural state like in salad dressing. But I am not a fan of processed vegetable (soybean) or corn oils. I try and not to use them and frying these in something else like coconut oil just gives it a "coconutty" flavor that we just do not want. Therefore, this recipe for homemade chicken nuggets is pan-fried in olive oil.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Eggs
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Almond Flour
- Seasonings & Olive Oil
The Best Coating for Low-Carb Keto Chicken Nuggets
The coating for grain-free chicken nuggets consists of equal parts of almond flour and parmesan cheese. It is the perfect low-carb and gluten-free yet still crispy coating that you want in a good chicken nugget. Seasoning is also added for additional flavor.
I highly recommend super-fine almond flour for this. Costco has a great Kirkland Almond Flour but you can also find some on Amazon. This recipe will give you the best homemade coating (breading) for crispy and delicious gluten-free chicken nuggets.
Almond Flour & Parmesan make the "breading" / coating for these nuggets
Dip and Dredge Chicken Before Frying
Once you have cut the boneless chicken breasts into equal-sized nuggets, get the rest of the ingredients ready. I like to use shallow pie pans for all my ingredients to dip from one item to the next.
You will need 3 shallow plates or pie pans to have all the following ready to go. The three include:
- Whisked eggs with salt & pepper (and a splash of water)
- Grain-free coating of parmesan, almond flour, and the seasonings
- Chicken cut into chunks
Ready for the 2 step coating
How to Pan Fry Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Once the ingredients are ready, get a frying pan ready on the stove and add the oil. Heat on medium-high heat for a few minutes so the oil can come to temperature. You can check to see if it is ready for frying by sticking the end of a wooden spoon handle gently into the oil, is little bubbles form around the wooden spoon end, it is ready!
Dip each chicken chunk into the beaten egg and then roll or toss gently in the grain-free coating mixture. Place each nugget gently into the frying pan. DO NOT overcrowd the pan, this recipe will make about 2-3 batches so you will only fit about some of the nuggets in about a 10-12" frying pan.
They will cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side. It will depend on the size you make your nuggets. For the size seen here, 4 minutes was perfect. You can use a digital instant-read thermometer on them to be sure they cook to an internal temperature of 165°. (if you are making bigger pieces like chicken tenders you will fry for longer, estimating about 6 minutes on each side but use your thermometer to be sure they are 165° in the center so they are cooked throughout)
Grain-Free Fried Chicken Nuggets golden brown
Remove nuggets that are ready and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any remaining oil and keep crispy. To keep nuggets warm as you cook other batches, you can put them on an oven-safe plate to keep warm in the oven on the lowest setting your oven allows. Once all the batches are complete, serve with your favorite dips and side dishes.
How Many Carbs in Gluten-Free Keto Chicken Nuggets?
This recipe is for 6 servings. Per serving, this low-carb nugget recipe is 249 calories with only 1.6 net carbs which is great for those on keto or diabetic diet.
Who Invented the Chicken Nugget?
And a final note and a bit of trivia to discuss while enjoying them. It is always great to teach your kids a bit more about food and history, right? Many think that McDonald's invented the chicken nuggets. They sure did make them famous, but they did not invent them. Robert C Baker invented the chicken nugget. He actually is credited with over 40 poultry-related innovations. He made the recipe in the 1950s but didn't patent it. McDonald's later did, and it is all history from there. Learn more about him and his accomplishments on the Wikipedia page for Robert C Baker.
Grain-Free Fried Chicken Nuggets Ready to Enjoy
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GRAIN/GLUTEN-FREE FRIED CHICKEN NUGGETS (Keto & Low-Carb)
Equipment
- 10-12" frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large) cut into medium sized chunks
- 2 eggs
- ¾ C Parmesan Cheese grated
- ¾ C Almond Flour super-fine
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- salt & pepper
- water splash
- olive oil
Instructions
- In 3 pie pans or shallow rimmed plates, prep the ingredients. In one pan place, the cut-up chicken.
- In another pan, whisk together the eggs, add some salt and pepper. Then add a splash of water and whisk again.
- In the final pan, add the parmesan, almond flour, seasoned salt, and black pepper.
- Once the ingredients are ready, get a frying pan ready on the stove and add enough oil so that it is about ½' deep. . Heat on medium-high heat for a few minutes so the oil can come to temperature. You can check to see if it is ready for frying by sticking the end of a wooden spoon handle gently into the oil, is little bubbles form around the wooden spoon end, it is ready!
- Dip each chicken chunk into the beaten egg and then roll or toss gently in the grain-free coating mixture. Place each nugget gently into the frying pan. DO NOT overcrowd the pan, this recipe will make about 2-3 batches so you will only fit some of the nuggets in about the frying pan.
- They will cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side. It will depend on the size you make the nuggets. For the size shown above, 4 minutes was just right. You can use a digital instant-read thermometer on them to be sure they cook to an internal temperature of 165°.
- Remove nuggets that are ready and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any remaining oil and keep crispy. To keep nuggets warm as you cook other batches, you can put them on an oven-safe plate to keep warm in the oven on the lowest setting your oven allows.
- Enjoy with your favorite dips.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 249 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 13.6g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat 5.2g | 26% |
| Cholesterol 103mg | 34% |
| Sodium 1019mg | 44% |
| Total Carbohydrate 2g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.4g | 2% |
| Total Sugars 0.1g | |
| Protein 26g | |
| Vitamin D 5mcg | 26% |
| Calcium 259mg | 20% |
| Iron 0mg | 2% |
| Potassium 22mg | 0% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
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Sabrina DeWalt says
I always save the tenderloin when I break down whole chickens. When I have enough in the freezer I use them for nuggets. I love that this recipe is keto friendly.
Angela says
That is a great usage of the full bird and making the best recipes from each cut. Thanks for sharing.
Alexis Farmer says
These look so good and a lot healthier, definitely want to try them!
Angela says
They sure are and I hope you cook up some grain-free chicken nuggets soon to enjoy.
Nisha says
This looks absolutely delicious .Love that its grain free and almond flour is used and perfectly done!
Bonnie says
Wondering if the coating could be used for onion rings or other foods as well as chicken?
Angela says
Yes, it can. I have used it for pork chops and for zucchini "fries" too. I have not yet tried it on onion rings but when I was making these to go with traditional onion rings, I thought of making the onion rings grain-free next time and hope the coating stays on when we drop them in our deep fryer.
Kendra says
I made the mistake of ordering chicken and waffles for the family for dinner last weekend. Watching them nom on the fried chicken was so mean to myself! These grain free fried chicken nuggets would definitely be a great way for me to satisfy my fried chicken cravings! Yum!
Angela says
Oh yes, you have to treat yourself too. These grain-free chicken nuggets are all the love and none of the guilt!
Emily Ackerman says
This looks great!! dO you think it would do well in an air fryer?
Angela says
I am not 100% sure but I think they would. I do not own an air fryer so I am not familiar with them. Another reader plans to try it out and will hopefully let us know how they turn out.
Sandra Barrett says
Wonderful alternative to fast food option.
Angela says
Thank you.
Karie says
Looks delicious. I bet that almond flour really gives it a great taste.
Angela says
Almond flour on chicken nuggets as great texture and flavor.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
That whole plate looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Have a great week.
Amanda says
Ohhh, I can't wait to try these! My toddler is going through that picky phase where she won't eat anything but somehow loves McDonald's. Maybe she will actually eat this! Thank you!
Angela says
Oh, I hope your little girl likes these - much healthier than fast-food chicken nuggets.
Dee | Grammy's Grid says
Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 16.
Beth says
These look so tasty and such a great alternative to take-out nuggets. I also don't use corn or vegetable oils, but in playing with my new-ish air fryer I've been using avocado oil spray since it has such a high smoke point - I'd likely cook these nuggets that way.
Angela says
I would love to hear how these turn out, especially if you make the grain-free nuggets in the air fryer. I do not own one but fellow readers would love to know your works out. Enjoy!
Barbara says
Sounds and looks scrumptious!
Cindy Mailhot says
Looks yummy. I love that it is grain free.
Beth Shields says
These look great and I love the use of the parmesan cheese and almond flour. Great way to keep it low carb! Thanks for sharing. Look delicious.
Angela says
You are welcome and I hope you enjoy the chicken nuggets recipe.
Tera says
Prefect! Now I can make an easy chicken nugget meal everyone in the family can eat!
Leah says
Fast food chicken nuggets really gross me out, like I want to know what the chicken looked like before it was covered and fried. I think these chicken nuggets would easily taste better and I’m loving that you’ve added parmesan cheese! Looks delicious!
Angela says
Yes, no mystery what is in these chicken nuggets. Just great real ingredients!
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
I love homemade nuggets and these were so good! They were a hit in my house Angela!
Angela says
I am glad the homemade chicken nuggets were a hit. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
LaRena Fry says
Love that this is a grain-free recipe. Chicken nuggets is a classic kid favorite. Even adults like them too. Yum!
saif says
I love fried chicken nugget. It is so easy yet delicious. One of my favorite fried food. Thanks for the recipe.
Ai says
YUM! I bet these would be so delicious with your hot honey!
Angela says
They absolutely are!
Angela says
They absolutely are!
Lathiya says
The chicken nugget looks yummy. Can't wait to try.
Mary says
Crunchy but without wheat is finally achieved. I have been using almond flour before it was bland and not really crispy. The parmesan was what I was missing. So excited to have this recipe for regular meals.