Keto Chicken Nuggets Recipe (2024)

Missing chicken nuggets on the keto diet? This Keto Chicken Nugget Recipe is made with little effort and pantry staples! Only 5 net carbs per serving, they are much lower carb than regular chicken nuggets, and totally tasty!

Disclosure -This post is brought to you in partnership with our friends atBob’s Red Mill.We love using Bob’s Red Mill products to craft the most delicious keto friendly eats and treats. Thank you for supporting the brands that help to bring fresh new content to A Full Living!

Ever tried making delicious keto chicken nuggets? We're going to show you just how easy it is to do so. These nuggets are brined in pickle juice to make them super juicy, tender, and flavorful.

We make a gluten-free breading mixture to coat them, then bake until they are perfectly crispy. Skip the fast-food restaurant and make something yummy and healthy at home! Just follow a few basic steps and have the perfect meal for the entire family!

Looking for more keto chicken recipes? Try these keto chicken and dumplings, this keto chicken cordon bleu, or keto chicken parmesan casserole.

❤️Why you'll love this

• Simple ingredients: Made with kitchen and pantry staples! All the ingredients can be found at nearly any grocery store.
• Keto & gluten free: Made with simple ingredients that happen to be totally gluten free as well as keto friendly!
• Quick & easy: Brining aside, these chicken nuggets can be on the table quickly, with little effort!
• No special equipment needed: You only need a few bowls, a baking sheet, and a sharp knife. Nothing fancy.
• Classic taste: Who doesn't love chicken nuggets? These will rival your favorite traditional chicken nuggets!

🐓Ingredients

Here is a list of ingredients, you can see the recipe card for quantities.

✏️Ingredient Notes

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts - Cut into small pieces. You can also use skinless chicken thighs. To use ground chicken, keep reading for separate instructions.
• Large eggs - To make the egg wash.
• Heavy cream - Can be substituted for milk, half and half, or any nut milk.
• Bob's Red Mill super-fine almond flour - Makes the perfect gluten free breading alternative to traditional wheat flour.
• Crushed pork rinds - Also known as pork rind crumbs. These give the nuggets a really nice crunch in place of regular panko bread crumbs.
• Grated parmesan cheese - This also helps create a really nice flavor, as well as a little more crunch to the breading mix.
• Garlic powder & onion powder - To add some flavor to the nuggets.
• Kosher salt & black pepper - Absolutely essential.
• Smoked paprika & cayenne pepper - Optional, but highly recommended for more flavor and a little more heat.
• Pickle juice - This is for brining the chicken pieces and making them incredibly juicy, and flavorful.

📖Instructions

🔪Prep work

• Dry the chicken off really well with paper towels before brining it. This might feel like a wasted step, but it will help the chicken absorb the most pickle juice.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If using the air fryer or frying oil, check the alternate instructions below.

Brine the chicken pieces

For the juiciest and most flavorful chicken nuggets, we recommend brining the chicken pieces in pickle juice, and covering them in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

After the time is up, use a slotted spoon to remove them and place them on a plate. Discard the pickle juice.

Prepare the dredging station

Prepare two stations. In a shallow bowl or on a large plate, combine pork rind crumbs, almond flour, grated parmesan cheese, and dry seasonings. Whisk well to combine.

Next, in a separate bowl, combine the eggs and heavy cream to make the egg wash.

Coat the chicken pieces

Now, dunk the chicken pieces in the egg wash until they are fully coated. Using a fork or slotted spoon, drain the excess egg wash.

Now, drop them in the seasoned almond flour crumb mixture, and coat completely on all sides, pressing lightly to adhere. Then gently shake the pieces to remove any excess crumbs.

*Please note, depending on the size of your chicken pieces, you may not use all of the breading. We recommend setting some breading aside and adding to your dredging station as needed when you need more bread crumbs.

Bake

Add all the coated nuggets to your parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet to allow the breading to adhere to the chicken nuggets.

Top with flakey sea salt if desired, then serve with your favorite dipping sauces!

✨Tips & tricks

• Almond flour browns quicker than traditional all-purpose or wheat flour, so keep a close eye on the nuggets near the end of cooking to ensure you don't burn them.
• For best results, you will need to let the chicken nuggets cool before digging in. Because the breading mixture is a little more delicate, it needs time to cool off to properly adhere to the nuggets before serving, otherwise, the breading layer may fall off.

♨️Different cooking methods

Want to fry the nuggets in hot old or make them in your air fryer? No problem! Here's how to do those things.

• Keto air fryer chicken nuggets - Want to lower the cooking time even more? Line an air fryer basket with parchment paper or spray with oil spray, then add the nuggets in a single layer. Preheat your air fryer to 375°F. Cook the nuggets for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through if necessary to ensure the nuggets are brown on both sides, and cook all the way through. *Please note that these nuggets will brown faster in the air fryer.
• Frying in oil - To fry in oil, preheat a neutral oil (like avocado oil) in a cast-iron skillet. You will want there to be at least 2 inches of oil in the skillet so the nuggets can fry easily. Heat the oil to 350°F, then add the nuggets in there a few at a time. Don't add too many at once, or the oil temperature will drop too fast, resulting in soggy, greasy chicken nuggets. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the nuggets are golden brown and crispy. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F for food safety. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess grease. *We do also recommend freezing the nuggets on a baking sheet for 30 minutes before dropping in the hot oil for best results.

💭Variations

Here are a few ways to alter the keto nuggets.

• Spicy - Want even more spice? Add more cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix!
• For kids - If serving to children, omit the cayenne pepper entirely.
• Pork free - To omit the pork rind crumbs, you can swap them 1:1 with either more almond flour, or more grated parmesan cheese, or a mixture of the two. Please note, this won't give you a crispy breading texture.
• Dairy free- Omit the grated parmesan cheese and swap 1:1 with either almond flour, pork rind crumbs, or a mixture of the two.
• No pickle brine - Short on time or no pickle juice lying around? No problem. You can either skip the brining entirely and season the nuggets with a little extra salt before coating them in the egg wash, as the pickle juice injects the nuggets with more flavor.
• Use ground chicken - Use a food processor to make the chicken grind up really fine, or buy ground chicken at the store. If using ground chicken, skip brining it. You can use ground chicken thighs or breasts.
• Chicken thighs vs. breasts - Prefer thighs over breasts? No problem, you can easily swap one for the other!

🍅Best keto dipping sauces for these nuggets

Dipping sauces are arguably the best part of enjoying chicken nuggets! Here are a few classic sauces to try!

• Copycat Wingstop ranch recipe - Ranch is a classic, this Wingstop copycat ranch is top tier!
• Low sugar or sugar free ketchup
• Keto BBQ sauce - You could use any store-bought version or this homemade keto bbq sauce recipe!
• Big Mac dressing - We make a homemade Big Mac dressing that's similar to a Thousand Island sauce. It's absolutely delicious for dunking!
• Honey mustard sauce - By nature, it's not super keto friendly, but you can buy this store bought stuff that's really good!

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🥣Storage

Store the nuggets in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, in the oven, or air fryer.

These nuggets also freeze well! You can freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet while raw or cooked, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They can stay in the freezer for up to 6 months.

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📖 Recipe