Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Almond Flour | Gluten Free

Making Homemade Chicken Nuggets is easier than you think.

Chopped chicken breasts are breaded in an almond flour and herb mixture, then baked in the oven on both sides until golden brown. That's right - not only is this recipe naturally gluten-free and healthier-for-you, but you don't even have to stand by a fryer because the oven does all the work.

I served these with my Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce recipe. It's a seriously perfect match.

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What makes homemade chicken nuggets so good?

So many things! Store-bought chicken nuggets add up over time and can become expensive, and they're sometimes plain old unhealthy. Depending on the brand, the ingredients could contain hidden sugars like dextrose or brown sugar, yeast, natural flavor, wheat starch, corn flour, etc. When you make homemade chicken nuggets, you decide the ingredients and quality.

These almond flour chicken nuggets are gluten-free, making it safe for those with Celiac Disease or those who eat gluten-free.

Plus, like I said earlier, these chicken nuggets are BAKED, not fried! That means less work for you, and less oil.

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts
• Almond flour (blanched, finely ground)
• Eggs
• Onion or garlic powder, or both
• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Oregano. Tip: Don't skip this. It gives it a slight Popeyes flair.
• Neutral healthy oil such as coconut oil or avocado oil. You can also use canola.
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Dipping sauce of choice

Instructions

Prep:

• In a medium-sized bowl, add almond flour along with spices (onion/garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, oregano, salt & pepper to taste). Stir until well-distributed.

• In a small-sized bowl, add eggs. Whisk until combined.
• Set both bowls aside.

For the Chicken:

• Preheat oven to 450 F. Prepare a large sheet pan by rubbing it with oil. Set aside.

• Trim off excess fat. Chop into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch squares). Tip: It's okay if there are irregular pieces, as this gives it more of an "authentic" nugget shape.

• Dunk each piece of chicken in the egg, and allow any excess to drip off before dredging in the almond flour-herb mixture. Be sure to cover all sides.

Tip: To avoid messy fingers as much as possible, use one hand to dip the chicken into the egg and the other hand to dredge into the flour.

• Arrange the nuggets on the prepared sheet pan, leaving small gaps in-between the pieces. Tip: You can spray them with avocado oil at this point, if you have the spray kind. This encourages additional browning/crispiness.
• Repeat until all of the chicken nuggets are coated and arranged on the pan.
• Bake 8-10 minutes on one side, or until the bottom is golden brown.

• Then, flip each nugget over (you can spray them again here) and bake an additional 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown and they have an internal temperature of 165 F. Broil on Low the last 2-3 minutes for ultimate crispiness.
• Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

Equipment:

• Large Sheet Pan

Tip: Do not use parchment paper on the sheet pan if yours is not rated to go above 425 F.

Storage:

Store these homemade chicken nuggets in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat: Heat the oven to 350 F and warm through 10-15 minutes. Additionally, you can broil on Low the last 2-4 minutes to crisp them back up.

Can I Freeze Homemade Chicken Nuggets?

Yes, you can also freeze these nuggets and store for several months. To prevent the breading from sticking together; place the nuggets spaced apart on a cookie sheet in the freezer and allow to freeze 20-30 minutes. Then, remove cookie sheet and place nuggets in a gallon storage bag and freeze.

To reheat:

(Air-Fryer) Brush the air fryer tray with a little bit of neutral oil. Place 16-20 frozen chicken nuggets on the tray and close the fryer. Heat at 350 F for 7-10 minutes. Heating time is approximate.

(Oven) Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare a cookie sheet with a little oil, then place the frozen chicken nuggets spaced apart. Heat 11 to 13 minutes. Heating time is approximate.

Serving Options

You can switch up the spices in the flour mixture to your liking. I like to go with spices that are familiar to me and that gives it a mild flavor (that way any dipping sauce will go with it). Other spices you could try adding in are:

• Thyme
• Basil
• Mustard Powder
• Garlic Salt
• White Pepper
• Smoked Paprika

Ideas for Dipping Sauces:

• Barbecue
• Ranch
• Chick-Fil-A Sauce
• Sweet Chili
• Garlic Aioli
• Chipotle Mayo

Notes

For spicy chicken nuggets, you could add hot sauce into the egg mixture, 1 teaspoon cayenne into the breading, etc.

For extra crispy chicken nuggets, spray each side with avocado oil before baking and Broil on Low the last 2 to 4 minutes.