Keto Chicken Tenders

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I thought it would be kind of fun to share a brand new recipe from my Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook with you. Introducing… low carb keto chicken tenders with pork rinds!

There are multiple ways you can do keto breading, from almond flour to coconut flour to pork rinds, but my favorite low carb breading for keto chicken strips is this combo of crushed pork rinds and protein powder. It gets super crispy on the outside and sticks well, while the inside stays juicy. Perfection. (You can make your own pork rinds, or buy them, and then just crush them in a blender or food processor.) If you aren’t a fan of pork rinds, try my keto chicken nuggets, instead.

Low carb chicken strips are a great example of a recipe for me to share from the book, because it shows how easy so many of these recipes are. Just a few ingredients (only six!), 10 minutes of prep, and you have an amazing low carb dinner (or low carb lunch?) that the whole family will love.

If you like this keto chicken tenders recipe, you’ll like the other keto comfort foods I have in the Easy Keto Cookbook:

• Sheet Pan Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches
• Chicken Quesadillas
• Sausage Zoodle Soup
• Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
• Fathead Gnocchi
• Coffee Cake Zucchini Bread

That’s just a little preview for you – the whole book has 100 easy keto recipes total, with 80 of them brand new and exclusive to the book. Every recipe has a photo, macros, and helpful tips included, too.

Get The Easy Keto Cookbook Here!

(Register your purchase at the button above to get a printable keto pantry list, too!)

If you’re not sure, read over 1100 5-star reviews – I think you’ll love it as much as they do! 😉

Or just make this keto chicken tenders recipe first, and if you like it, you know this book is for you.

How To Make Keto Chicken Tenders

This chicken tenders keto recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep!

• Prep breading stations and pan. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease. (You can use any type of fat here, avocado oil, ghee, etc.) Setup two bowls:
  • Mayonnaise – I like to use avocado oil mayo!
  • Breading – pork rinds, protein powder, garlic powder, and paprika.

• Bread the chicken strips. Coat the chicken strips in mayonnaise. Use the other hand to press chicken into breading mixture and scoop more breading over the top to coat.

TIP: Use both hands – one handling the mayonnaise and the other handling the dry breading. Do not switch hands to avoid getting the dry mixture too wet and clumpy.

• Place onto the baking sheet. Arrange them without touching, so that they get plenty of air flow.

TIP: For even crispier chicken tenders, bake them on an ovenproof nonstick wire rack like this, so that the hot air can circulate the entire chicken strip.

• Bake keto chicken strips. Bake for 12-15 minutes first, until it’s just barely cooked through, then broil for 1-2 minutes to crisp the breading even more.

Dipping Sauces For Keto Chicken Strips

Dipping sauce is a must for chicken strips, if you ask me. 😉 Here are my favorites:

• Keto Honey Mustard – It’s shown in the photos here, and I have another version in the Easy Keto Cookbook.
• Sugar-Free Ketchup – The ultimate kid-friendly classic. It tastes sweet without any sugar added!
• Ranch dressing – Smooth, creamy, and even more flavorful than your favorite bottled brand.
• Keto BBQ Sauce – People get passionate about BBQ sauce, but readers have told me they’ve won contests with this one. And, it’s easy to adjust if you like yours more sweet, more smoky, more spicy, etc.

Keto Chicken Tenders FAQs

Are chicken tenders keto?

Most chicken tenders are breaded in a flour mixture and deep fried – NOT KETO!

But, the ones on this page are keto! You know I always like to recreate keto versions of our favorite foods – and this was one of my favorite keto chicken recipes to create.

Can I make keto chicken strips without pork rinds?

Yes, you can. I used pork rinds because they get these super crispy, plus they are nut-free and people have been asking me for more nut-free keto recipes.

But if that doesn’t matter to you, use almond flour instead of pork rinds! It gets just a bit less crispy than the pork rinds do, but is still delicious.

Don’t use coconut flour, though, it’s too fine. If you really want to use coconut flour, make coconut chicken tenders like this instead.

What kind of protein powder can you use?

I used whey protein powder – this one is zero carb. But any kind will work – just make sure it’s flavorless and has no sugar. The protein powder helps the breading stick better.

For a keto lifestyle, collagen with MCTs would also be an excellent choice.

Should you bake or fry keto breaded chicken tenders?

You can do either. As written, this is a baked keto chicken tenders recipe, but you can fry them in oil if you like. (I recommend avocado oil, which has a high smoke point.)

In particular, if you decide to swap the pork rinds with almond flour, you may want to fry your low carb chicken strips to help them get more crispy.

You can also cook these in the air fryer. These air fryer chicken tenders have the instructions you’d need, just with a different breading.

Storage Instructions

Can you make keto baked chicken tenders ahead?

These keto chicken tenders with pork rinds are best made fresh (and really take just 10 minutes to prep!) but here are a few ways to prep some ingredients ahead:

• Make avocado mayonnaise, if making from scratch.
• Crush pork rinds.
• Mix up keto chicken strips breading (pork rinds, protein powder, garlic powder, and paprika) and store in an airtight container.

How to store baked keto chicken tenders

Store these keto chicken strips in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Can you freeze them?

Yes, you can freeze keto chicken strips! Here is how:

• Follow the low carb chicken tenders recipe as written, coat them in breading, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet as if you were going to bake them.
• Place the baking sheet into the freezer for at least 4 hours.
• Once solid, transfer the chicken strips to a freezer bag.
• Store them in the freezer for 4-6 months.
• Bake right from frozen.

How to reheat low carb chicken strips

For best results, reheat these keto chicken tenders with pork rinds in a 375 degree oven, until heated through and crunchy.

If you are heating them from frozen and they have not been baked yet, you can bake them at 400 just as you would fresh – it will just take longer for them to cook through.

What To Serve With Keto Chicken Tenders

Serve up your keto diet chicken tenders with some easy low carb keto side dishes and salads:

• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese – Keto chicken strips + mac and cheese? Every kid’s dream meal! (And who am I kidding? Adults, too!)
• Crispy Avocado Fries – These are available in the Easy Keto Cookbook as well!
• Keto French Fries – Bet you can’t guess what these crispy on the outside and soft on the inside fries are made out of!
• Keto Coleslaw – Fries and slaw make the ultimate casual comfort food meal.
• Creamy Cucumber Salad – This classic cucumber salad is a great make-ahead option for meal prep, picnics, or parties.
• Blue Cheese Wedge Salad – Keto chicken strips ON a wedge salad? No we’re talking!

• Baking Sheet – My favorite baking sheet. Nothing sticks to this textured coating, even if I forget to line it.
• Ovenproof Nonstick Wire Rack – Make your keto breaded chicken extra crispy by baking the strips on this rack!
• Shallow Bowls – These are technically pasta bowls, but they are a perfect size and shape for dredging and breading keto chicken tenders with pork rinds.

This reader favorite recipe is included in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook! Order your copy to get 100 easy keto recipes in a beautiful print hardcover book, including 80 exclusive recipes not found anywhere else (not even this blog!), my complete fathead dough guide, the primer for starting keto, and much more.

ORDER THE EASY KETO COOKBOOK HERE