Keto Chicken Nuggets

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These easy keto chicken nuggets are a delicious and simple take on a childhood classic, complete with easy seasoning and breading! I’ll show you how to make low carb almond flour chicken nuggets with just 5 ingredients — great for kids and grownups. Serve ’em with keto French fries for a classic meal (and don’t expect leftovers!). If you want a crispy chicken on the bone, try my keto fried chicken, next!

I created these low carb chicken nuggets after vacationing while I was pregnant. Nuggets were one of the only chicken recipes I could tolerate with morning sickness, despite being highly processed, high in carbs, and hard to find on many restaurant menus. (And I had so much “fun” trying to explain why I need to order off the kids’ menu at many of them.) After returning home, I was so happy to come back to a cleaner version that still tasted delicious!

Why You’ll Love This Keto Chicken Nuggets Recipe

• Whole, juicy hunks of chicken
• Lightly crisp, golden breading
• Just 5 basic ingredients
• Done in under 30 minutes
• 3g net carbs per serving
• The best family-friendly appetizer, snack, or main dish!

For a simple breading, I used Wholesome Yum Almond Flour to make chicken nuggets keto. With a finer grind than most almond flours, it coats the chicken more easily and creates the perfect golden exterior with minimal carbs!

Get Almond Flour

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for keto chicken nuggets, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – The standard choice in keto recipes for chicken nuggets. You might also be able to use chicken thighs, but cook times may vary.
• Mayonnaise – We’re using this as a binder instead of egg to help the breading stay on the chicken. Use any keto store-bought mayo you prefer, or make your own avocado oil mayo recipe. You can also just use whisked egg instead, but the mayo makes these extra flavorful.
• White Vinegar – Adds more authentic flavor to these mcnuggets without breading. Apple cider vinegar would be another close substitute, but you could also sub pickle juice.
• Wholesome Yum Almond Flour – If you never made keto chicken nuggets with almond flour before, you have to try them with this flour! With a fine grind, it sticks better to the chicken than other popular keto nugget coatings, like parmesan cheese or crushed pork rinds.
• Salt & Pepper – For simple seasoning.
• Olive Oil – For shallow frying. You can also use avocado oil, or any neutral oil you prefer.

VARIATION: Want more flavor?

These nuggets only have salt and pepper to keep prep super simple, but you can also add seasonings to the meat or mix them into the almond flour. Try onion powder, garlic powder, or paprika!

How To Make Keto Chicken Nuggets

This section shows how to make low carb chicken nuggets, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Brine. In a large bowl of water, add a few tablespoons of salt. Place chicken in water and brine for up to 1 hour. Drain and pat try.

TIP: Why brine the chicken?

Brining creates a more tender and juicy nugget (I do the same for baked chicken breast). You can skip this step if you’re short on time.

2. Cut. Slice the chicken into nugget-sized pieces.

TIP: You can mince the chicken if you like.

I prefer the chicken meat as is, but some chicken nugget recipes mince it. If you want to do this, place the chicken in a food processor with a bit of water to mince. Shape into nuggets, then freeze for about 20-30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

3. Set up. Stir mayonnaise and vinegar together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together almond flour and seasonings.
4. Coat. Dip each chicken piece in a thin layer of the mayonnaise mixture.

5. Add breading. Press firmly into the almond flour mixture to coat on both sides.

TIP: Use one hand for the mayo mixture and the other for the breading.

Avoid putting the wet hand into the dry mixture too much, which will prevent the breading from clumping.

6. Cook. You can cook the chicken on the stovetop or in the oven. To fry, heat oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add keto chicken nuggets in a single layer and fry in batches until golden on both sides. To bake, arrange nuggets in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden, flipping halfway through.

VARIATION: Cook keto chicken nuggets in the air fryer!

For best results, arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket and spray with cooking spray. Cook for 8 minutes at 400 degrees F, flipping halfway through.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Reheat: Warm up keto nuggets in the oven at 350 degrees F. The air fryer is another great option to crisp them up.
• Freeze: Add breaded nuggets (cooked works best) to a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe container for long-term storage. No need to thaw before baking, but you may need to add a few minutes to the cook time.

What To Serve With Keto Chicken Nuggets

There are so many ways to dish up these keto chicken nuggets, for kids and grown-ups alike!

• Sauces – Sugar-free ketchup (shown in the photos!) is a classic choice, but sugar-free honey mustard, ranch dressing, or sugar-free bbq sauce also taste great.
• Homestyle Veggies – Try these nuggets with cauliflower mac and cheese or keto coleslaw.
• Potato Swaps – Serve this dish with cauliflower potato salad, jicama fries, or sauteed radishes. If you have family members who aren’t low carb, make easy roasted potatoes for them and a low carb side dish for you.
• Keto Breads – Try nuggets with almond flour biscuits, keto garlic bread, or a batch of keto cornbread.

More Family-Friendly Keto Chicken Recipes

These chicken dinners are always a winner in my household — and still low in carbs!

Keto Chicken Tenders

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Baked Coconut Chicken Tenders

Recipe Card

4.46 from 31 votes

Keto Chicken Nuggets (5 Ingredients)

By Maya Krampf

This crispy, juicy keto chicken nuggets recipe is easy to prepare with just 5 ingredients. You can make them fried or baked!

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

[ See substitutions ]

U.S. – Metric

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

• 2 medium Boneless skinless chicken breasts ▢
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise ▢
• 1 tsp White vinegar (or any vinegar of choice – I recommend apple cider vinegar for paleo) ▢
• 1 cup Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour ▢
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt (plus more for brine in step 1) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper ▢
• 2 tbsp Olive oil (or any oil of choice) ▢

Instructions

[ See step photos ]

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

Prep

1. Fill a large bowl with water and a few tablespoons of sea salt. Place chicken in the salt water and let it brine for at least 10 minutes, up to an hour. Drain and pat dry. Cut the chicken into nugget sized pieces.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and vinegar.

3. In another bowl, mix the almond flour with a little sea salt and black pepper. (I used 1/2 tsp (2 g) sea salt and 1/4 (1 g) tsp black pepper, but you can adjust as desired.) Feel free to throw any other spices you like in there.

4. Coat each piece of chicken in a thin layer of the mayonnaise mixture, then press into the almond flour mixture.

Frying instructions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a generous amount of oil – at least 2 tablespoons (30 mL) per batch.) Cook the chicken nuggets in a single layer in batches, about 2-3 minutes per batch, on both sides, until golden.

Baking instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange chicken nuggets in a single layer. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the bottom is golden. Carefully flip, then bake for another 6-8 minutes, until cooked through.

Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!

Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 6 low carb chicken nuggets

📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my 30 Dinners In 30 Minutes!

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 385

Fat 33.2g

Protein 18.1g

Total Carbs 6.1g

Net Carbs 3g

Fiber 3.1g

Sugar 1g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

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Try More Of My Recipes

• 
  Keto Chicken Soup
• 
  Healthy Corn Dogs
• 
  Air Fryer Jicama Fries
• 
  Cauliflower Tots

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