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Home » Main Course » Chicken Dishes

March 22, 2019

Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
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This chicken Nugget recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious and it’s made in the air fryer! It is Paleo, Keto-friendly, and can be made Whole30 as well. No deep frying needed, but still perfectly crispy and flavorful.

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Copycat Chick-fil-A, this healthy homemade air fryer chicken nuggets came out perfect – tender, juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside.

These keto chicken nuggets are “breaded” with almond flour and coconut flour which keeps the chicken inside moist and also gives it a little sweetness.

My husband didn’t believe these were healthy, that’s how good they are! And we are both obsessed.

Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are healthy

A plate of whole30 friendly air fryer chicken nuggets that is coated with almond flour and coconut flour. There is a hand holding one keto chicken nugget to dip in the sauce.

This air fryer chicken nugget recipe is so easy and so flavorful. 

Husband Approved? YES! 

Even better!

Ingredients you need to make these Healthy Chicken Nuggets

A plate of whole30 friendly air fryer chicken nuggets that is coated with almond flour and coconut flour. There is a bite in one of the air fryer chicken nuggets and it appears to be moist and tender.

  • Chicken Breast
  • Avocado oil (has a high smoking point)
  • Almond flour
  • Coconut flour
  • Optional: Plantain chips or certain tortilla chips (I love Siete paleo-friendly chips)
  • Seasoning

Nope, this healthy chicken nugget recipe doesn’t require any breadcrumbs, not even the gluten-free ones.

All you need are almond flour, coconut flour, and a few spices.

Products I used to make this recipe

I promise they turn out so flavorful. I could literally eat the “breading” by itself.

Oaky, I did…

How to make Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

 

First, in a medium shallow bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, and seasoning. Set aside.

Secondly, crumble up about 1 cup tortilla chips, plantain chips, or your favorite kind of chips.

Then combine with the flour.

Step by step instruction on how to bread chicken nuggets in gluten free chips and almond flower.

Note: You can use potato chips or any chips you like. My favorite is Nacho Siete tortilla chips. It is paleo-friendly.

 

Thirdly, in a separate bowl, beat 1 egg with cooking oil.

Then, pat dry 1 – 1 .5 pounds chicken breast or chicken thighs (I usually like a mix of both).nThen cut into inch-sized pieces.

before and after picture of almond and coconut flour crusted healthy chicken nuggets in an air fryer

It’s time for coating! 

Step 1: Dip cubed chicken in egg wash. 

Step 2: Coat chicken with the flour mix. 

Step 3: Place coated chicken pieces in the air frying basket. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the fryer so they can get “fired” by the heat circulation all around.

Step 4: Fry it up.

Step 5: Dip. ENJOY! 

 

Healthy Frying methods for keto Chicken Nuggets

 

A plate full off the crispiest health homemade chicken nuggets and a read spicy dipping sauce

Obviously, I’m not that fancy and just have a deep fryer sitting in my kitchen. So here are a couple of frying methods you could use in this recipe:

 

1. Air fryer

Very minimum oil required for this frying method. And you don’t have to flip the chicken nuggets.

Because the hot air flows all around these crispy bad boys.

You know I love my air fryer. There are so many things you can make in it.

A basket of air fryer chicken nuggets that look crispy and golden brown on the outside.

Some of my other Air Fryer favoriets

  • Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower Gnocchi
  • Air Fryer Potato Fries
  • Air Fryer Zuccini Fies

2. Cast-iron skillet

The reason I choose cast-iron skillet is that it can get a lot hotter than a regular pan.

So you can have chicken nuggets that are super crispy on the outside but still moist and soft on the inside.

However, if you don’t own a cast-iron skillet, you can use a regular pan. Just make sure you heat up the oil on high for a couple of minutes before frying.

Appliances I love to use for frying

Tip:

I highly recommend using Avocado oil when frying these chicken nuggets.

Since we want the frying temperature to be hot and quick, oil with a low smoking point like olive oil or coconut oil will start smoking very quickly.

On the other hand, Avocado oil has one of the highest smoking points of cooking oils.

 

Why I love these air fryer Chicken Nuggets

 

this is a bite shot of a crispy tender homemade chicken nugget that is gluten-free and pale

 

1. So easy to make

2. It is so flavorful: a little spicy, a little sweet

3. You feel so cool when you tell your friends “Hey! What’s up? I made some healthy air fryer chicken nuggets”

 

Substitutes you can use for Healthy Chicken Nuggets

A plate of chicken nuggets with a hand dipping one piece in-to a flavorful sauce.

1.Almond flour and coconut flour

Both almond flour and coconut flour are gluten-free, paleo, keto, and whole30 friendly.

If you don’t happen to have them on hand, or you are not following any of these dietary restrictions, you can use panko or regular breadcrumbs.

How to: Sub for the total amount of almond and coconut flour

2. Chips:

Crushed up Trader Joe's Plantain Chips

You can use any type of chips of your choice to add a nice crunch.

My favorites are:

  1. Siete Tortilla chips – Paleo Friendly, Gluten-free
  2. Trader Joe’s Plantain chips – Paleo Friendly, Gluten-Free

Note: Chips are not compliant with Whole30, despite the ingredients listed.

An easy Whole30 Chicken Dipping Sauce

 

A plate of whole30 friendly air fryer chicken nuggets that is coated with almond flour and coconut flour. There is a bite in one of the air fryer chicken nuggets and it appears to be moist and tender.

I would like to call this “Almost Chick-fil-A” Sauce. This dipping sauce is so easy to make. I used half ketchup and half BBQ sauce. If you are following the Whole30 diet I have linked a couple of my favorite Whole30 brands for ketchup and BBQ sauce here

    1. Ketchup (1/4 Cup) – My favorite Whole30 option is This One.
    2. BBQ sauce (1/4 Cup) – My favorite Whole30 option is This One.
    3. A quarter lemon squeezed
    4. 1 tsp maple syrup (paleo but not whole 30)

 

These healthy chicken nuggets are not just drive-through finger food, they are definitely finger-licking good!

They are perfect for a summer party, a kid’s friendly dinner, or just to fulfill our guilty pleasure for a quick and easy meal.

And this chicken nugget recipe is paleo, keto, and whole30. I’m secretly calling it “Almost Chick-Fil-A” chicken nuggets.

Ooo also I look forward to seeing your creations! You can use “Tried it” on Pinterest or share on Instagram by tagging #shuangyseasts

Pinterest picture for the Air Fryer Chicken nugget recipe

More Healthy Chicken Recipes you might like:

1. Paleo Crockpot Pulled Chicken

2. Healthy Chicken Salad (Whole30)

3. Instant Pot Peanut Butter Chicken

A plate of crispy and sizzling hot air fryer chicken nuggets. There is a serving dish of chick-fil-a copycat sauce in the middle. There is a hand holding a piece of chicken nugget.
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Healthy Chicken Nuggets

5 from 3 votes
This chicken nugget recipe is so juicy, falavorful and so easy to make! It's alsp paleo, keto and whole30 friendly. I’m secretly calling it “Almost Chick-Fil-A” chicken nuggets. 
Shuang Shuang Liang
Servings 6
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 25 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 1 -1.5 lb chicken breast room temperature
  • 2/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2-3 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
  • 1 cup chips optional *

Instructions
 

  • Chicken Nuggets
  • Preheat air fryer to 400F.
  • Cut the chicken into 1-2 inch bites sized pieces, coat with arrowroot flour, salt, and pepper.
  • In a shallow bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic powder. Crumble up a cup of chips (optional). Mix well to combine with the flour mix.
  • In a second shallow dish, whisk the egg and avocado oil together.
  • Dip the chicken in the egg wash, then coat with the "breading".
  • Spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil, Place the coated chicken nuggets in the air fryer basket (make sure not to overcrowd them). Fry for 8 minutes.
  • Dipping Sauce **
  • Combine 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup of Ketchup
  • Dip and Enjoy!

Notes

  1. If you are using the pan-fried method: Heat up 2 tbsp of avocado oil in a cast-iron skillet. Fry the chicken for 3 - 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel to cool.
  2. *You can use tortilla chips, plantain chips, or potato chips as well, your choice!
  3. **Check out detailed Whole 30 dipping sauce in the post above
Nutrition Fact below does not including dipping sauce.

Recommended Products

  • Organic Unsweetened Ketchup
  • Classic BBQ Sauce, Organic & Unsweetened
  •  Organic Coconut Flour, 16 Oz
  • Super-Fine Almond Flour
  • 3.7 qt. Digital Air Fryer in Black

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 28gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 359mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1g

The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This does not result in any extra cost for you, but it does mean that I make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Season: Christmas, Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Dietary Preference: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30 Key Ingredients: Apples, Bananas, Berries, Chocolate, Oats, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato Recipe Style: Air Fryer, Instant Pot, Kid Friendly, No Bake

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Comments

  1. Morgan says

    March 24, 2021 at 11:30 pm

    5 stars
    These were so simple and quick to make and everyone loved them!

    Reply
  2. Helan says

    February 2, 2021 at 5:45 am

    Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.

    Reply
    • Shuang Shuang Liang says

      February 5, 2021 at 11:38 am

      Hi Helan,

      Aw yay!! That makes me so happy! SO glad your family loves it 🙂

      Shuang

      Reply
  3. Abby says

    May 13, 2020 at 10:24 pm

    5 stars

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    March 2, 2020 at 6:23 pm

    Adding the chips is genius! You add flavor and crunch at the same time. Definitely trying this.

    Reply
    • Shuang Shuang Liang says

      March 9, 2020 at 9:20 pm

      Right? I totally agree. Love that crunch!

      Shuang

      Reply

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