Photo: Unsplash
Everyone’s favorite nuggets done right.
For the Paleo Chicken Nuggets:
2 chicken breasts
½ cup pickle juice
½ cup almond flour
¼ cup tapioca starch (can also be subbed for arrowroot for a similar outcome)
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
2-4 tbsps avocado oil (or one with a similar smoke point)
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
For the Chick-fil-A Inspired Dipping Sauce:
½ cup mayo
3 tbsp yellow mustard
¼ cup barbecue sauce
¼ cup honey (omit or sub with date paste for Whole30)
Small pinch of salt
Directions:
For the Healthy Chick-fil-A Nuggets:
Cut chicken breast into 1” nuggets and add to a Ziploc bag with the pickle juice. Let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or up to overnight (If you’re in a pinch, 30 minutes will work too)
While the chicken is marinating, work on the dipping sauce. Mix together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, barbecue sauce, and honey. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Store in an airtight jar and refrigerate until using.
Set up a dredging station for your chicken.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and water until frothy.
In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut flour, garlic powder, pepper, smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp salt.
Dip the chicken pieces individually into the beaten eggs.
Transfer to the flour mixture to coat. Squeeze the nuggets a bit to get the breading to stick, then coat in the flour mixture again.
Place the coated chicken pieces onto a plate and set aside until all chicken has been coated.
Heat 2-4 tbsps of oil to a large skillet on medium. It should be enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Add the chicken nuggets to the pan in batches to ensure not to crowd the pan.
Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside and season immediately with a pinch of salt.
Continue cooking in batches until all chicken is done.
Serve with the dipping sauce and enjoy!
The recipe is courtesy of Rockin’ Meals. We’re not trying to claim we came up with it (like we’re that talented)! We’re simply sharing her good work. There are great tips (like buying the right flour, adjusting serving sizes) and tricks (like paleo-friendly flour burns faster than regular flour), etc. on the original recipe if you’d like to check that out.
