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These crispy chicken nuggets are easy to make, use almond flour for the breading, and are baked instead of fried!
Update: This recipe was originally published in 2019 and has been republished with all new photos.
I recently shared my recipe for Almond Crusted Ranch Chicken and I got so many questions about turning them into nuggets that I decided to just go ahead and give ya’ll a nugget recipe. BOOM. Here you go!
These nuggets use almond flour instead of white flour so they’re going to be nutritious, high in protein, and low in carbohydrates and sugar.
I’m using simple seasonings to make these nuggets flavorful but still perfect for young children. Adults will want them too. Oh I sure do. The first time I tested this recipe I mowed through half the sheet pan myself. That’s not a serving size, friends. I have no regrets.
Whether you decide to gorge yourself on them all by your lonesome (no judgment), whip them up for the family at dinnertime, or serve them as an appetizer to friends, they’re sure to be a hit!
For this recipe you’ll need (full list of ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below):
- Chicken breasts
- Almond flour
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Seasonings
Slice the chicken breasts into nuggets. Dip each nugget into the whisked eggs, letting any excess drip off. Carefully dredge each coated nugget in the almond flour breading. Then place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake, flip, and bake a little longer. That’s it!
Tips for breading chicken with almond flour
Almond flour makes a beautifully golden brown baked chicken, but it is a little finnicky so you need to do it just right. To ensure you get that perfect crust the secret is in how you apply the breading.
- Make sure you drip off any excess egg wash before dipping your nuggets into the breading mixture. This is an important step that you don’t want to skip. Otherwise the egg will end up in the breading, causing it to clump together.
- Lay each nugget on top of the breading. Use your fingers to cover the top of the nugget with breading. Press it into the chicken. Breading will stick to the bottom of the nugget while you do this. Do not dip your nugget into the breading and flip it around. This will result in getting the breading clumpy.
The end result is perfectly breaded chicken and you won’t have clumpy flour.
What almond flour is best?
There are several great brands to choose from when it comes to almond flour. Two of my favorites are Bob’s Red Mill and Nature’s Eats. Just make sure you get blanched almond flour because that means the skin has been removed.
Should you use parchment paper?
You can use parchment paper if you like; however, I don’t for this recipe. When I use almond flour I like to cook my chicken directly in the cooking fat whether it’s sautéed or baked in the oven. I don’t use much and we’re definitely not frying these. But just a bit of fat helps your breading brown beautifully without overcooking the chicken. And I do love that golden brown coloring!
Can you freeze these nuggets?
These chicken nuggets are perfect for freezing! Simply bake them according to the recipe instructions. Once they’ve cooled add them to a freezer-safe container (I use freezer bags) and separate each layer with wax or parchment paper. This keeps them from sticking together so you can just take out as many as you need when you need them.
To warm the frozen nuggets you can place them on a baking sheet at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or heat them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.
How to serve these
I love to pair these chicken nuggets with my 3-Ingredient Honey Mustard (pictured in the photos) but ketchup, ranch dressing, and barbecue sauce are also great dip options!
More recipes like this:
Baked Almond Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, approximately 3 – 4 breasts
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour, finely ground
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
- Slice your chicken breasts to create nuggets.
- Add almond flour, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt to a shallow dish. Stir to combine.
- Crack your eggs into a separate bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Dip each nugget in the eggs and let the excess drip off (that’s important). Then dredge each nugget in the breading mixture.
- Place each breaded nugget on the greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully flip each nugget. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My kids said it was better than ChicfilA, and my son added, “and they’re the home of the original chicken sandwich” lol. My wife is diabetic so we use almond flour regularly and my sone wanted fried chicken so I looked up almond flour chicken and found this recipe, simple and a big hit. Thanks.
These came out delicious! One recommendation to others, make sure you don’t cut your nuggets too small. I cut mine a little too small, so they ended up a little dry by the time the crust was crisp. If you cut yours the size of hers, they should be perfect:)
We enjoyed the recipe and appreciate the note about the fat. It makes a difference in how it browns, for sure. The cayenne adds some nice heat. 🙂
Hi Christina!
I love all your recipes! is it possible to use frozen chicken breasts chunks? its difficult to get fresh chicken breasts where I live.
Hi Gini! You could use that for sure but you’ll want to thaw them completely first and I’d even pat them dry to be sure you don’t have any excess water that would prevent them from crisping up!