This easy Chicken Tender Recipe is a hero when it comes to a healthy meal that is full of protein. We love delicious main meal recipes like this Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup, with a whole head of broccoli or Bean Tostadas, a Mexican favorite that would be perfect for Taco Tuesday.
I have made these gluten free chicken fingers for dinner time and time again. And guess what, we aren’t even gluten intolerant. My family just really loves these homemade chicken fingers.
I mean who needs fast food when you know how to make these bad boys?
This is a super simple recipe that only requires a limited amount of ingredients and most of those are pantry staples that you probably already have laying around. All you need to do is mix up your egg toss in the oven and once they are done cooking, you will want to broil them to crisp them up.
Baked Chicken Tenders in Oven
These healthy almond flour chicken tenders are baked right in the oven so there isn’t any deep-frying in messy, splattering grease that burns your arms and coats your stove top. Ok, so it’s not all that bad, lol, and don’t get me wrong though I love me some skillet chicken tenders coated in crispy bread crumbs.
But these are way easier, and way less of a mess. And they cook on only a single sheet pan so cleanup is a breeze.
Since these chicken tenders are coated with ground almonds instead of regular wheat flour, so they contain even more protein. Not only are they great for gluten free diets, they also work well for the keto diet because they are very low in carbohydrates.
These also happen to be paleo and Whole30 approved, so I mean really why shouldn’t you make them?
Making Chicken Tenders
I love the versatility of chicken and my kids rarely complain about any way that I make it. I really like this recipe, I know that I am feeding them a healthy meal when I made these and they are pretty straight forward.
All you have to do is prep the chicken by slicing chicken breasts or cutlets into strips. Dip a strip into egg, then into the almond flour mixture (I like to use my left hand to dip in the egg then my right hand in the almond flour, you can also use gloves). Lay onto a baking sheet and repeat with all the tenders. Bake, then broil the paleo chicken tenders. Serve them up with some delicious sauce (many options listed below) and you will have one happy family.
How to Cut Chicken Breasts
If you are using chicken breasts then you want to make sure cut them properly to get the most tender chicken fingers. Most importantly you want to cut against the grain lines (so not directly along with the lines). Check here for some great images and guidance.
Step 1 is to look at the grain lines. This can be a little tricky since the lines don’t run directly straight.
Step 2 set your chicken breast on your cutting board so that the grain lines basically go from left to right (put the pointiest side pointing to either the left or the right.
Step 3 is cut in slices or strips as thick as you want them.
Sauces to Serve With Chicken Tenders
I love a good dipping sauce! These chicken strips are a little harder to keep tender due to the almond flour, but they are perfection with a great sauce. If you are gluten intolerant, I’m sure you already have your own favorite sauce or make one of these suggestions with gluten free ingredients.
- Ketchup: This classic red dip tastes great with chicken tenders.
- Magical Aioli: I consider this the KING of dips. I don’t think it’s actually a dip but it’s got to be one of my favorites. If you love garlic, you need to try it with chicken.
- Chick-fil-A Sauce: We love to make this recipe at home for a delicious version of this famous sauce.
- Chipotle Mayo: A creamy sauce that’s a little spicy with a smoky flavor.
- Ranch: Another classic that pairs really well with chicken fingers.
- Cheese Dip: Beer cheese dip tastes so great with almond flour chicken tenders, try this cheesy goodness.
- Barbecue Sauce: So many great tasting options out there, go with the one you love the best.
Almond Flour Chicken Tenders Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: I like to use chicken breasts and slice them into strips but you can also use already cut chicken strips or chicken cutlets.
- Almond Flour: Make sure to use almond flour and not almond meal. Almond flour is a lot finer and sticks well to the chicken.
- Parsley: Dried parley is the one you want not fresh in this recipe.
- Onion Powder: Be sure that your onion powder is fresh.
- Garlic Powder: Make sure your garlic powder is fresh.
- Salt and Pepper: I like using kosher or flakey sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Egg: You only need one large, fresh egg.
How do you Make Chicken Tenders
- Prep oven. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray a baking rack with cooking spray (makes them crisper).
- Prep chicken. Dry the chicken breasts and slice into strips.
- Make almond flour mixture. Mix the almond flour, parsley, onion powder, garlic, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Beat egg. In a separate shallow bowl beat the egg with a fork.
- Dip in egg. With left hand, dip one piece of chicken into the egg, coating both sides.
- Dip in almond flour. Transfer it to the almond mixture and with the other hand cover the chicken completely with an even coating. Set the strip onto either the prepared baking sheet or the baking rack. Repeat with all the chicken.
- Cook and broil. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the chicken tenders over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Broil the chicken tenders for 2-3 minutes to brown them up a bit.
Almond Flour Chicken Tenders Tips
- Make it spicy. Add some chipotle powder, or cayenne pepper to the almond flour mixture or just squeeze on a couple drops of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to the cooked chicken tenders.
- Dry the chicken. Make sure to pat dry the chicken before starting the breading process. This will help the breading stick better.
- No zip bags. Don’t try to coat the chicken slices in the almond flour in a zip bag. It works better to press each slice into the mixture and trying to get an even coating.
- Use a baking rack. Baking the chicken tenders on a baking rack (the one with the the little squares) can make them a little crisper than cooking them on the baking sheet.
- Short on time. Use chicken that has already been cut into strips.
- Use almond flour. Make sure to use almond flour and not almond meal because it will not stick the same.
- Dry spots on cooked chicken. If you check your chicken half way through cooking time and notice dry spots, spritz on a little cooking spray to the spots and continue cooking.
- Add cheese. Add 1/2 a cup of finely grated parmesan cheese to the almond flour mixture.
- Broil the chicken. Broil the cooked chicken tenders for a few minutes to brown them.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use chicken breasts? Yes, you could use chicken breasts or chicken cutlets. You just need to slice them into strips. See above for how to slice chicken breasts properly.
- Should I wash off chicken? I think this is a personal choice. They are saying now that washing your chicken in your sink can cause more problems because it can contaminate everything around your sink. So it is completely up to you.
Storage Instructions
- How to Refrigerate Chicken Tenders: Let the chicken cool and put in a glass container or BPA-free airtight plastic container or zipper bag. They should last about 3 days in the fridge.
- How to Reheat Chicken Tenders: Reheat cold gluten free chicken fingers in the oven or air fryer.
Try these other recipes!
- Turkey Bacon in Air Fryer
- Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken
- Zucchini and Yellow Squash in Air Fryer
- Gluten Free Lasagna
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Almond Flour Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray a baking rack with cooking spray (makes them crisper)
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Dry the chicken breasts and slice into strips.
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Mix the almond flour, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.
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In a separate shallow bowl beat the egg with a fork.
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With left hand, dip one piece of chicken into the egg, coating both sides. Transfer it to the almond mixture and with the other hand cover the chicken completely with an even coating. Set the strip onto either the prepared baking sheet or a baking rack. Repeat with all the chicken.
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Cook for 10 minutes, flip the chicken tenders over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Broil the chicken tenders for 2-3 minutes to brown them up.
Recipe Notes
- If you check your chicken half way through cooking time and notice dry spots, spritz on a little cooking spray to the spots and continue cooking.
- Add 1/2 a cup of finely grated parmesan cheese to the almond flour mixture.
- Add some chipotle powder, or cayenne pepper to the almond flour mixture or just squeeze on a couple drops of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to the cooked chicken tenders.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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