keto chicken nuggets

Keto Chicken Nuggets With Sweet and Sour Sauce

Written by on in Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes

Like hot dogs and 4th of July and pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving, I would argue that chicken nuggets are the quintessential food of back-to-school season. Quick and convenient, crispy and savory, and 100% portable, they’re the grab-and-go kind of food you need for a long homework session or late night after your kids’ football game. Of course, neither of those situations apply to me, but I’ll be living vicariously through you, buying a new pencil case and eating a batch of these ridiculously tasty Keto Chicken Nuggets with Sweet and Sour Sauce.

So to make this back-to-school season a little bit easier and healthier for you students and parents, I created a Keto version of my favorite kids meal from back in the day. These are every bit as good as the real deal, with lots of spices, and a sweet, tangy sauce that is free of refined sugar. So you can bask in the nostalgia, while still remaining true to your slightly more health-conscious self.

But first an important question. What is your chicken nugget sauce of choice? Back in my day, whenever we picked up a kids meal from the drive-thru, there were two choices – barbecue or sweet and sour. And for some reason, I ALWAYS picked sweet and sour. Something about that salty, savory chicken with the sweet, tangy sauce was my favorite. So of course, I had to make a healthified version (sweetened with my go-to monkfruit sweetener, Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener. Pro tip: Use my discount code EDITEDKITCHEN).

the process

Making a crispy chicken nugget isn’t the easiest feat (let’s be real – I made these a handful of times and the crust completely fell off), but I’ve got a few tricks that should lead you to chicken nugget success.

To start, make sure the chicken you are working with is as dry as possible. Soak up excess water with paper towels before you start the breading process. After you cut the chicken into bite sized chunks (or 2-bite chunks), first dredge in the seasoned coconut flour (make sure you add seasoning to both flours), then dip in the eggs, then finish in the seasoned almond flour. Continue this process and avoid being heavy-handed with any of the ingredients. Getting a “light breading” is the ticket, here. A heavier breading is much more likely to fall off.

Ok, are you ready for these “better than drive-thru” chicken nuggets?

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Keto Chicken Nuggets With Sweet and Sour Sauce

Quick and convenient, crispy and savory, these low-carb chicken nuggets with a refined-sugar free sweet and sour sauce are the grab-and-go kind of food you need for a long homework session or late night after your kids' football game.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Edited Kitchen

Ingredients

Keto Chicken Nuggets

  • 1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breasts (diced into large pieces)
  • 1 cup almond flour (not meal)
  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2-3 tbsp cajun seasoning (alternatively, mix together paprika, oregano, garlic powder and cayenne)
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • 1/4 cup ketchup I used Primal Kitchen's brand, as it's refined sugar free
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 2 1/2 tbsp Lakanto golden monkfruit sweetener
  • 1 tbsp gluten-free flour (I use Namaste Foods' Perfect Flour Blend)

Instructions

Keto Chicken Nuggets

  1. Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. in 3 small bowls, mix together your dredging ingredients. In bowl 1, whisk together coconut flour and 1 tbsp of cajun seasoning, along with 2 tsp kosher salt. In bowl 2, whisk together almond flour and 1 tbsp of cajun seasoning, along with 2 tsp kosher salt. In bowl 3, lightly beat 2 eggs.

  3. Dip each chicken piece (dried thoroughly) in the coconut flour, then the egg, then the almond flour mixture. Add to baking sheet.

  4. Bake chicken nuggets for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven). Let cool and serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

  1. While nuggets are baking, add ketchup, rice wine vinegar, pineapple juice, coconut aminos, and golden monkfruit sweetener to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.

  2. Once the ingredients have reached a low simmer, add in flour and whisk vigorously until all ingredients are combined.

  3. When mixture has reached a medium-thick sauce consistency, take off heat and transfer to a heat safe glass container. Let cool.