Easy Baked Gluten-free Chicken Nuggets (Keto and Stovetop Options)
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Looking for an easy meal that's guaranteed to please? These Homemade Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets fit the bill.
These gluten-free chicken nuggets always get rave reviews, and are suitable for almost any special diet. They're egg and dairy-free with a keto/grain-free option, and they can even be made on the stovetop!
If you're tempted to go through a drive through when time is short, then this gluten-free chicken nuggets recipe is for you! It's a super-easy recipe you can put together in almost no time flat that will make your family feel like you really went out of your way for them.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This just might be the best homemade chicken nuggets recipe ever for several reasons. They're so much healthier than store-bought or restaurant chicken nuggets. They come together fast and require no special ingredients so it's a frugal recipe as well.
They can be made in the oven or on the stovetop, and they taste amazing. The reviews say it all.
And my husband agrees with the stellar reviews as well. Every time I make them, he says, “How long do these take you to make?” which is basically him asking me to make them more often.
Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breast
- almond flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
- salt
- garlic powder
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
- black pepper
- avocado oil
Directions
Cut chicken into chunks. (Photo 1)
Coat the chicken. (Photo 2)
Drizzle with oil.
Place on baking tray and bake. (Photo 3)
Serve. (Photo 4)
Serving Options
Serve with rice or other grain of choice, in pitas, with or without a dipping sauce.
These nuggets taste great dipped in:
- Sugar-free No-Cook Ketchup
- Healthy Chick-fil-A Sauce
- AIP Guacamole: yes, nuggets taste great dipped in guac!
- Dairy-free Ranch Dressing
- Dairy-free Avocado Dressing
- Moroccan Vinaigrette: this is a thinner dip, but the nuggets still taste great with this.
- BBQ Sauce from this Keto BBQ Chicken.
Substitutions for Special Diets
- Flour Option: Any gluten-free flour blend should work fine. Organic almond flour is a good grain-free option. Use organic coconut flour or organic tiger nut flour for AIP. Note that coconut will absorb a lot of moisture, so blending it with another flour is best.
- Oil: You can use any other oil suitable for high heat instead of avocado oil.
- AIP: If you use cassava or tiger nut flour and adjust the spices, these baked chicken nuggets work for the AIP diet. Omit the pepper and paprika, and cayenne. There aren't really any good substitutes for these, but this AIP Taco Seasoning would likely taste great on these nuggets.
- THM: This recipe qualifies as an “S” for the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
- whole30: Use almond flour or other non-grain flours on their own or as a blend.
Recipe Notes
- Extra Coating Option: The recipe tastes great as it is, but you might want to increase the amount of the coating by half or simply double it.
- Size of Cuts: The smaller you cut the chicken, the faster the chicken nuggets will bake. Don’t cut them so small that you have crispy itty bitty pieces of chicken, but don't make them too large either. A bit smaller than typical frozen chicken nuggets is a good size.
- Oil: I know that it seems odd to add the oil after the coating, but this recipe really works; trust me! I like using avocado oil due to its high smoke point.
- “Spicy-ness:” Experiment with the cayenne and pepper to adjust the “spicy-ness” to your taste.
- Meal Prep: For even faster meal prep, cut up chicken into chunks, coat, and store in small plastic bags in the freezer (flash freeze first on a baking tray). Just take out of the freezer and bake in the oven for a ready-in-a-flash meal! The chunks will only take about 5 minutes longer to cook.
How to Store
You can keep these nuggets in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
To freeze, let cooked nuggets cool, then for best results, flash freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a shallow container. Freeze for 1-2 hours until frozen solid. Then place the nuggets in a freezer-safe bag or other container. To reheat, bake or air-fry around 375° for about 10-15 minutes until hot.
More Easy Healthy Dinner Recipes
- Indian Lentils: A delicious meatless meal that's ready in as little as 9 minutes!
- Ground Beef Curry: This dish is so delicious, we serve it for guests all the time and have even had it for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter!
- Gluten-free Chili Mac: An easy, hearty and delicious one-pan meal.
- Gluten-free Hamburger Helper Beef Skillet: Another one-pan meal that tastes great.
Easy Baked Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika (use onion powder for AIP)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional – omit for AIP)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (About 1/4 cup should be enough to coat the chicken.)
Instructions
- Cut chicken into approximately 1 – 1½ inch size chunks. Place in bowl.
- Mix flour with seasonings.
- Sprinkle flour and seasoning mixture over chicken and mix well to coat thoroughly.
- Melt oil (if necessary). Drizzle over chicken and mix to coat lightly.
- Bake in preheated oven (425 degrees for convection / 450 for conventional) until chicken’s internal temperature reaches 180 degrees (about 10 minutes for a convection oven [I love my Hamilton Beach convection oven] and 14 for conventional).
Stovetop Option
- Cut chicken into small chunks, about 1 – 1½ inch chunks. Place in bowl.
- Mix flour with seasonings.
- Sprinkle flour and seasoning mixture over chicken and mix well to coat thoroughly.
- Melt oil (if necessary). Drizzle over chicken and mix to coat lightly.
- Cook in large shallow pan over medium heat, stirring often enough to prevent burning. Cook until chicken’s internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.
Notes
- Size of Cuts: The smaller you cut the chicken, the faster the chicken nuggets will bake. Don’t cut them so small that you have crispy bitty pieces of chicken, but not as big as commercial nuggets.
- Oil: I know that it seems odd to add the oil after the coating, but this recipe really works. Trust me! I recommend using avocado oil as its smoke point is higher.
- “Spicy-ness:” Experiment with the cayenne and pepper to adjust the “spicy-ness” to your taste.
- Meal Prep: For even faster meal prep, cut up chicken into chunks, coat, and store in small plastic bags in the freezer. Just take out of the freezer and bake in the oven for a ready-in-a-flash meal! The chunks will only take about 5 minutes longer to cook.
- How to Serve: Serve with rice, in pitas, grain of choice and with or without a dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
This recipe was inspired by a nuggets recipe in the book Simple Choices for Healthier Eating.
How about you? Do you have a quick and healthy “treat your family” meal?
Photo Credits: Naomi Huzovicova
These were absolutely delicious! The whole family (including twin toddlers) loved them. Making for the second time today and doubling the recipe for quick freezer meals for the kids. Thanks for the recipe!
So great! My son was just asking for these. We tried some nugget samples at Costco and he said that these were much better — made my day :)!
Do you flash freeze these on a sheet pan before putting them in a big bag to store in the freezer, or can you just coat them, toss them in a freezer bag and be good to go?
I have never flash frozen them. I’m assuming that would work better but I just do the fastest thing and it works for me. 🙂
This is probably a silly question, but do you think these would be ok being frozen after cooked and reheated later? I have a (very impatient) toddler with food allergies and looking for quick, safe, and healthy lunch options. Thank you!
I think it all depends on how long it’s been sitting around. I have personally done this kind of thing but just be cautious. Why not just make a bunch and put them in the freezer? You mean you will have extra after a meal? Hope you enjoy them either way!
OF COURSE I’d find the exact recipe I was looking for here, Adrienne! GF chicken tenders that will be yummy but with NO egg or dairy. I should have started here in the first place. 😉
Oh you are too funny and way too kind. I hope you like them!!!! Let’s connect soon!
What is the seasoning ingredients??
I’m sorry but not sure what you are asking. There are several ingredients that add to the seasoning.
I’ve been using this recipe at least twice a week. I’m a Chick-Fil-A addict and this has helped tremendously with not only cutting that expense, but also making it healthier so I don’t feel as bad. Would it be ok to share this recipe on my (very young and new) blog?
Hi Estefania. I really appreciate your kind words. You are welcome to put a link on your blog to my blog but putting this recipe up there would be something I wouldn’t want you to do. I worked hard to develop it. Bloggers don’t like that.
Typically this is what people do in this business. If you change a recipe changing 3 or more ingredients (not including salt), then you can put a recipe on your site but you would link to the original recipe and say that you got your inspiration from there. Copying directions is a complete no no and is a violation of copyright.
I hope that helps and good luck w/ your blog!
Adrienne,
Thanks for the quick reply and clarification. I knew there were some copyright issues, but was unaware of what you mentioned.
I will write a blog post about your recipe and how much I’ve enjoyed it and plan on using it for my super bowl party. I will share a link to this page (your blog) for readers that want to see the recipe and instructions.
Sorry to bug so much. Just trying to make sure I don’t do anything I shouldn’t do.
Thanks for your help!
You are welcome! Best wishes on your blog!
Would the recipe work with tofu as a chicken substitute? I’m vegan and looking for tasty recipes 🙂
That should work w/ a firm tofu. Just be a little delicate w/ the pieces. Enjoy!
Just wanted to say I used olive oil instead of avocado oil because I was too lazy to go to the store and baked at 16 minutes instead of 14, and they still turned out great!
Wonderful!!
Coconut oil should not be used above 400F! It starts smoking. Recommend avocado oil instead. 🙂
Thanks for the update!
Finally, a chicken nugget recipe to rival chick-fil-a that is healthy!! I used almond flour and chicken thighs instead of breast and they turned out great – my kids loved them! Thank you!
Yea!!! This makes me so happy!!! 🙂