Lunchbox Chicken Nuggets (Paleo, Gluten-free)
My kids absolutely love Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets. But, since we try to avoid gluten like the plague in our household (my son and I both have difficulty digesting it) we don’t really frequent fast food joints very often. Besides gluten, the list of additives in their chicken nuggets makes my head spin.
Sorry Chick-fil-A lovers, its a hard pill to swallow
These nuggets, on the other hand, are made with 100% organic ground chicken and almond flour and some yummy spices, nothing to make my head spin here.
Just yummy, whole food goodness!
So yeah, I gave my best effort to re-create a healthier version for the kiddos and I think I hit the spot.
The kids loved them SO much that the next time I made them, I doubled the recipe so that I could have nuggets for school lunches throughout the week.
What I’m getting at is, these little nugs are great for anytime, really. School lunches, snack time or a fun and easy toddler-friendly dinner.
Other than the time it takes to fry these bad boys up, how easy would it make your school week to throw these in for the protein of the day?? If your school is nut-free, you can substitute with coconut flour instead.
I honestly would love to make ahead an enormous batch of these nugs to save in the freezer for those days when I’m in a pinch for time and the kids are hungry. Putting it on my to-do list now. Just kidding, there’s no way I will likely have time for that.
Back to the nuggets.
They are crunchy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside, just like the real deal. I’ve seen many gluten free nugget recipes out there that use sliced chicken breast but the ground chicken really makes the inside texture so soft and moist, your kids will think you just went through the chick-fil-a drive through!
INGREDIENTS:
•1 lb ground chicken, rolled into 3/4 inch balls
•2 eggs, beaten
•1 + 1/3 cup almond flour
•1 tablespoon onion powder
•2 teaspoons garlic powder
•2 teaspoon paprika
•1/4 teaspoon pepper
•1 teaspoon salt
•coconut oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
In shallow bowl, beat the two eggs.
In another shallow bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
Set out a large plate with paper towels for drying the finished nuggets. Put all the dishes in an assembly line for quicker cooking and less mess.
Heat coconut oil in cast iron skillet over medium or medium-low heat.
Form balls into small balls (about 1 inch diameter)
Dip about 5-6 balls at a time into the egg mixture, gently squeeze out excess egg, then roll the balls in the dry ingredients until coated.
Use the back side of a fork to gently press each nugget into the oil and cook the nuggets about 3 minutes each side (be careful not to burn) and then transfer onto paper towel lined plate.
Work in batches of 5-6 until all the nuggets are cooked.
