Healthier Baked Chicken Nuggets {Gluten Free}

My toddler might be the only toddler in the existence of toddlers that hates chicken nuggets (can I say parenting win?). This kid would rather have curry or brussel sprouts than chicken nuggets, in his own defense we rarely eat out giving him less of a chance to be exposed to chicken nuggets. So when I decided I was going to make some chicken nuggets recently he totally turned them down. He would take a couple bites of a nugget when we put some ketchup on them but otherwise he preferred the side dish of roasted carrot fries. So even if my toddler is not a fan of these nuggets let me tell you that my husband and I love them! They are perfect to make when you start having a craving for some fast food, I present you with Healthier Baked Chicken Nuggets {Gluten Free}.

My Healthier Baked Chicken Nuggets are inspired by Stupid Easy Paleo’s Paleo Chick-fil-a Recipe, my husband and I used to make her recipe a couple years ago when we followed a Paleo lifestyle. I recently came across it again as I was digging up healthy recipes for January. But as much as I like the recipe I hate pan frying finger foods, I hate having to stand in front of the hot stove doing batches of food, it seems to take forever. So I wanted to morph the recipe into a baked version that tasted like it was pan fried. So I adopted the method I use to make really crispy baked potato wedge fries like my Rosemary Parmesan Baked Potato Wedges, by baking the nuggets in a well oiled baking tray. So these Healthier Baked Chicken Nuggets are really quite easy to make. To make the nuggets extra juicy they are marinated in pickle juice, then a quick egg wash, the nuggets are then rolled in a mixture of different gluten free flours and spices, they are then placed on a well oiled baking sheet, they are cooked for 12-14 minutes on one side, flipped and cooked for another 12-14 minutes on the other side. The result, a delicious baked chicken nugget that taste even better then a pan fried and is so much less work then standing in front of a hot stove!

Yield: 6 servings

Healthier Baked Chicken Nuggets {Gluten Free}

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based of chick-fil-a's secret to the best chicken, these healthy baked chicken nuggets are soaked in pickle juice to make the juiciest and best tasting chicken nuggets

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken breast
• 1/2 cup pickle juice
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

1. Cut chicken into nugget size pieces, about 1 inch. Place in a ziplock bag with the pickle juice. Let marinade at least 2 hours (I marinade mine overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 425º F.
3. In a small bowl beat egg and coconut milk together. Carefully drain pickle juice out of ziplock bag. Add egg and coconut milk to the ziplock bag. Let the chicken sit in the egg mixture while you get everything else ready.
4. Add the 1/4 cup of coconut oil to a rimmed baking tray. (If the coconut oil is in a solid state place the tray in the oven for a few minutes so the oil can become liquid)
5. In a bowl mix together the coconut flour, almond flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and ground pepper.
6. One by one take the chicken nuggets from the bag, ensure they are not dripping with excess egg mixture. Roll the nugget in the flour mixture until completely covered. Place the nugget on the oiled baking tray. Repeat until all of the nuggets are on the baking tray.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Take the tray out and carefully flip over all of the chicken nuggets. Bake again for another 12-14 minutes until brown and crispy.
8. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Inspired by Paleo Chick-Fil-A Recipe by Stupid Easy Paleo

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 890mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 50g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

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Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more chicken recipes? Check out my Baked Chicken Nuggets with Hidden Quinoa or my Easy Southwest Chicken.

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