Meals · Skillet & sheet-pan mains
Paleo chicken nuggets
Golden, crisp-edged nuggets of chicken breast in a seasoned almond and tapioca coating, baked on a rack so they crisp on all sides, with a tangy honey-mustard dip. The grown-ups will eat as many as the kids.
- Time
- 40 min (22 prep + 18 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 478 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless breasts chicken breast, cut in 3–4 cm (1 1/2-inch) pieces
Coating
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
Honey mustard
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F and set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. Brush the rack with a little of the oil. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
- In a shallow dish, mix the almond flour, tapioca, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and the remaining salt. In a second dish, beat the egg with the water. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the coating, pressing so it sticks.
- Lay the nuggets on the rack, not touching, and brush them lightly with the avocado oil, or mist with pure avocado-oil spray.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, turning once halfway, until deep golden and 165°F in the middle of a large piece. Let them stand for 2 minutes so the coating sets, then serve straight away; the coating softens as it cools.
- Meanwhile, whisk the Dijon, honey, olive oil and lemon juice into a smooth dip.
Good to know
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, thighs stay juicier, at about 37 instead of 48. Give them 2–3 minutes longer.
Can I freeze them?
Yes. Freeze the baked nuggets on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 400°F for 10–12 minutes on the rack; the microwave turns them soft.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 241
- Protein
- (39%)
- 23 g
- Fat
- (44%)
- 11 g
- Carbohydrates
- (17%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 508 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1912 kcal goes into the pot and 997 g of ingredients comes out as about 795 g of food: 241 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.