party-hearty low carb chicken nuggets

How To Make party-hearty low carb chicken nuggets

• 1

  To make things simple, I'll sum it up like this: For every 10 or so nuggets, you need a chicken breast, an egg, a large handful of shredded cheese, and about 1/4 tsp of each seasoning. Spoon out about 1/4 cup of the almond flour at a time into the dredging bowl if you want to ensure none is wasted.
• 2

  If baking in the oven, preheat to 350 degrees F or place on low broil (I've done both ways and prefer a low broil setting). If using an air fryer, refer to other "fried chicken" recipes or settings for your particular unit. I have also made these in my Cuisinart air fryer, which looks a little like a toaster oven. I've found I need to cut the temperature way back on it and fry these at 300 degrees or less to keep the outside from browning too quickly. They need to cut back far enough to survive 15 minutes on one side. If you're using a drawer-style air fryer, I'd start checking them at the 8-minute mark until you get a feel for how your air fryer is going to work.
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  3

  In food processor, blend chicken, eggs, and seasoning together until it becomes a thick, smooth paste. Turn out into a mixing bowl, and mix in the shredded cheese until evenly distributed. You can use a large spoon or do it by hand.
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  4

  Pour almond flour into a shallow bowl for dredging.
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  5

  Using a large flatware spoon, measure out a heaping spoonful at a time of the chicken mixture into the flour and roll it around until lightly coated on all sides; then flatten into nuggets on baking pan. I make them about 1/3 inch thick. Arrange so there's a little room in between them (not touching). You can ease the cleanup by lining the baking pan or cookie sheet with foil and spritzing with some nonstick spray, but it's all in your preference and what kind of cooking method you use. If you are broiling the nuggets, I wouldn't recommend parchment or baking on silicone sheets.
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  6

  Drizzle the tops of the nuggets with about 1/2 tsp oil just to get the "frying" process started. You won't need to do this on the reverse side because the cooking will already be well on its way.
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  7

  Bake or broil until the tops of the nuggets are an even, golden brown, then remove from oven and flip them over. The second side shouldn't take as long to brown. In my oven on low broil, they can go about 20 minutes on that first side. High broil would brown them too quickly. The nuggets should be fully cooked once both sides are lightly browned but of course, if you wish to use a thermometer, 165 internal temp is good for chicken.
• 8

  Optional but it makes them so much better! When you're on the final few minutes of the last side, remove from the oven and sprinkle canned or fresh grated parmesan cheese on top, spritz with a little oil or nonstick spray, and finish them off in the oven. Remove when the cheese has browned.
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  9

  Serve immediately...although, you can cool completely then refrigerate if you're meal prepping or have leftovers. We actually make up a big batch and keep them handy for light meals and snacks. Personally, I think they're tasty even cold!
• 10

  Alternate serving suggestion: you can make the mixture up into chicken patties if you'd rather have bun-sized chicken for sandwiches.
• 11

  Feel free to experiment with different seasonings! What I'm using may sound spicy but it's actually quite mild and the flavors sort of disappear in the chicken. You could cut back or add more to your liking. You could use Mediterranean seasonings, and make into chicken patties for low carb Chicken Parmesan. You could use Middle Eastern or Eastern spices, and serve with a little yogurt in a pita, or naan, or other breads (there are low carb varieties abounding now!). These would be great chopped and served over a "fried chicken" salad. We are toying with some different ways to use this idea. They're good with every imaginable dipping sauce, and good without a thing on them, too. I'm just glad to find something that has very little impact on my blood sugar but still gives me the texture of a chicken nugget--with way fewer additives.
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