Easy Homemade Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets Are a Dinner Winner
When my family began our real food lifestyle we stopped buying frozen processed dinner foods. So, when the boys asked for that standard childhood favorite – chicken nuggets – I knew I’d need to find a way to make them myself.
I also wanted to cut wheat from our diet as much as possible, so I started experimenting with making homemade gluten-free chicken nuggets.
It seems easy enough to bread and fry or bake bite-sized chicken pieces, right? Really, it is. Unless you’re sensitive to gluten. Finding a good gluten-free chicken nugget recipe is a bit trickier.
After a trying a few recipes that didn’t quite give us the flavor and texture we were looking for, I finally created my first gluten free chicken nugget recipe.
These coconut flour breaded chicken nuggets fry up golden brown with a nice crispy texture. They are exactly what we’re looking for in a gluten free chicken nugget!
Read on for the recipe. There’s a printable recipe card at the end if you need it.
Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets Recipe – Made with Coconut Flour
You can bake these nuggets instead of frying them. (See the recipe notes for baking instructions.) When I don’t have time to babysit the frying pan, I pop them in the oven. They aren’t quite as crispy, but they still bake to a golden brown and taste great.
(Hate the taste of coconut flour? Try my other gluten free chicken nuggets that use arrowroot powder.)
Here’s the recipe! (Scroll to the bottom for a printable version)
2 lbs of boneless chicken
1/2-3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil or avocado oil
(if you don’t like the taste of coconut oil avocado oil is a great alternative. It’s flavorless.)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. (I make mine about 2 inches long and an inch thick.)
- Mix together the coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt.
- Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan.
- Coat the chicken pieces with the coconut flour mixture and place them in the frying pan. (I usually fill a gallon-sized plastic zipper bag with the flour mixture, add the chicken pieces and shake. Clean up is easier and my fingers don’t get coated with flour this way.)
- Fry* until golden brown and until the center of the nuggets reaches at least 160 degrees F.
- Remove from pan and enjoy!
*I’ve also baked these in a 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. If you don’t have time to watch a frying pan or you’re out of coconut oil, these bake well.
Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of boneless chicken
- 1/2-3/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or avocado oil if you don't like the taste of coconut oil avocado oil is a great alternative. It's flavorless.
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. (I make mine about 2 inches long and an inch thick.)
- Mix together the coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt.
- Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan.
- Coat the chicken pieces with the coconut flour mixture and place them in the frying pan.
- (I usually fill a gallon-sized plastic zipper bag with the flour mixture, add the chicken pieces and shake. Clean up is easier and my fingers don't get coated with flour this way.)
- Fry* until golden brown and until the center of the nuggets reaches at least 160 degrees F.
- Remove from pan and enjoy!
- *I've also baked these in a 400-degree oven for 25 minutes. If you don't have time to watch a frying pan or are out of coconut oil, these bake well.
Before you go!
This is how I get a real food dinner on the table on even the busiest evenings. It’s all about planning, baby. Check it out!
If you’re looking for Keto Meal Plans I recommend REAL PLANS. They’re my favorite real food, keto meal planner.