Kid Chef Friendly Paleo Chicken Nuggets

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Easy Paleo Chicken Nuggets

Have you ever had the glorious experience of a Chick-fil-A chicken nugget? Fried to perfection, tangy, almost sweet with a delightful crunchy coating that tickles your taste buds and delights the nugget loving child inside?

Well, my two darling boys have never had anything but the grilled nuggets from Chick-fil-A due to food allergies. Now, the grilled nuggets are good, but they aren't the original.

Because of our myriad food allergies, we eat mainly paleo. That is how this delightful recipe came to be!

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To begin, you need 1 pound of chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes. Brining is optional, but does make the meat more tender and moist. You can do this with a salt water brine or, for a copycat CFA nugget, use dill pickle juice. There are a few brands that are Whole30 compliant and we used Simple Truth brand from Kroger. No sugar, no weird chemicals, and a delightful flavor.

After your meat has marinated 30 minutes, drain out the liquid and lay the meat on paper towels and pat dry. You can marinate for up to 2 hours with a saltwater brine, but I don't recommend over 30 minutes for pickle juice. The chicken will taste too much like pickle and be a little tough when cooked.

Next, grab a gallon sized ziplock baggie and mix the flours and spices: 1 cup of almond flour (this one is my favorite!), half a cup of tapioca flour (sometimes labeled starch), 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.

Crack your egg into a medium sized bowl and whisk it well. Add the chicken and coat it all thoroughly with the egg wash. Use a slotted spoon or your hands to move the chicken to the bag with the flour. Zip the bag up and shake it well until all the chicken is well coated in flour. *Note- you can do this by dredging small batches of the chicken in the egg wash and coating with flour in a bowl, we just find the bag to be less messy and faster. 

Heat your skillet over medium heat and add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut oil and sauté half the chicken nuggets at a time for 2-3 minutes per side until cooked through and the coating is golden and crunchy.

Drain the cooked nuggets on a paper towel and serve hot. For dipping sauce, we love Primal Kitchen Ranch or homemade Dijon Honey Mustard dressing.

Enjoy!