A healthier, low-carb option for chicken nuggets
These copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets are an easy weeknight dinner and perfect for picky eaters.
Like most moms, I love the convenience of drive-through chicken nuggets, but not so much the carb count.
Check out the nutritional info of Chick-fil-A nuggets, if you’re interested.
I wanted to find a way to replicate that deliciousness in a more healthy way. Enter: drive through copycat nuggets at home.
Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets: A secret ingredient
If you want that extra flavor brought out in your chicken, you can marinate your bare chicken bits in pickle juice for a couple of hours.
I’ve heard this is Chick-fil-A’s secret and it’s super yummy!
How so I make the copycat chicken nuggets crunchy?
The real secret here is to get your oil hot enough so the nuggets sizzle when plopped into the pan.
You’ll also want to make sure to paper towel-dry the chicken before bathing them in your whisked egg mixture. This way, they’ll be primed to absorb more egg.
What can I serve low-carb copycat Chick-fil-A nuggets with?
My favorite low-carb barbecue sauce is G Hughes because there’s no aftertaste and only 2 g. carbs per serving.
You’ll also find low-carb options with many hot sauces since they’re mostly a combination of vinegar and pepper- and both are really low in carbs.
What can I serve as a side with chicken nuggets?
Perfect side dish options for nuggets include:
- side salad
- green beans
- Copycat Chick-fil-A Kale Salad (with easy dressing)
Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 cup pickle juice optional, to marinate chicken bits before frying
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1.5 lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2 in squares
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ground pepper
- .5 tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat oil on med-high heat in medium pan.
- Slice chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. Pat dry with paper towel.
- submerge chicken into whisked eggs
- One at a time, transfer chicken pieces to bowl containing dry ingredients and place in frying pan.
- Flip nuggets after about 4-5 minutes on each side. Fry until golden brown. Remove and place on a plate with a paper towel.
I made these but they were extremely salty. Are you sure it’s 1 Tablespoon of salt to only 1 cup almond flour?
Based on several comments, I have adjusted the salt ratio. Thanks for stopping by!
I will totally try this will let you know how it turns out.
Too salty! I suggest omitting half the salt, otherwise delicious
We need the macros please.
The seasoning amounts are off. An entire tablespoon (tbsp) each of salt, pepper, and paprika is way too much! Will have to tweek it but otherwise, the pickle juice gives a good flavor. Wonder how these would do in an air fryer?
Air fryer options?
When I make nuggets in the air fryer, everything is usually the same with a bit of oil in the pot. 400 degrees for about 5 minutes on air crisp. Let me know how it turns out. From frozen, about 10-12 minutes. Thanks for stopping by!
Can we list the amount of nuggies per serving please
Sure, thanks so much for the suggestion, Diana. And, thanks so much for stopping by LCQ 🙂
Me and my fiance really enjoyed these Keto easy copycat chick-fil-a nuggets. They were really good. I’ll have to make them again some other time.
Hi Diana,
I’m so glad you enjoyed. Happy cooking! -Amber
I am allergic to Almonds so I Will try with ground seasoned pork rinds
That sounds like a great substitution, Kristy. Thanks for stopping by and trying the nuggets. -Amber
425 calories? And also new to keto so what makes these keto? lol thank you!
Hi Breanna, These nuggets are gluten-free, do not contain sugar, or as many carbohydrates as regular breading for nuggets. Instead, almond flour is used. Hope this helps. Thanks so much for stopping by! -Amber
kcals ?? google says one kcal equals 1000 calories? can someone help me understand that? :’)
Hi, Teddy! There are 425 calories for this recipe. The food calorie, or kilocalorie (Cal, Calorie or kcal), most widely used in nutrition, is the amount of heat needed to cause the same increase in one kilogram of water. Thus, 1 kilocalorie (kcal) = 1000 calories (cal). I hope this helps. Thanks so much for stopping by!