Someone once told me they felt horrible for my girls because they could never eat at McDonald’s due to their allergies. Truth is, I’m SO HAPPY we (myself included) can’t eat there. We’ve all heard the rumors about what’s really in the chicken nuggets, and that is enough for me never to want to eat there – allergies or not! I do love chicken nuggets though, as long as I know what’s really in them is good, whole, REAL food. 😉
As I recently told you, over the past couple weeks, I’ve tried to focus on creating new gluten-free, super kid-friendly recipes for my girls. These Best Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets were definitely a product of those few weeks. My husband (sshhh… can I secretly count him as my 3rd child?!) loves them, too. I like them, because they are not only delicious and healthy (as far as fried chicken nuggets go), but they reheat well after being refrigerated or frozen. To be able to make a batch of these and then freeze and reheat them {AND still have them be crispy} is a gift. Seriously! I’m sure you other busy parents out there can relate!
As for what to dip your nuggets in, you can use ketchup, Homemade Ranch Dressing, or Honey Mustard Sauce. I served my girls their nuggets with apples and carrot slices at lunch today, but you could also pair them with a green salad, another veggie, or even these Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Fries.
Enjoy – and have a great week!
Megan (with a long E)
- 2 lbs chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 1 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour or sunflower seed flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour or millet flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3-4 large eggs
- 1/2-3/4 cup coconut oil for frying
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the sorghum flour, blanched almond flour, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, and ground black pepper. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Line a large baking sheet with paper towels, and then place a cooling rack on top of the paper towels.
- Warm a 12 inch skillet (I use and recommend this one) over medium heat and place enough coconut oil in the pan so that when it melts the oil covers the entire bottom of the pan and measures about 1/4 inch deep.
- Blot 1/3 of the chicken pieces off with paper towels, and then place them in the flour mixture. Use a slotted spoon to toss the chicken in the flour and coat the pieces.
- Use a fork to shake the excess flour from the chicken pieces and place them in the bowl with the egg. Stir to fully coat the pieces in egg.
- Use the fork to again transfer the chicken pieces back into the flour mixture. Toss to thoroughly coat.
- Carefully place the chicken pieces, one by one, in the skillet with the hot oil. Cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden, and then flip and cook another 2-4 minutes, or until the other side is golden. (Cooking time will depend on how thick the chicken pieces are, how hot the oil is, etc. To ensure the chicken is being thoroughly cooked, test one; cut one nugget in half and verify the juices run clear and the chicken is white in color, not pink.)
- Removed the cooked chicken nuggets from the skillet and place on the cooling rack.
- Add more coconut oil to the skillet so it covers the entire bottom of the pan and measures about 1/4 inch deep.
- Keep repeating steps 5-10 again, until all of the chicken is cooked.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place desired amount of nuggets on the baking sheet.
- Place in a cold oven and set the oven to preheat to 400 degrees (F).
- Immediately set a kitchen timer and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the nuggets are hot (to be clear, start the timer immediately after you set the oven to preheat). They will crisp up as they cool.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place desired amount of frozen nuggets on the baking sheet.
- Place in a cold oven and set the oven to preheat to 400 degrees (F).
- Cook for 15 minutes, and then flip the nuggets over, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the nuggets are hot (to be clear, start the timer immediately after you set the oven to preheat). They will crisp up as they cool.
Place fried and cooled nuggets on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze until solid (at least 3-4 hours), and then package in an air tight container and place back in the freezer. Use within 1-2 months.
Egg substitutions:
I have not tried making these egg free, and I'm not sure they would work without the eggs. If you end up trying to make them egg free, please come back and leave us a comment with your results!
This post is linked to Savoring Saturdays, Saturday Night Fever, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Create It Thursday, Foodie Friday, and Gluten Free Fridays.
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Will have to try these over the weekend, love the idea of making a double batch and freezing half of them! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I have been wanting to make chicken nuggets like this for quite some time, I really think I am going to experiment this weekend 🙂
Gosh, isn’t it sad when folks have been so brainwashed that they think a child is deprived when they don’t eat at McDonald’s? Anyway, these look great per usual. You know I already love your Paleo Chicken Tenders. 😉
xo,
Shirley
I am going to try making them with buttermilk instead of eggs…(fried chicken often uses buttermilk and I have egg issues). If that works, I am thinking almond milk may also (because in addition to gluten intolerance, he has some lactose issues). Thank you for sharing!
Fabulous recipe. I would be honored if you would stop by and share this recipe at Foodie Fridays (Thursday 9 pm EST) this week. Have a wonderful rest of your week and I hope to see you there!
Blessings,
Shari
I bet I could do this with tofu!! 🙂 Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you share this week! Its LIVE!
Cindy
I absolutely LOVE these! I think everyone (food allergies or not) would appreciate a natural chicken nugget that not only tastes great but is gluten free too! Pinning. Thanks so much for linking up to SNF
I made these a few days after the recipe was posted. It turned out great! The amount of flour was just right, the flavor was good, and I had a bunch left over to freeze. They’ve reheated really easily, 10-12 minutes in the toaster oven. My five year old asked for them several times and it was so nice to just pull a few out and know that he would eat all of it. Definitely a keeper recipe! Twelve thumbs up (we have six people in our family) =)
I’m thrilled you stopped by and shared at Foodie Fridays. It was fun to share. I am looking forward to seeing what fabulous post you have to share this week. Party starts at 9 pm EST. Hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Shari
I made these for supper last night and they were incredible, thank-you for sharing your recipe!! I will will definitely make them again
You’re very welcome Gwen! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!