SERVES 4
GLUTEN-FREE · DAIRY-FREE · PALEO · WHOLE30 · GRAIN-FREE
Total time: 45 minutes But don’t forget to let your chicken marinate first!
If I had a cleaned-up kids’ food section of this book without some sort of chicken finger or nugget in it, what kind of mom/cookbook author would I be? Is there anything more kid-approved than a chicken nugget?
My kids favorite “restaurant” just so happens to be the drive-through with the best chicken nuggets ever . . . yeah, you know which one I am referring to, right? I can’t lie to you either, it’s a guilty pleasure for me as well. I’ve re-created those nuggets (sans junk) in my own kitchen, and oh-my-good-heavens they are freaking good. Definitely the best paleo nugget I’ve ever tasted. The trick? Brine your nuggets in pickle juice. It makes them much more tender and oh-so-flavorful!
Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer across a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a skillet, pound the breasts until they are an even ¼-inch thickness. Remove and discard the plastic wrap, then cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces.
Place the chicken in a bowl with the pickle juice, and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate to allow the chicken to brine in the pickle juice for at least 2 hours (and up to all day).
When chicken has finished brining, strain off the excess pickle juice.
Set up an assembly line for dredging your chicken: In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon water until frothy. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the tapioca starch, almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Using a fork, stir to combine and break up any clumps.
Individually dip each chicken piece in the egg, letting excess drip off, then roll in the flour mixture to coat. Set aside on a clean plate and continue until all the chicken is coated. To make your dredging process cleaner, I like to designate one hand to dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then the other for the rolling in the flour mixture.
In a Dutch oven, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. When hot, working in batches, fry the chicken until the crust is golden brown and the meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes on the first side, and 1 to 2 minutes on the second. Once cooked, transfer chicken to a paper towel–lined plate and continue until all the chicken is cooked through and crispy.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Air Fryer Method
After you have set up your assembly line, preheat your air fryer to 400°F for 8 minutes. In two separate batches, dredge the chicken and place in the air fryer basket, being careful not to overcrowd the basket so that the chicken has plenty of room to crisp up all around. Spray the tops generously with avocado oil spray and cook for 5 minutes. Pull the basket out, carefully flip the nuggets over, and spray the other side with avocado oil spray. Continue to cook for 4 more minutes, or until the chicken is crispy all over and cooked through. Remove from the air fryer and transfer the cooked nuggets to a paper towel-lined plate and continue until all of the chicken is cooked.