When we first decided we were Going Whole30, and that we with doing Whole30 with Kids along for the ride, I knew that I would have to find a way to supplement store bought chicken nuggets. Especially since Homemade Instant Mac and Cheese is totally off the menu. I looked around and discovered that making Whole30 Chicken Nuggets would be just like making regular chicken nuggets with substitutions for bread crumbs, flour and milk. Easy.
Whole30 Chicken Nuggets
To me, almond flour seemed the way to go. So the first time I made these, we set up a breading station with almond flour for the first layer, then eggs with almond milk, followed by almond flour with seasoning. The problem with that scenario was the breading flaked off, especially after they cooled. The first layer of almond flour was too coarse. I need a non-wheat, non-grain that has the consistency of wheat flour. Enter potato starch. Perfect.
Sunshine helped me last weekend as we turned four pounds of boneless chicken thighs into nuggets. The first station was potato starch with salt and pepper. That was followed by eggs and almond milk. Finally, the outer breading which is still made from almond flour and seasonings which include salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, paprika and dry mustard. Then we baked them at 425° F for about 15 minutes.
These Whole30 Chicken Nuggets are actually way better than any chicken nugget that you have ever had because the almond flour gives them an awesome and subtle nuttiness. Everyone loves them hot. Sunshine doesn’t care for them cold which is a bummer because as I noted in Whole30 with Kids, we’ve been having a lot of difficulty figuring out what to pack for school lunches. Fortunately, The Boy does like them cold, so at least he can take them for lunch.
Our Whole30 Adventure
These Whole30 Chicken Nuggets are a great make ahead meal. I’m sure that you could freeze them, but each time I have made them, they didn’t make it longer than five days, so it wasn’t necessary for us. These are a perfect kid food if your are thinking about going Whole30 or Paleo.
For more on our Whole30 journey, check out my posts about Going Whole 30 and Whole30 Day 15 and A Week of Whole30 Meals (next week).
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| Prep Time | 1 hour |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
- 2/3 cup potato starch
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granualated garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Pat your chicken thighs dry and cut them into nugget sized pieces, between 1-1/2 and 2 inches. Place these in a bowl while you set up your breading stations.
- Set up breading station using three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, add the potato starch and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- In the second bowl, crack the eggs, add the almond milk and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Whisk these until well blended.
- In the third bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients (almond flour and seasoning). Stir with a whisk or fork until well combined.
- One nugget at a time, coat first with potato starch, then dunk in the egg mixture and then finally coat with the almond flour breading. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until the sheet is full.
- Bake on the first side for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn them. Bake for another 7 minutes or until they are cooked through.
