You won’t believe how easy it’s to make healthy keto air fry chicken nuggets right at your own home! Made with real ground chicken and seasoned to perfection, you won’t be missing those greasy fast food chicken nuggets ever again!
These better than fast food chicken nuggets are sugar-free, low carb and keto friendly so the whole family can enjoy them guilt-free. A staple in our household, I’m confident you will be making these chicken nuggets over and over again!
What are Keto Chicken Nuggets?
Keto chicken nuggets are made with ground chicken and seasonings then rolled in low carb friendly pork rinds and air fried until tender and completely cooked. They make a filling main course as well as a tasty appetizer. Not to mention they are gluten-free and sugar-free.
What ingredients will I need and what are the instructions to make this keto chicken nuggets?
- Ground Chicken (breast or thigh)
- Pork Rinds
- Green Onion
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Egg
- Half & Half
Mix ground chicken with seasonings, shape them and roll in crushed pork rinds. Then place them in an air fryer basket and cook until done.
Are fast food chicken nuggets keto friendly?
Fast food chicken nuggets are not keto friendly because the outer crust is made with a traditional flour coating, not to mention the fillers and preservatives used. In addition, most dipping sauces contain sugar which is why we included a sugar-free dipping sauce that is so delicious.
Can I oven bake or deep fry these chicken nuggets instead?
If you don’t own an air fryer you can also fry or bake them in the oven.
Deep fry- Follow the same directions and deep fry at 350F for 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken nuggets reaches 165 F.
Bake- 350F for 11-13 minutes or until internal temperature of the chicken nuggets reaches 165 F.
How should I reheat keto chicken nugget?
For best results, reheat keto chicken nuggets in the air fryer.
What kind of keto friendly dipping sauce should I use?
Our recipe includes a spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce. Some other ideas include:
- Sugar-Free Ketchup
- Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
- Ranch
- Any other of your Sugar-Free Favorite Dipping Sauce
Why do we use ground chicken as opposed to chicken breast or chicken thigh to make these keto chicken nuggets?
The main reasons we use ground chicken rather than chicken breast or thigh are texture and seasoning.
Seasoning ground chicken is much easier since you can combine the spices and mix it all together, rather than taking an overnight marinating approach.
Also, the texture of the ground chicken is softer whereas using chicken fillets would result in harder fried chicken like texture.
What is the nutrition information for this Keto Chicken Nuggets recipe?
- 82 Calories
- 1g Carbohydrates
- 1g Fiber
- 7g Protein
- 5g Fat
- 32mg Cholesterol
- 188mg Sodium
- 123mg Potassium
- 4mg Calcium
- 1mg Iron
- 15ui Vitamin A
- 1mg Vitamin C
Looking for other keto friendly fried recipes?
- Fried Calamari
- Old Bay Fish Fry
- Japanese Fried Chicken Kaarage
- Japanese Tonkatsu Pork Cutlet
- Spinach and Artichoke Cream Cheese Ball
Now, let’s get some air frying some Keto Chicken Nuggets – LCA style!
- Prepping Time 3M
- Cooking Time 7-9M
- Total Time 10M
- Net Carb/Serv ~0.5g
- Servings 20 Pieces
Ingredients
Chicken Nuggets
- 1 lb Ground Chicken (breast or thigh)
- 1/2 oz Unflavored Pork Rinds (~1 tbsp if using Pork Panko)
- 1 Stalk Green Onion
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Egg
- 1 1/2 tbsp Half & Half
Crust
- 3 oz Unflavored Pork Rinds (~6 tbsp if using Pork Panko)
Optional Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce
- 4 tbsp Kewpie Mayo (you can sub with American mayo but will alter taste)
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Chop green onion and set aside.
3) Pour Unflavored Pork Rinds into a food processor and pulse until ground into very fine. You can also use your hands to crush the pork rinds if you don’t have a food processor, but we strongly recommend using a food processor. Place 1 tbsp of crushing pork rinds into the mixing bowl and set the remaining aside.
4) In the same mixing bowl, add ground chicken, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chopped green onions, beaten egg and half & half. Combine until mixed well.
5) Take ~1.5 tbsp of the chicken mixture, place it in the crushed pork rinds from step 3) and then roll it around to coat all sides. Note – it may help to rub some oil on your hands to avoid the mixture from sticking.
6) Using your hands, gently form nuggets from the coated chicken nuggets and transfer them to the air fryer tray. Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used. Air fryer at 390F for 7-9 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165F. Note – if you like your chicken nuggets crispy, re-fry them by putting it back in the air fryer for 2-4 minutes after they have cooled down.
7) Optional mayo sauce – combine Kewpie Mayo with Sriracha into a mixing bowl and mix well.
8) Once chicken nuggets are air fried, serve with a dipping sauce of choice. Enjoy!
Hope you enjoy your Keto Chicken Nuggets!
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Keto Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
Chicken Nuggets
- 1 lb Ground Chicken breast or thigh
- 1/2 oz Unflavored Pork Rinds ~1 tbsp if using Pork Panko
- 1 Stalk Green Onion
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Egg
- 1 1/2 tbsp Half & Half
Crust
- 3 oz Unflavored Pork Rinds ~6 tbsp if using Pork Panko
Optional Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce
- 4 tbsp Kewpie Mayo you can sub with American mayo
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Chop green onion and set aside.
- Pour Unflavored Pork Rinds into a food processor and pulse until ground into very fine. You can also use your hands to crush the pork rinds if you don’t have a food processor, but we strongly recommend using a food processor. Place 1 tbsp of crushing pork rinds into the mixing bowl and set the remaining aside.
- In the same mixing bowl, add ground chicken, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chopped green onions, beaten egg and half & half. Combine until mixed well.
- Take ~1.5 tbsp of the chicken mixture, place it in the crushed pork rinds from step 3) and then roll it around to coat all sides. Note - it may help to rub some oil on your hands to avoid the mixture from sticking.
- Using your hands, gently form nuggets from the coated chicken nuggets and transfer them to the air fryer tray. Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used. Air fryer at 390F for 7-9 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165F. Note - if you like your chicken nuggets crispy, re-fry them by putting it back in the air fryer for 2-4 minutes after they have cooled down.
- Optional mayo sauce - combine Kewpie Mayo with Sriracha into a mixing bowl and mix well.
- Once chicken nuggets are air fried, serve with a dipping sauce of choice. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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Is the ground chicken raw?
Hi Brittany! Yes, it is.
Sorry, a stupid question but for the per serving kcal, so one piece is 82kcal? Thank you
Hi Vivian! Yes, the NF are listed as per piece/serving. But keep in mind the program automatically calculates all the ingredients listed. And since you won’t be using all of the pork rinds, sauce, etc, the real kcal will be lower than what is shown.