Crispy & Juicy Keto Chick-fil-A Style Chicken Nuggets: Your Low-Carb Homemade Favorite

Craving that unmistakable, savory crunch of your favorite fast-food chicken nuggets but sticking to a keto lifestyle? Look no further! These homemade Chick-fil-A style keto chicken nuggets are incredibly delicious, perfectly tender, and packed with flavor, all while being completely low-carb and gluten-free. Forget the drive-thru lines and questionable ingredients; you can now whip up a batch of these golden-brown beauties in your own kitchen, complete with a sensational keto copycat dipping sauce. Marinated in zesty pickle juice, lightly coated in a seasoned almond flour and parmesan blend, and pan-fried to golden perfection, they offer an unparalleled taste and texture that will make you forget they’re even keto-friendly. Get ready to elevate your low-carb meal prep or family dinner with a dish that’s not just good, but truly exceptional.

Overhead view of Chick-fil-A style keto chicken nuggets on a plate with keto dipping sauce.

Why This Keto Chicken Nugget Recipe Is a Game-Changer

This recipe isn’t just a substitute; it’s an upgrade! We’ve meticulously crafted it to capture everything you adore about classic Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, but with a clever keto twist. Here’s what makes this recipe truly stand out:

**Authentic Flavor, Keto-Friendly:** The secret to the iconic Chick-fil-A taste lies in the pickle juice marinade, and we embrace it fully here. This essential step infuses the chicken with a distinctive tang and helps tenderize the meat, making each bite incredibly juicy. Paired with our specially formulated keto breading, you get all the beloved flavor without the carbs.
**The Perfect Low-Carb Breading:** We’ve replaced traditional flour breading with a seasoned blend of **fine almond flour and grated parmesan cheese.** This combination not only adheres beautifully to the chicken but also crisps up magnificently when pan-fried, delivering that satisfying crunch you crave. Even carb-eaters will be astonished by how closely it mimics regular breading!
**Incredible Tenderness and Juiciness:** Marinating the chicken in dill pickle juice for at least an hour (and up to 10 hours) works wonders. The acidity in the pickle juice acts as a natural tenderizer, breaking down the chicken fibers and locking in moisture. This results in unbelievably tender and succulent nuggets every single time.
**Versatile Cooking Methods:** While pan-frying in peanut oil (for an authentic touch) or avocado oil provides the ultimate golden crunch, you also have lighter options. You can easily air fry your nuggets for a crispy alternative that requires minimal oil, perfect for those looking to reduce fat intake without sacrificing texture.
**Homemade Means Healthier & Customizable:** When you make your chicken nuggets at home, you have complete control over the ingredients. This means no hidden sugars, no unhealthy trans fats, and no artificial additives often found in fast food. Plus, you can adjust the seasonings to your personal preference, making these nuggets truly yours.

Essential Chef’s Tips for Perfect Keto Chicken Nuggets

Achieving restaurant-quality crispness and tenderness at home is easier than you think with these expert tips:

**Maximize Crispness with a Wire Cooling Rack:** This is a game-changer for truly crispy keto chicken nuggets. After frying, **always transfer your cooked nuggets to a wire cooling rack placed over a layer of paper towels.** If you simply place them on a plate lined with paper towels, the nuggets will sit in the oil that drips off, causing the breading to steam and become soggy. Elevating them on a rack allows air to circulate around all sides, letting excess oil drain away and preserving that delightful crunch. Don’t skip this step for maximum crispness!
**Mastering Oil Temperature is Key:** The temperature of your frying oil is critical for success.
- **If your oil is too hot:** You risk burning the breading before the chicken is cooked through, or at least achieving unevenly cooked nuggets.
- **If your oil isn’t hot enough:** The breading will soak up too much oil, resulting in dense, greasy, and unpleasant nuggets.
**How to test the temperature:** Once your oil looks hot and shimmery, gently stick the handle end of a wooden spoon into the pan. You should see small, steady bubbles forming around the wood. If the bubbles are very rapid, violent, or the oil is smoking, it’s too hot. Immediately lower the heat under the skillet and wait a few minutes for the oil to cool slightly before testing again. If there are no bubbles, the oil isn’t hot enough – increase the heat. Ideally, the oil should be around 350-375°F (175-190°C), so a kitchen thermometer can be a helpful tool.
**Don’t Overcrowd the Pan:** Frying in batches is crucial. Overcrowding the skillet will drastically drop the oil temperature, leading to soggy rather than crispy nuggets. It also makes it harder to flip them evenly. Give your nuggets space to breathe and fry perfectly.
**Ensure Uniform Nugget Size:** Cut your chicken breasts into consistently sized bite-sized chunks. This ensures that all nuggets cook evenly and at the same rate, preventing some from being undercooked while others are overcooked.
**Seasoning the Breading:** Don’t be shy with the spices! The blend of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika in the almond flour mixture is what gives these nuggets their savory depth. Taste your breading mixture before coating if you’re unsure, and adjust to your preference.

A keto chicken nugget above a bowl of keto honey mustard sauce, sauce dripping off the chicken and back into the bowl.

Crafting the Irresistible Keto Chick-fil-A Dipping Sauce

No Chick-fil-A style nugget experience is complete without the signature sauce! Our keto copycat version is unbelievably close to the original, offering that perfect blend of creamy, sweet, and tangy notes that elevates every bite. This simple sauce comes together in minutes and truly seals the deal for an authentic taste.

It’s made with a base of mayonnaise, combined with keto-friendly barbecue sauce (ensure it’s sugar-free!), classic yellow mustard, and a touch of keto honey or a similar honey-flavored liquid sweetener. Whisking all these ingredients together creates a smooth, luscious sauce that you’ll want to put on everything. Remember, chilling the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving allows the flavors to meld and deepen, resulting in a much more complex and satisfying taste.

Storage and Reheating Tips

These keto chicken nuggets are so delicious, you might not have any leftovers! But if you do, here’s how to store and reheat them to maintain their quality:

**Storage:** Store cooked and cooled chicken nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The dipping sauce can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
**Freezing:** For longer storage, freeze cooled nuggets in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid (about 1-2 hours), then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
**Reheating:** To bring back their crispy glory, avoid the microwave!
- **Air Fryer:** Reheat at 375°F (190°C) for 5-8 minutes, or until heated through and crispy.
- **Oven:** Bake on a wire rack at 400°F (200°C) for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway, until hot and crispy.
This ensures they retain their wonderful texture.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some common questions about making these keto chicken nuggets:

**Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?** Yes! Chicken thighs are a great option for extra flavor and juiciness. Adjust cooking time slightly as thighs can be thicker.
**Can I bake these chicken nuggets instead of frying?** While pan-frying or air frying yields the crispiest results, you can bake them. Place breaded nuggets on a greased baking sheet (or one lined with parchment paper) and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown and cooked through. They might not be as crispy as fried versions, but they will still be delicious.
**What kind of pickle juice should I use?** Use juice from regular dill pickles. Avoid sweet pickles as they contain added sugar, which isn’t keto-friendly.
**Can I make the chicken nuggets ahead of time?** You can prepare the chicken up to the breading stage and refrigerate it for a few hours. For best results, fry them fresh. The dipping sauce can definitely be made a day or two in advance.
**Are these chicken nuggets gluten-free?** Yes, because they use almond flour instead of wheat flour, these nuggets are naturally gluten-free, making them suitable for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.
**What if I don’t have peanut oil?** Avocado oil is an excellent neutral-flavored, high-smoke-point alternative. Other suitable neutral oils include canola or vegetable oil, but avocado oil is generally preferred for keto cooking due to its healthy fat profile.

Serving Suggestions for Your Keto Nuggets

These amazing keto chicken nuggets are fantastic on their own with the dipping sauce, but here are some ideas to complete your meal:

**Classic Pairing:** Serve with a side of crispy keto french fries (made from jicama or rutabaga) or a simple green salad with a keto dressing.
**Family Meal:** Alongside steamed broccoli, cauliflower rice, or a vibrant mixed greens salad.
**Kid-Friendly:** Perfect for lunchboxes or a fun dinner with other favorite low-carb sides.
**Snack Attack:** Enjoy them as a satisfying, protein-packed snack anytime!

Try These Other Delicious Keto Recipes While You’re Here

Keto Smothered Pork Chops
Sugar Free Edible Cookie Dough
Keto Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
Sausage & Egg Keto Breakfast Casserole
Keto Big Macs

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For more delicious recipes, visit our sister sites, 40 Aprons and Easy Cheap Recipes.

Chick-fil-A Style Keto Chicken Nuggets (with Keto Chick-fil-A Sauce)

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Marinate: 1 hour

Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

Inspired by the popular fast food chain but made totally keto, these homemade chicken nuggets are better than anything you’ll get from a drive thru.

Sam Guarnieri Sam Guarnieri

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6 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken Nuggets

▢ 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 8-10 ounces each, cut into bite-sized chunks
▢ ½ cup dill pickle juice from jar of dill pickles
▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
▢ 1 cup almond flour
▢ ¼ cup grated fresh parmesan at room temperature
▢ ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ¼ teaspoon onion powder
▢ ¼ teaspoon paprika
▢ avocado oil or other neutral oil, for frying

For the Dipping Sauce

▢ ¼ cup mayonnaise
▢ 2 tablespoons keto barbecue sauce store-bought or make your own
▢ 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
▢ 1 tablespoon keto honey or similar honey-flavored liquid keto sweetener

Get Recipe Ingredients

Equipment

large airtight, refrigerator-safe container
small airtight, refrigerator-safe container
2 whisks
2 shallow bowls
Large skillet
Tongs
2 plates or 1 plate and 1 wire cooling rack
Paper towels

Instructions

Place bite-sized chunks of chicken in large airtight container. Cover chicken with pickle juice, adding more as needed depending on size of container to fully cover chicken. Cover container and place in refrigerator. Let chicken marinate in pickle juice at least 1 hour, but no more than 10 hours.
Prepare dipping sauce by adding all ingredients to small airtight container and whisking until ingredients are fully combined. Close lid and refrigerate sauce at least 30 minutes.
When chicken has finished marinating, remove container from fridge and drain pickle juice.
Crack eggs into one shallow bowl and whisk well until egg mixture is pale yellow and no longer streaky. Set aside.
Add almond flour, parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to second shallow bowl. Whisk ingredients together until well blended.
Set up “breading” station in following order: marinated chicken, egg wash, almond flour mixture, empty plate. Working in batches as needed, coat marinated chicken chunks in egg wash, covering chicken on all sides. Allow excess egg to drip off chicken and back into bowl, then place chicken in almond flour mixture. Coat chicken on all sides with “breading”, shake any excess breading back into bowl, and transfer chicken to empty plate. Repeat until all chicken chunks have been prepared.
Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Line second plate with 2 to 3 paper towels. For crispier chicken, use wire cooling rack instead of second plate, and place paper towels under wire rack to catch oil drips.
When skillet is hot, add ½” to 1″ oil and swirl pan as needed to coat bottom of pan in oil. Heat oil until hot and shimmery. If desired, test oil temperature by inserting handle end of wooden spoon. When oil is ready, small bubbles will form around handle. Strong bubbling means oil is too hot – reduce heat under skillet and let oil cool slightly, then test again.
When oil is ready, place chicken nuggets in skillet, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding. Cook chicken 4 to 5 minutes, then flip nuggets over and cook another 4 minutes or until breading is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken nuggets to plate lined with paper towels or wire cooling rack. Repeat until all chicken nuggets have been fried, letting oil heat up again before adding more chicken to skillet.
Once all chicken nuggets have been fried and excess oil has drained from breading, divide chicken nuggets into desired portions and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes

Chilling the sauce is optional but recommended. Refrigerating the sauce at least 30 minutes gives the flavors time to meld and deepen, resulting in a more flavorful sauce.
BBQ Sauce: Make sure your BBQ sauce doesn’t include any added sugar, or any alternate sweeteners that aren’t keto-friendly (maltodextrin, sucralose, dextrose, etc.).
Nutritional Information: Number of servings will vary depending on size of chicken breasts and size and number of chicken chunks. Carb count per serving will vary slightly depending on amount of breading used. Nutritional values shown reflect 6 servings using entire breading mixture, and does include information for chicken nuggets with dipping sauce. Skipping the sauce will lower the total and net carb counts.

Nutrition Information

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.