These baked paleo chicken tenders are made with organic chicken, almond meal, shredded coconut and a blend of spices. They’re absolutely delicious high in protein, low carb and whole30 approved.Â
A couple months ago I was in New York for an event and asked my friend, Kris for a few restaurant recommendations. One of her top suggestions was Hu Kitchen so I ended up there for dinner one evening. Rather than a sit-down restaurant, Hu is a quick dine-in or take-out spot. You simply order at the counter, grab your food, pay and then find a spot to enjoy your meal. Their menu is completely gluten-free and features all real food. <– Right up my alley!
That evening I decided to get the Sides Matter with root vegetable mash, roasted cauliflower and roasted sweet potatoes along with a few baked chicken tenders. The chicken tenders were from the prepared food section so they were served cold, but they were still crazy good.
Once home I had a craving for the chicken tenders and since Richmond doesn’t have a Hu Kitchen (yet!) I decided to make my own homemade version.
I knew it wouldn’t be too hard because I’ve made baked chicken tenders before. The only difference is that these chicken tenders are paleo and grain-free so the crust is made with almond meal instead of rice cereal and an egg instead of Greek yogurt. Easy peasy!
It took me a couple weeks but I finally got around to making them and they turned out to be REALLY good — crispy, flavorful and just as delicious as I remember them being at Hu.
Isaac and I ate them with honey mustard the first night and then I put the leftover tenders on salad for lunch the next day.
It was absolutely delish!! I already want to make another batch of the tenders (and these sesame roasted carrots) just so I can have this salad again.
One quick note — the Hu Kitchen chicken tenders don’t have coconut, I just decided to add a little unsweetened shredded coconut to my recipe for added flavor and crunch. If you want to stick with the traditional version or simply don’t like coconut, just use 1/4 cup more almond meal instead of the shredded coconut.
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Inspired by the chicken tenders from Hu Kitchen in New York, these baked chicken tenders are made with organic chicken, almond meal and a blend of spices. They’re paleo, packed with protein and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 lb organic boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (or 1/4 cup more almond meal)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place almond meal, coconut, paprika, cayenne, garlic, sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Crack egg into another shallow bowl and whisk.
- One by one, dredge each chicken tender in the egg bowl, wiping off any access and then dip each into the almond meal mixture. Roll until each tender is covered completely. Place the coated tenders on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a wire rack that fits on a baking sheet. The wire rack will make for a crispier texture. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the tenders once at the 10 minute mark. When done the chicken tenders will be golden brown and completely cooked through. Remove tenders from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Inspired by the Baked Organic Chicken Tenders at Hu Kitchen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 1g
- Fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 30g
Keywords: baked chicken tenders, paleo chicken tenders
I hope you like these baked paleo chicken tenders much as we do. If you happen to try them, please let me know in the comment section or share a photo via social media. Don’t forget to tag me (@eatingbirdfood) so that I see it. You have no idea how excited I get when you make my recipes. <3
Andrew says
July 7, 2015 at 3:26 pmWow, these look like naughty fried chicken tenders. I want to try this recipe!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
July 7, 2015 at 3:37 pmOhh these look yummy! I love chicken tenders!
Alex @ get big, go to work says
July 7, 2015 at 3:45 pmThese look so good and definitely a recipe I need to try. I tend to get stuck in such a rut with how I make chicken, meat, etc. but this looks like a twist that is both tasty and easy!!
Sara @ Oats & Rows says
July 7, 2015 at 5:30 pmMmmm these look delicious!
Kim says
July 7, 2015 at 8:08 pmOn my list to make this weekend. Love this is low carb! Going to try with a tahini honey mustard dressing. Sound good?
taramdeal says
July 8, 2015 at 6:40 amI make a recipe similar to this for the little girl I nanny and she loves them!! Always gobbles them up and they are WAY better for her than those frozen things 🙂 She also loves helping to bread them…even though she doesn’t want to get her hands dirty 😉
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
July 8, 2015 at 8:26 pmLove these! I have not had a chicken tender in FOREVER. Almond meal is always awesome to cook with for sure.
Kelly, says
July 8, 2015 at 9:03 pmI definitely want to try these! I was diagnosed with celiac disease in March, and I’ve been missing chicken tenders as my go-to restaurant meal! I’m just a kid at heart ; )
emily says
July 10, 2015 at 12:27 amWhen I was preggers, I craved chicken strips all the time — and apparently that hasn’t changed! These look SO good. Is it kinda bad I want to dunk one in a milkshake or slather it with honey? Yum!
Brittany Mullins says
July 10, 2015 at 8:31 amUmm, yes!! Sounds like my childhood in a nutshell. I never ate chicken nuggets without honey!
caseylynnpurcell says
July 10, 2015 at 11:35 amHow easy! Can’t wait to try
Brittany Mullins says
July 10, 2015 at 2:08 pmYay! Let me know how they turn out if you try them.
Janet H says
July 24, 2015 at 6:06 pmLoved these! I have a nut allergy, so I made Sunflower Seed meal to substitute and it turned out great!
Brittany Mullins says
July 24, 2015 at 11:10 pmWoo-hoo! So glad that they turned out with sunflower seed meal. I didn’t even know sunflower seed meal was a thing.
D.D. Elmore says
February 3, 2016 at 10:48 pmMade these tonight and the family loved them!! I made a double recipe so the kids could take them to school for lunch. Great recipe as I’m really trying to eat clean and feed the family delicious nutritious meals.
Elyse says
October 11, 2016 at 11:47 pmThese are amazing & have become a regular in my house! Any idea if they would freeze well after baking? Thanks!
★★★★★
Carla D. says
December 7, 2016 at 6:14 pmI love these chicken tenders. I’ve done the recipe straight up, and then done different variations, using smoked paprika, etc. Also, once I realized I didn’t have almond meal when it was too late to run out and get it, so I used panko. I know they weren’t then paleo, but they still tasted good.
★★★★★
Anne says
January 21, 2017 at 8:57 pmThese are so so delicious!!! We’re doing Whole30 and they were such a nice change from roasted chicken. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
★★★★
Anne says
January 21, 2017 at 8:59 pmAlso, I tried to give 5 stars but my phone wasn’t having it. Definitely a 5 star recipe!!
Brittany Mullins says
January 22, 2017 at 2:47 pmThank you so much, Anne!!
alison says
March 17, 2017 at 9:22 pmGoing to try these tonight, but one of my kids doesn’t like spicy food, so i was wondering about the spice level? maybe i will omit the cayenne even though i LOVE spicy…
Brittany Mullins says
March 17, 2017 at 10:22 pmYeah! I would just omit the cayenne. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Deanna says
December 13, 2017 at 12:10 pmHello, My husband and I just started the Paleo diet. We are having great success with all the meals we’ve been making. I was so excited to find the Baked Paleo Chicken Tenders recipe. I am making this recipe for my husband tonight for dinner along with a Paleo friendly mustard dipping sauce and a Paleo Salad. Thank you for posting this…
Sarah says
December 30, 2017 at 6:05 pmWe make these regularly for our girls. I like to double the recipe so hubby has leftovers for lunch. Another neat trick is to make an extra batch of the breading and cut up an extra batch of chicken for an easy throw together meal on a night you don’t have a lot of time. Thank you so much for this wonderful, kid friendly, leftover friendly and freezer friendly meal!!
Brittany Mullins says
December 30, 2017 at 9:54 pmYay!! So glad that you and your family like these chicken tenders and I love the make-ahead trick you shared too! I’m actually working on a new chicken parm recipe with these.
Becky Haft says
January 9, 2018 at 2:19 pmI loved this recipe! I’m usually not a huge chicken fan but am trying to incorporate more of it into my diet for a boost of lean protein, which means I’m on the hunt for flavor filled, versatile recipes. I can’t wait to work these into my meal prep regularly and use them for salads, grain bowls, and more. Thanks so much for sharing this one.
Sarah says
February 21, 2018 at 4:14 pmGreat recipe – these turned out perfectly! Very yummy!
Mandy says
April 22, 2018 at 9:56 am“The chicken is not dry!” My husband blurted out after his first bite. We were out of paprika so I used some chipotle powder and I made extra for a salad to take to work tomorrow. Great recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
Brittany Mullins says
April 23, 2018 at 10:09 amHooray!! So glad you both enjoyed these. They’re a favorite over here too! 🙂
Natalie says
November 9, 2018 at 5:08 amThis was sooo good! I literally ate 3 pieces before I even sat down for dinner. Thank you so much for another delicious, healthy recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Layla says
November 27, 2018 at 1:04 amHi, sounds great I’m going to try it, is it freezeable though? I guess it is however let me know your thoughts please please ?
Thank you
Brittany Mullins says
November 27, 2018 at 8:56 amI’ve never had a change to freeze them (we usually eat them all up), but I would assume that they freeze well. Let me know if you try it.
Suzi says
January 9, 2019 at 10:09 amCan’t wait to try paleo chicken nuggets.
Just a suggestion. I plan to read most of plan quickly and then organize a week of meal plans and shopping list. Then start program.
★★★★★
Sabrina says
May 15, 2019 at 10:05 pmSo tasty!! I don’t like too much spice so I halved the cayenne and it still had a good kick! I also double breaded them! Turned out UH-MAZING!
★★★★★