That’s right, these gluten free and keto chicken tenders are incredibly flavorful and extra tender! Plus, they’re baked rather than fried (i.e. essentially mess-free!).
Gluten Free & Keto Chicken Tenders
Extra Tender!
Crispy, tender, and flavorful-to-boot! These baked low carb chicken tenders, marinated in sour cream and an awesome spice mix, are a real gold mine.
Plus, they’re easy-peasy! The chicken is baked for a mess-free and more hands-off approach.
Just try and marinade the chicken overnight– it’s a game changer. For any poultry dish really, always aim for an overnight marinade for best-tasting results (or at least 2-3 hours).
The ‘Breading’
For the ‘breading’ of these guys I love pork rinds (i.e. chicharrones!) more than anything for it. Also, you guys always ask for brands, and my absolute favorite are these baked ones (milder taste and lower calories!).
Plus, they’re the perfect balance between fat and protein with zero carbs (i.e. a keto dream come true!). But before you freak out, there is no after taste whatsoever. More like a wonderful crisp texture and amazing flavor.
Also note that I prefer to crush it by hand to leave the pork rinds more flakey than powdery (think panko!).
Other than that, you’ll want to marinate the chicken in sour cream (with a touch of vinegar and spices). Then you’ll do three layers (almond flour, egg and pork rind blend) for the ultimate coating.
And while these are super awesome served up with our marinara sauce, you can also go a little bit naughty and do ‘fried’ chicken and waffles! Be sure to serve it up with maple or sugar free syrup (love Lakanto’s!) and our (1g net carb!!) light and airy keto waffles. A truly awesome marriage of flavors!
(Baked!) Gluten Free & Keto Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 500 g chicken tenderloins or chicken breast sliced lengthwise into 2/3" / 1.5cm thick slices
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic ran through a press
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt to taste
For the coating
- 1/2-1 cup almond flour as needed (or more pork rinds for a nut-free version)
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 90 g baked pork rinds *
- 25 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- kosher salt to taste
Serving suggestions
- 1 batch our gluten free & keto waffles
- sugar free syrup or maple syrup
- chives finely chopped
- our marinara sauce
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry your chicken pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl suitable for marinating, mix together the sour cream, vinegar, poultry seasoning, garlic, freshly ground black pepper and season to taste. Add in the chicken, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours (though preferably overnight!).
- Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a rimmed baking tray with aluminum foil and place a rack over it. Brush with olive oil or cooking oil of choice.
- You will need three bowls for the three coatings. In bowl 1, place your almond flour (or more crushed pork rinds). In bowl 2, whisk your egg with sour cream. And in bowl 3, mix thoroughly together the crushed pork rinds, Parmesan cheese, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne and season to taste with salt (will vary quite a bit depending on the saltiness of your pork rinds).
- Dip your chicken pieces one at a time in the almond flour, followed by the egg, followed by the pork rinds mixture. Place in the prepared baking tray.
- Roast your chicken for 25-30 minutes until fully cooked (i.e. no longer pink and the juices run clear). Serve right away (though they're also surprisingly good cold too!).
Can these be fried as they are all different sizes?
Wow — these were amazing! They far exceeded my expectations! I will be making these weekly. They were super good dipped in homemade keto thousand island dressing — mix together:
1 /2 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 /4 cup G. Hughes sugar free ketchup
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon onion powder, or 1 small (70 g/7.5 oz) white onion, minced
Salt and pepper
Thanks again!
Quite excited to try this recipe! Would it be possible to sub the white wine vinegar with apple cider vinegar instead ? Thank you.
These were so good! I made them for dinner. Definately let them marinade over night. This recipe will become a regular in my household. I used osiogo cheese instead of parmesan. So yummy. I have a photo but I dont know how to upload it.
I bet you could skip the rack and bake on one side for half the time, then flip each piece with tongs and bake the 2nd half for the remainder to get both sides to stick. I was thinking about that being a problem too.
Oops! I meant to say skip the rack and bake on parchment paper
I made these last night and they were absolutely awesome! This recipe is absolutely a keeper!!
my daughter is dairy free, so i exchanged the sour cream for mayonnaise that she can eat. worked out just fine. I dropped the Parmesan cheese with out any problems. Wonderful recipe.
Are you supposed to wipe off the marinade first? Or dip them directly into the almond flour/egg/pork rinds?
I just shake it off a little Michael! But don’t whine it off, it adds a lot of flavor! xo!
Love these so much! The pork rinds produce a perfect crispy “fried chicken” crust that is to die for. It is delish as written. And easy to adapt if you want to make a few changes.
My regular, non keto, fried chicken tender recipe marinade was buttermilk with a chipotle pepper, so I tossed a chipotle into the sour cream mixture (or homemade Greek yogurt if I don’t have any organic sour cream on hand) and blended it in the Nutribullet. OMG! It was like eating my original fried chicken tenders but better! I did omit all the spices and herbs, except the salt and pepper, for this version.
I’ve also used the marinade recipe as written and added some nutritional yeast to the pork rinds for a more cheesy flavor. And from time to time I just coated the marinade tenders with the pork rind mixture and skip the almond flour and egg part. They are still amazing!
These are in a regular rotation in my house and everyone loves them, even the non keto peeps. I personally think the leftovers are even better straight out of the fridge with no reheating necessary. Just so yummy!
I know I’ve said it before, but thank you soooo much Paola! You make keto life so much easier and tastier!
This recipe sounds great, but I’m “American”; we didn’t learn grams. Maybe make “American” recipes with lbs/oz.? I know… we’re backward. Or stubborn.
Lol not backward just different! You can click on US Cups (below the igredients) in any recipe 😉
Thanks Paola! I’m glad I found your website! Mmmmmmmmmm.
Mary, you can click on US cups and get the measurements you are looking for
By far the BEST Keto fried chicken recipe I’ve ever tried!
I am keeping this recipe in my arsenal for sure! Thank you!
Hi Paola, do you have a recipe the Poultry Seasoning. I have all the ingredients but don’t know how much of each I should combine. Thanks
It’s back up! Sorry about that, seems to have changed as a draft :-S
These are the best chicken tenders ever! I followed the recipe to a T minus the pork rinds because we eat kosher… so slightly less crunchy I imagine… but still so delicious! Is there anything else I could use other than pork rinds? Thank you in advance!
I made this today and used dried pollack strips instead of pork rinds, because we eat halal. I sprayed avocado oil on the dried fish and roasted it in the oven for about 15 minutes on 375 until it was crispy and browned, then just smashed them with a cup when they cooled down. The chicken tenders came out super crispy, just like the photos.
Finally got the whole thing right! Worth the 2 hour wait to marinate
Hi! Loved this just like I’ve loved everything else I’ve made from your recipes! You’re making this whole keto thing so much yummier! I had a hard time with the crust on the rack side sticking, so I ended up with a half-breaded chicken tender 🙂 I sprayed generously with olive oil first. Any ideas?
If I have to buy from a grocery store, do you have a brand of pork rinds that you like? Pork rinds freak me out haha, so I have no clue of what kind to get. Thanks.
I order Panko pork rinds that are pre crushed on Amazon.
These are ridiculously amazingly good!! Everyone in my family all of whom are non-keto loved them. I’m the only keto person and I am thrilled to be able to finally have a breading recipe that’s keto and crispy!! Better than the redults I used to get with a standard flour and bread crumb recipe. YAY!
Can I bread them ahead and keep in fridge for a few hours before baking
Hi can I use chicken thigh strips instead of chicken breast for a better keto fat protein ratio? Any adjustments needed in the recipe to keep crisp?
I made these this evening and they are ridiculously good. These are the best chicken tenders I’ve ever tasted! Excellent recipe – I’ll have to share it with my keto group!
Elizabeth how wonderful to hear!! Thanks for sharing along in your group 😉
Do you think this would do well in an air fryer?
TBH I can’t say for sure as I don’t have one yet xo!
These were ridiculously delicious. Better than any chicken tender I’ve had. My husband, who doesn’t do keto, even loves them. For sure making them again. Thanks for the recipe 😁😁😁
Lol that’s awesome to hear Ceci!!
Another winner!! My guys ate every bit and wanted more….will have to triple next time. Thanks!!
Hi there. Great site. I don’t eat pork. Is there any other possible substitute you can think of to get a crisp? Thanks!
Hi Erin! Check out the fish tacos on the site, they’re lightly fried with whey protein- that’s also a great sub (albeit different) xo!
I just made this for my non-keto family, and it was a huge hit. They are easy to make, and deliver a great crunch. Your instructions are clear, and the end result is a delicious dish I plan to put into regular rotation. The overnight marinade is definitely the way to go. Thank you for creating wonderful recipes that keep me inspired and having fun in the kitchen!
1 chicken tender = 1 serving?
What kind of sour cream do you use? I find it easily in Baja California but I haven’t found it in Mexico City.
Thanks for the help!
You have to check out Flor de Alfalfa (also the butter!)- SO GOOD! They sell it in City Market or Green Corner. They’re getting they’re organic license, but overall they have good products (aside from they’re cheese, they’re tasteless) xo!
What can you substitute the eggs and sour cream with? I want to try this recipe but I need dairy free.
Hi Beva! In all honesty I haven’t found an equivalent dairy free marinade for these guys (I’m mostly DF too). Keep in mind that eggs aren’t dairy xo!
And for us not allergy people you can omit the flour! I put the chicharrones in the food and processer and pulverize them! I then use the crushed ones as a coat. Been doing this for years! Chicharrones also come in spicy. No need to add spices. Throw in some sesame seeds!
Definitely can sub the almond flour Martha (it’s also stated in the notes!). The one thing I don’t agree on is buying the spicy chicharrones- they generally have sugars and unwanted additives (plus, spice mixes are ALWAYS better homemade in my opinion!) xo!
Can you taste the pork rinds in these?
Not in my experience (you’re adding spices etc too). The flavor profile compliments the chicken beautifully xo!
Will this work with wings and deep fried instead of baking?