Even though the cold chills of Fall air are blanketing the cities, these chicken nuggets will bring a vibrant taste of summer back to dinner that will warm you up and give the vibe of a warm, cozy evening. If you’ve been looking for a nice, fresh, and zesty flavor on your chicken – step right up! Not only do you get a fantastic burst of flavor, but you get the crunchy and delicious texture of real chicken nuggets.
Most of you already know that I love to coat my chicken with pork rinds to get that delicious and crisp layer, but this time we’ve combined it with some awesome spices, almond meal, and flaxseed meal to really get the crunch up a notch. Baking them to take the moisture out is the perfect way to do it – you get a deliciously zesty and crisp outer layer and perfectly tender chicken on the inside.
Although I normally recommend Honeyville Almond Flour for most of my recipes, you can feel free to use pretty much any almond flour you have. That includes Trader Joe’s brand or Bob’s Red Mill brand. The skin of the almond add a nice color, but if you only have Honeyville on hand, that is definitely no problem either! I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
Yields 4 Servings of Low Carb Zesty Chicken Nuggets with Avocado Lime Dipping Sauce
The Preparation
The Nuggets
- 24 ounces chicken thighs, cut
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 ounces pork rinds
- ¼ cup almond meal
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- Zest 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
The Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ medium hass avocado
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
The Execution
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Dry chicken off with a paper towel. Cut chicken thighs into bite size chunks and set aside.
2. In a food processor, combine pork rinds, almond meal, flax meal, lime zest, and spices. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
3. Add processed crumbs into a bowl, then crack 1 egg in a second bowl. Scramble the egg well until no whites are seen. Add 1-2 tsp. water if needed.
4. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then dip into the crumb mixture. Coating each side well. Set onto a cookie sheet that is covered with foil and has been sprayed with oil.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until nuggets are golden brown on the top and the meat is cooked through.
6. While cooling the nuggets, put together all of the ingredients for the sauce and mix together well.
7. Serve nuggets with sauce and dip to your hearts content. Enjoy!
This makes 4 servings of Low Carb Zesty Chicken Nuggets (with Avocado Lime Dipping Sauce). Per serving, the macros are 613 Calories, 50g Fats, 1.8g Net Carbs, and 38.8g Protein. Of course you can portion this out to your own macros also!
| Low Carb Zesty Chicken Nuggets | Calories | Fats (g) | Carbs (g) | Fiber (g) | Net Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
| 24oz Chicken Thighs, cut | 960 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 114 |
| 1 large Egg | 70 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1.5 oz Pork Rinds | 240 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 1/4 cup Almond Meal | 160 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 1/4 cup Flax Meal | 120 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Zest 1 Lime | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/4 tsp. Pepper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/4 tsp. Chili Powder | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/4 tsp. Paprika | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/8 tsp. Onion Powder | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/2 cup Mayonnaise | 720 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/2 medium Hass Avocado | 160 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 1/2 tsp. Red Chili Flakes | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 tbsp. Lime Juice | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1/8 tsp. Cumin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 2450 | 200 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 155 |
| Per Serving ( /4) | 612.5 | 50.0 | 6.8 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 38.8 |
This makes 4 servings of Low Carb Zesty Chicken Nuggets (with Avocado Lime Dipping Sauce). Per serving, the macros are 613 Calories, 50g Fats, 1.8g Net Carbs, and 38.8g Protein. Of course you can portion this out to your own macros also!
The Preparation
- 24oz Chicken Thighs, cut
- 1 large Egg
- 1.5 oz Pork Rinds
- 1/4 cup Almond Meal
- 1/4 cup Flax Meal
- Zest 1 Lime
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Paprika
- 1/8 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 medium Hass Avocado
- 1/2 tsp. Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tbsp. Lime Juice
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/8 tsp. Cumin
The Execution
- Dry and slice the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- In a food processor, pulse all of the ingredients for the crust.
- Put the crumbs in 1 bowl and a whisked egg in another. Dip the chicken in the egg, then the crust, and lay on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 400F for 15-18 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, then make sauce by mixing together all ingredients.
