A few weeks ago I brought you this incredible paleo chocolate cake and today I’m bringing you something just as nostalgic: baked paleo chicken tenders!
Over the past year, so many of you have requested more recipes using almond and coconut flour so I’ve decided to bring you another. It’s been a really fun challenge for me to create grain free, gluten free and paleo-friendly meals for you. I have to say that I’m loving it and feeling constantly inspired by what you’re looking for, so keep the requests coming!
Whether you grew up on chicken fingers, chicken strips, or just good old tenders, you’re going to love this lightened-up baked chicken tender recipe. They’re basically a grown-up version of a classic, and I’m seriously in loveeeeee.
Let’s talk ingredients:
Coconut & almond flour: instead of traditional breadcrumbs, this flour mixture gives these chicken tenders a paleo, but equally crispy, makeover!
Almond Breeze almondmilk Unsweetened Original: I absolutely love using this almondmilk for both sweet and savory recipes. A few tablespoons of almondmilk mixed into the flour helps give these chicken tenders a delicious crumb to them while keeping them dairy free. I always stock up on their shelf stable kind to save room in my fridge and to never run out.
Spices: Onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne give these chicken tenders incredible flavor + a little kick of spice.
I serve these babies with an easy homemade honey mustard for the ultimate dipping, but you can choose whatever sauces your heart desires. Healthy ranch? A homemade BBQ sauce? TIME TO GET WILD.
While we’re on the topic of sauces, I’m gearing up to bring you some fun homemade sauces. So tell me, what are your favorite sauces?
These paleo chicken tenders are perfect for adults and the kiddos, so serve them for a fun weeknight dinner that’s healthy and protein-packed. They would also make great appetizers for a party (omg everyone BYO sauce).
Hope you guys love these – let’s get dipping. xo!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins
Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken Sweet Potato Noodle Stir Fry
Paleo Turmeric Chicken Meatballs with Green Tahini Sauce
Baked Paleo Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Dip
Ingredients
- For the chicken tenders:
- 2 large eggs (or 3 small eggs)
- 2 tablespoons Almond Breeze almondmilk Unsweetened Original
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 almond flour or almond meal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons Almond Breeze almondmilk Unsweetened Original
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- Coconut oil cooking spray
- For the honey mustard dipping sauce:
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ tablespoon warm water
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and 2 tablespoons of almondmilk.
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In a separate large bowl, mix together coconut flour, almond flour, salt, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of almondmilk to the bowl and use a fork to mix together to form a ‘crumb-like’ texture.
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Dip each chicken tender into flour mixture, then into egg mixture (coating the tender entirely), then back into flour mixture to coat the chicken strips. This should create a crumb-like look. Place each strip on the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
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Generously spray the tops of the chicken strips with cooking oil spray. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.
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To make the honey mustard dipping sauce: add dijon mustard, honey and warm water to a bowl and mix together until well-combined. Then get dipping!
Nutrition
This recipe is in partnership with Almond Breeze almondmilk. Thanks for supporting AK and the brands that help make this site possible!
60 comments
Chicken tenders for the win! I made some similar ones a few months back when my nephew was in town and he gobbled them up! My SIL said he doesn’t normally eat chicken so she was stoked!!
Amazing! You’ll have to give these a try and let me know how you like them 🙂
Omg, yes! I can’t decide what I like best about this recipe, that it’s a healthier way to do chicken nuggets for the fam, or that it’s chicken tenders in the first place!!!! Thanks as always, Monique!
YES all of the above! Perfect for kids and adults 🙂 Hope you love these Tori!
Got a pound of chicken fingers in my freezer just waiting to made with this recipe!! Seriously these look amazing. I loveee honey mustard, but another one of my fave sauces has always been Kraft BBQ sauce LOL! So healthy, but so gooddd.
I meant *unhealthy oops!
YES perfect timing! Love a good BBQ sauce too 😉
yum. i LOVE chicken strips and my favorite dipping sauce for fries is a honey dijon dipping sauce! i’m so going to try this and make the chicken in my air fryer <3
Perfect!! Let me know how it goes in your air fryer!
I LOVE making homemade chicken tenders, such a classic and I honestly could have them every week! So simple too, chicken tenders + sweet potato fries + ketchup = DONE. (and maybe some veggies 🙂 )
Can’t wait to try this recipe out, looks delicious as always Monique!
Aren’t they the best?! And YES with sweet potato fries. Hope you love this version!
These look awesome. I would never have thought to mix the milk in with the flours to get that texture. Genius! I always love a good honey mustard, but have also come to love sweet chili sauce. I have made it homemade and it is so much better than the bottles stuff with high fructose corn syrup in it. Also muffin week sounds like a dream week for me. Can’t wait!
It gives the chicken that nice crispy crumb! Sweet chili sauce sounds incredible too. Stay tuned for all of the muffins next week 🙂
Just made these for lunch and oh my goodness SO GOOOOOD! I broiled them for a few mins on each side after baking to get them extra crispy and they were divine. Thanks for the great recipe! I’m sure it’ll become a part of the rotation.
YUM that’s a great idea! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Made these for dinner last night and they turned out SO good! Even my picky eater husband loved them! This recipe will definitely be a regular for us and I can’t wait to make them when our nieces & nephews stay with us! 🙂 Thanks for nourishing recipes that we can be excited about!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that. Perfect for kiddos and adults 🙂
My family is not a fan of coconut flavor which I know coconut flour can provide. Do these have that coconut flavor to them?
To me these don’t really have a coconut flavor to them!
I love your recipes Monique!!! and this is now one of my favorites, I´m obsessed with chicken fingers so this is the perfect way to enjoy them in a healthy way. I made this recipe today and they ended up PERFECT!
Thanks for your hard work and dedication to every recipe you prepare for us 🙂
Thanks so much Macarena!! So happy to hear that 🙂
I’m not doing paleo just watching carbs. Can use normal milk?
Yep!
I made these tonight for my family and they were sooo delicious!! Even my picky 2 year old gobbled them up!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that.
I want to make these and have coconut flour but not almond flour or meal. Can I make it with a different flour or breadcrumbs? I don’t need it to be paleo (or gluten free). Thanks!
Awesome recipe! A 5-Star newfound favorite. Thanks!
So happy you found a new favorite!!
Made these for dinner last night and they were amazing :DDD I’ve really missed breaded chicken but these were SO satisfying. I think i’ll cook them a little on the underside at the end next time, but the flavour was spectacular!! Especially with the dipping sauce 🙂
Have you tried making these chicken fingers in a air fryer? If you have do you have time suggestions?
How well will these freeze? Thanks!
I haven’t tried freezing these, but I think it should work! Check out the instructions here – just make sure they’re completely cooled before freezing 🙂
I made these exactly as the directions set out and they were pretty terrible to be honest. Pretty disappointing.
I’m surprised to hear that! Everyone I know that has made these has loved them – maybe double check the recipe + video?
Trying these tonight!! So excited I seriously love all your recipes. But question: any substitute to the coconut flour? And is it 3/4 cup almond flour (it doesn’t specify)?
You could try tapioca flour, oat flour or regular flour! And yes, it’s cup (thank you for the catch!)
I just made these and they were amazing! I didn’t make the honey mustard sauce but I don’t think I would have even used it because the seasoning in the breading was delicious
So glad you liked them!
I just finished making these and they are a hit for sure!!! Loved them. I only had quinoa flour on hand and used that, delicious.
Perfect! Glad the quinoa flour worked out. Love these for dinner!
Making these tonight but I don’t have a cooking spray. Can i just brush or drizzle some oil on them?
That should work!
Any idea for an egg substitute? My son is allergic. Thanks!
I’m sorry, I haven’t test it without eggs!
Hey Monique! Love this recipe…do you think it could work with fish instead?
Hey Angela! As long as the fish is patted dry before you do the egg coat then I think it would work very well. Let me know if you try it.
Can you make them using only the Almond Flour?
Thanks,
Dinah
I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it would work well. Let us know if you test it out!
These were really easy, I just used regular milk instead of almond milk and reduced the cayenne a bit, baked on convection setting and they were really good! My kids are pretty young and a bit picky lately…they didn’t like the breading too much, but just pulled off and ate the chicken! I loved them, breading and all!
Perfect! Hopefully they’ll come around to them later on 🙂 glad you enjoyed!
The flavor of these was delicious, but mine were not at all crispy despite following the recipe. Could that be because I increased the recipe and then put two pans in the oven at the same time?
Yes this is likely due to there being two pans in the oven. Sometimes then the heat doesn’t circulate in the oven properly. Maybe try convection on your oven next time.
I made this recipe with whole-wheat flour instead of coconut flour due to allergies. The flavors in this recipe are phenomenal. The chicken pairs perfectly with the dipping sauce. I never knew I liked honey dipping sauce until I tried it made from scratch. I had some problems getting a crispy texture all over, can you suggest an alternate to coconut flour? Also, does the chicken freeze well?
Just noticed that you posted oat flour would also work. Thanks
Let me know if you try these with oat flour! And yes, these should freeze well. Enjoy!
Monique, you’ve done it again! SO delicious!! (even boyfriend approved)! The honey mustard sauce was the perfect addition. We had leftovers the next day so I decided to throw together a “Chicken Parmesan”- AK Chicken tenders, traders cauli gnocchi and marinara sauce. SO good! Thank you thank you 🙏
Amazing! Love that idea!!
Looking forward to trying out your recipes
Enjoy!
The breading all crumbled and fell off and didn’t have much flavor aside from the coconut flour making it a bit sweet.