Chunks of chicken coated in a pork rind dust and then fried until golden brown! These pork rind Keto chicken nuggets are crunchy, smoky, juicy, and golden brown. they are so flavorful and easy to make!
Related: I get all of my grass fed beef and pasture raised chicken from Butcher Box. Read my honest review here.
Word on the street is kids like chicken nuggets. Who knew?
My kids are out of school for the summer...are yours? One of my biggest dilemmas is what to feed the little rascals for lunch! I don't know about your kids, but mine are unbelievably picky. Nothing green, nothing leafy, nothing even minutely resembling a vegetable! I have to be really clever with their meals because I don't want them eating a ton of carbs...and did I mention my youngest doesn't like meat? Help me!
One thing they do like are these pork rind chicken nuggets. My oldest likes them dipped in Primal Kitchen Foods Ranch, and my youngest just likes them plain.
What I really like about these yummy little nuggets is that they are breaded (crusted) in pork rinds, duh. The pork rinds give them such good flavor! I did a 2 step crusting (breading) process that involves beaten egg and the crushed pork rinds. You know how people season their flour before they bread their chicken? I think that is such a waste of seasoning! Why not season the chicken before you start breading (crusting)? That's what I do!
Season chicken, dip in beaten egg, smother with crushed pork rinds, fry until golden brown. The egg doesn't wash off the seasoning!
I have found that the pork rinds need to be crushed pretty fine or they won't get as crispy. I crunch mine up in a food processor. You may have to do 2 batches depending on the size of your food processor.
I pan fried these pork rind chicken nuggets in avocado oil to up the fat content, but you could definitely bake them in the oven. You could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
Check out my other chicken recipes such as my keto taco salad, Chicken Rollatini, and no mess crispy chicken thighs!
SEE THE KETO CHICKEN NUGGETS VIDEO IN THE RECIPE CARD BELOW
Pork Rind Keto Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 3, 6 ounce Chicken Breasts , cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 eggs
- 1 Cup Crushed pork rinds
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Avocado oil for frying (Click here for my favorite brand on Amazon)
Instructions
- Pour crushed pork rinds in a shallow bowl and add the seasonings. Mix well. In a separate shallow bowl, add the beaten eggs. Add the chicken to the egg mixture and stir to coat.
- In batches dip the chicken into the the pork rinds. Toss to coat
- Heat about an inch of avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown. A couple of minutes per side should be sufficient.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Serve immediately
Jennifer's tips
- You can also bake these in the oven at 375F for 15 minutes
- These are perfect served with a side of crispy broccoli. Cook the broccoli seasoned with salt in a 425F oven until crispy.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
Katherine Howerton says
Can this recipe be air fried?
Jennifer Banz says
Definitely! I would start with 8 minutes at 400F
Jenny says
This. Tastes. Amaaaazing!!! 🙌🏼😋 We loved this recipe so much. However, one thing I didn’t like too much was the texture. (Not your “fault” at all!) Instead of avocado oil, I used unrefined coconut oil. I usually bake with that with no issue, but I’m wondering if the use of it lent itself to a rubbery texture of the chicken. Was it too overdone? Can anyone maybe shed some light on this? My family—my picky kids!!—LOVED the taste of it, but they were turned off by the rubbery texture.
Virginia says
Chicken nuggets, easy tasted really good 😌
Susan says
Tried this tonight, it was fabulous. I’m on Keto and could never get chicken nuggets or fingers to work. I used my air fryer and they were so crispy. Next time I might kick up the heat and spices in the pork rinds. Thanks so much!
Jessica Lee Averre says
Can I cook these in a deep fryer?
Jamie says
I do mine really, really similar to this. I use powdered parm + zero carb ranch seasoning+other seasonings for the 'flour' layer, then roll through an egg wash, then through crushed pork rind crumbs and then -back- through the 'flour' (no egg between crumbs and 'flour' though) and it makes it super crispy. We also like to use this for cheese sticks and pork chops.
Amy says
These are a good alternative to regular nuggets. The thing that is SO annoying about recipes like this that the portions are off. I only used 13 oz of chicken and still had to stop and make more of the seasoning. I would definitely make double.
If you make them in the oven, stop three-ish minutes short of 15 and broil them. They won’t be crispy is you don’t. I will make these again.
JEFF SONDROL says
Thanks for this recipe!!!
I was so excited to try this recipe. I tweaked it a little and it turned out Awesome!!! I only had chicken tenderloins & BBQ flavor pork rinds so omitted the additional spices. I added pinch of Cayenne pepper for heat of course. I also swapped the egg dredge with 1/4 C. Heavy Cream and 1 ts. White Distilled Vinegar. Coated like old school shake & bake plastic bag. Ninja Foodi at 490° air fry mode for 7 minutes turn over to other side for an additional 4 minutes. Phenomenal!!!
S says
How much is 1 serving. The recipe says serves 4
jenniferbanz says
1/4th of the recipe. It would depend on how many chicken nuggets you actually make.
Linda Chartrand says
Can you make these in the air fryer?
jenniferbanz says
Yep!
Judith A Lehman says
Best breading ever. Made breaded pork tenderloin. An Indiana fast food favorite. Tweaked with parmesan in crumbs. Was just like the good old days. Thank you.
Debra L Steele says
I plan on trying the nuggets after my next shopping trip. I will be subbing the eggs with buttermilk. I have a nasty egg allergy.
Karly says
These look amazing! My husband thanks you!!
Destiny says
I made them in the air fryer on 350° for 12 minutes flipping halfway through. They were amazing. No need to freeze!
jenniferbanz says
Good to know, thank you!
Tracey L Johnson says
I'm glad to know about the air fryer! I just finished dinner, where my husband and I went crazy over the fried nuggets. They are so tender and juicy and crunchy. Thank you, Jennifer.
Lisa Cox says
I air fried these and they were delicious. Next time I will use the buffalo flavored pork rinds.
Beth says
Have you ever used the air fryer to cook them and I’m looking to free e some, would I freeze before or after cooking? Thanks
jenniferbanz says
I bet they would be great in the air fryer! I am not sure about the freezing so I think I need to experiment and add that to the recipe.
Destiny says
I made them in the air fryer on 350° for 12 minutes flipping halfway through. They were amazing. No need to freeze!
Brenda says
The nuggets are amazing! Is there any way I could get the nutrition facts? That would be wonderful if you could do that for me. Thank you.
Gina Sheridan says
How long and what temperature would you use to bake them
jenniferbanz says
We did 375F for 15 minutes
Vanessa says
Oh my gosh! I’ve been craving fried chicken like a madwoman since I started keto but your recipe righted me! I was astonished at how well the batter stuck together and stayed nice and crispy, like an airy panko. I seasoned the chicken like you mentioned and used plenty of thyme and rosemary and... thank you so much!! New go to!
Hayley says
I made these last week for my little guy that has Type 1 Diabetes. Originally I was going to do tenders but I saw your recipe and thought nuggets would be a good idea. He loved them and so did I! I couldn't stop eating them! Thankfully I made a big enough batch for leftovers and froze those for easy and fast dinners in the future. I was surprised the pork rind flavor disappeared when baking. Will definitely make these again!
jenniferbanz says
So glad you liked them!
Pam says
I would love to freeze these. Do you do it before or after baking? Do they heat up crispy after freezing?
jenniferbanz says
You could freeze them before or after cooking. I think freezing before cooking, then letting them thaw and continue cooking as the directions state, would yield crispy results.