Word on the street is kids like chicken nuggets. Who knew?
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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 no mess crispy chicken thighs!
HOW TO MAKE PORK RIND CHICKEN NUGGETS VIDEO:
- 3 Chicken Breasts , cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 eggs
- 1 bag of pork rinds
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Avocado oil for frying
- Crush your pork rinds in a food processor until they resemble crumbs. Dump them into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then add the seasonings and mix well. 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
- You can also bake these in the oven at 375F for 15 minutes
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These look amazing! My husband thanks you!!
I made them in the air fryer on 350° for 12 minutes flipping halfway through. They were amazing. No need to freeze!
Good to know, thank you!
I air fried these and they were delicious. Next time I will use the buffalo flavored pork rinds.
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
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.
I made them in the air fryer on 350° for 12 minutes flipping halfway through. They were amazing. No need to freeze!
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.
I ran this recipe through MyFitnessPal nutrition calculator and this is what it gave me, based on 5 servings, baked:
Nutrition Facts
Servings 5.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 360
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10 g 15 %
Saturated Fat 3 g 15 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 176 mg 59 %
Sodium 772 mg 32 %
Potassium 819 mg 23 %
Total Carbohydrate 30 g 10 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g 15 %
Sugars 2 g
Protein 41 g 83 %
Vitamin A 3 %
Vitamin C 1 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 17 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
How long and what temperature would you use to bake them
We did 375F for 15 minutes
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!
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!
So glad you liked them!