Cooking Keto Chicken Tenders: A Quick, Crispy, And Delicious Guide

Chicken tenders are a popular fast food, but they can also be made at home with a keto twist. This paragraph will introduce you to the world of keto chicken tenders, a delicious and crispy low-carb alternative to the classic fried chicken dish. With a few simple ingredients and different cooking methods, you can enjoy juicy and tender chicken tenders that are perfect for dipping in your favourite sauces. This introduction will explore the ingredients, cooking techniques, and serving suggestions to make these keto chicken tenders a success.

Keto chicken tenders in the air fryer

Ingredients:

• Chicken tenderloins
• Eggs
• Superfine Almond Flour
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cajun seasoning, or cayenne, or chili powder
• Avocado or refined coconut oil for frying
• Heavy whipping cream
• Tabasco hot sauce (optional)
• Apple cider vinegar

Method:

• In a small, relatively flat bowl, beat the egg.
• In a zip-top bag, mix the almond flour, cheese, salt, pepper, and seasoning.
• Get a paper plate or dinner plate ready.
• Spray your air fryer basket with oil.
• Dip each tender in the egg and place on the plate until all the tenders are coated.
• Use a fork to pick up one tender, put it in the zip-top bag, and shake until well covered in the almond mixture.
• Use the fork to place the tender in the air fryer basket.
• Spray the tenders with oil.
• Cook at 350°F for 12 minutes or until the inside reaches 160°F. Raise the temperature to 400°F for 3 minutes to brown the crust.

Tips:

• Don't stack the chicken tenders in the air fryer. A slight overlap won't hurt, but stacking them will increase cooking time and cause uneven cooking.
• You can also bake these tenders in the oven. Just follow the same instructions for breading the chicken and cook at 375°F for 15 minutes.

Breading and seasoning

For the breading, you can use almond flour, which is a low-carb, gluten-free option. If you're nut-free, you can substitute it with pork rind panko, which will result in a crunchier chicken. Another alternative is coconut flour.

For the seasoning, you can use a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. You can also add cayenne pepper or black pepper for a spicy kick.

Here's a step-by-step guide to breading and seasoning your chicken tenders:

• Set up an assembly line with your egg wash (a mixture of egg and mayonnaise), flour (almond flour or alternative) and parmesan cheese, and a baking sheet.
• Designate one hand as the "wet" hand to handle the chicken when it's coated in egg. The other hand will be the "dry" hand, responsible for moving the chicken after it's fully breaded.
• Dip a chicken strip into the egg wash, ensuring it's completely covered. Let the excess egg drip back into the dish.
• Move the chicken to the flour and parmesan cheese mixture. Toss to coat, gently pressing the mixture onto the chicken to ensure it sticks.
• Finally, place the breaded chicken onto the lined baking sheet.
• Repeat this process until all your chicken strips are breaded.
• Once all the chicken is breaded, melt some butter and gently brush it over the tenders.

Now your chicken tenders are ready to be cooked!

Oven-baked keto chicken tenders

Ingredients

• Chicken tenderloins
• Salted butter, melted
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Ranch dressing seasoning mix
• Dried parsley
• Heavy whipping cream
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Ground black pepper
• Sea salt
• Finely milled almond flour
• Coconut flour
• Cayenne pepper or chilli powder (optional)
• Eggs
• Avocado or refined coconut oil for frying

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with tin foil.
• Prepare the dry coating by placing parmesan, ranch dressing seasoning mix and dried parsley onto a large plate or shallow dish. Mix the ingredients well.
• In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise and eggs.
• In another shallow dish, mix almond flour, parmesan, and spices.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
• Slice chicken into strips.
• Set up an assembly line with the egg wash, flour/parmesan mixture, and baking sheet.
• Use one hand for the 'wet' ingredients and the other hand for the 'dry' ingredients to keep your stations clean.
• Dip a chicken strip into the egg and mayonnaise mixture, ensuring it is fully coated.
• Let the excess egg drip back into the dish, then move the chicken to the flour mixture.
• Toss to coat, gently pressing the mixture into the chicken, and ensuring the coating will stick.
• Place the breaded chicken onto the lined baking pan and continue until all chicken is breaded.
• Once all chicken tenders are breaded, melt butter and gently brush over them.
• Move the full baking sheet into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
• Carefully turn the tenders over and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Tips

• For a spicier version, add Cajun seasoning or blackened seasoning, and chilli powder to the breading mixture.
• To store, cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to three days.
• To freeze, place cooled tenders in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.
• To reheat, either microwave for 30 seconds or, for crispy tenders, use the oven or air fryer.

Keto chicken tenders on the stovetop

Ingredients:

• Chicken tenderloins
• Avocado or refined coconut oil for frying
• Heavy whipping cream
• Tabasco hot sauce (optional)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Ground black pepper
• Sea salt
• Finely milled almond flour, measured and sifted
• Finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Cayenne pepper or chili powder (optional)
• Refined coconut oil, avocado oil, melted butter, or lard
• Eggs
• Keto bread crumbs or extra almond flour

Method:

• Rinse and pat dry your chicken tenderloins.
• Using a meat mallet, place your chicken between two pieces of cling wrap and gently flatten. Then slice each in half for tenders or in 1 1/2-inch pieces for chicken tenders. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the heavy cream, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. This will be the marinade for the chicken pieces.
• Add the chicken to the bowl and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• After the chicken has marinated, make your chicken coating. Set two medium-sized bowls for the coating.
• In one bowl, add all the dry ingredients and combine well. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs for the egg wash.
• Dip your chicken tenderloins one at a time in the egg wash, followed by the dry coating.
• For extra crispy chicken, double-coat the chicken by dipping it again in the egg wash and coating. Shake off any excess before frying.
• Heat the oil in a skillet to medium-high heat and cook both sides of the chicken until lightly brown. You will want to fry your chicken in two or three batches. The oil may need to be changed if it gets too murky from the coating.

Tips:

• For the breading, you can substitute almond flour with coconut flour or protein powder.
• For the egg wash, you can use a combination of egg and mayonnaise.
• For the coating, you can use a combination of almond flour and parmesan cheese or pork panko.
• For extra flavour, add spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, or garlic salt to the coating.

How to reheat keto chicken tenders

There are a few ways to reheat keto chicken tenders, depending on whether you want to use an oven or an air fryer.

Reheating in the Oven

To reheat keto chicken tenders in the oven, first preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Wrap your chicken tenders in foil and place them on a baking tray. Leave them out of the refrigerator until they reach room temperature. Once the oven is preheated and the tenders are at room temperature, place them in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the number of pieces and their size. Check on them at regular intervals and remove them from the oven when they are heated through.

Reheating in the Air Fryer

You can also reheat keto chicken tenders in an air fryer. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees and heat the tenders until they are warmed through.

Frequently asked questions