Introduction to Keto Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders aren’t just for kids. Enjoy our delicious keto chicken tenders in all their juicy meat and crispy breaded glory.
Are Chicken Tenders Keto?
Traditional chicken tenders or chicken strips are NOT keto. Low carb keto recipes are ideally below 10 net carbs a serving. Most chicken strips you get at restaurants have 10 carbs a tender. While it does depend on how much breading they use, most companies are using a thick batter before frying to get it extra crisp. Chicken Tenders are also made with wheat flour or white flour that contains gluten thus making the tenders not keto friendly.
Can I Eat Gluten Free Chicken Tenders on Keto?
While regular flour for sure makes chicken strips unavailable on keto, so does some gluten free flour variations. If it is a gluten free flour based on starches like rice, tapioca, cassava, or corn it is not keto approved. These cheap bulking flours are carb heavy and often have the same amount of carbs as regular flour, just without any added fiber. Our keto chicken tenders however are another story. We use high quality ingredients like almond flour as the breading to keep the net carbs down and the fiber high.
Are Tysons Chicken Tenders Keto?
Again this one varies based on the tenders you buy. Costco for example sells two variations, one breaded and one just grilled. The breaded chicken tenders recipe would not be keto, but the grilled keto chicken strips would be low carb approved. Their grilled chicken recipes usually have between 1-4 grams of carbs because they use a bit of fillers and a lot of flavorful spices.
Baked vs. Fried Keto Chicken Tenders
A question that we get a lot about keto chicken strips is whether they should be baked or fried? Like most low carb recipes it is really up to the chef how they want to prepare the final product.
Fried Chicken Tenders
It is important to know different cooking methods will not yield the same results. Frying in a lot of oil tends to make a crispier batter, but it also means you’ll be creating excess calories you could have avoided by baking. The other downside to frying is that it’s quite messy, but again the payoff is super delicious and highly palatable chicken tenders that taste like the real thing.
Baked Keto Chicken Tenders
Like we said above frying can be messy and calorie dense which is why we normally bake our chicken tenders. The recipe itself is made with baking directions not frying directions because we find it easier. The texture is different when baked though because air cannot fully flow around the low carb chicken tenders to give an even bake. This is why it is super important to leave plenty of space between each tender on a cookie sheet to prevent overcrowding. While the oven baked tenders might not be as crispy as fried chicken, they are still super delicious!
Can I Cook Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer?
This is another question we know we are going to get asked. In the age of the air fryer everyone is cooking everything, from frozen pizza to mug cakes and cookies. So why wouldn’t you want to make chicken tenders keto in the air fryer? We think the air fryer is a great option for those that don’t want to turn on the oven, but also don’t want to deal with hot oil. The texture will end up at a stage between oven and fryer where it is crispy, but less golden than hot oil. Our normal low carb keto chicken tenders temperature for cooking is 400 for 8-12 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached 165 degrees before removing chicken from the basket.
Can I use Coconut Flour Instead of Almond Flour
Where are our nut free kiddos!? It can be super frustrating when most keto recipes use nut based flours instead of coconut flour. However, it is not recommended to swap almond flour with coconut flour. Coconut flour is low in net carbs thanks to all the fiber, but tends to be a lot drier in low carb recipes. This can mean the flour will suck out all the chicken’s moisture, and make it a pain to enjoy a single chicken tender without needing a monster glass of water. If you can’t have nuts, we instead recommend trying crushed pork rinds in place of almond flour.
How to Reheat Keto Chicken Tenders
Did you fill a baking sheet with baked chicken tenders and now have too many left for yourself? Have no fear, our keto chicken strips store great in the fridge for up to a week and reheat even better. To reheat the chicken tenders place them back onto a baking sheet and heat in a 350 degree oven until crispy, usually (4-8 minutes). For an even faster reheat pop them into the air fryer at 400 degrees for 3-6 minutes.
Freezing Low Carb Chicken Tenders
Once again these keto chicken tenders store fantastically in both the fridge, and freezer. To prepare the chicken tenders for freezing bake the whole recipe, and then allow the chicken tenders recipe to fully cool. Place the cooled keto chicken tenders into a zip top freezer bag and freeze lying flat to ensure none of the tenders stick together. To reheat: Set the oven to 375 and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken tenders have baked and re-crisped.
What to Serve With Keto Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are a perfect main dish full of protein, fat, and fiber; but sometimes putting together a full meal can seem like a daunting task. Thankfully these chicken tenders go with just about anything, the breading helping them to become an open canvas for many sides. Some of our favorite sides are:
- Cauliflower Hash Browns
- Keto Friendly Caesar Salad
- Keto Bread
- Keto Mac and Cheese
Tips to Make the Best Keto Chicken Tenders
Need help perfecting your keto chicken tenders? Don’t fret, we’ve got you with all our best chicken cooking tips and tricks. To make the best low carb chicken strips:
- Always use a wet hand and a dry hand
- Add a little cheese
- Don’t overbake the chicken
- Don’t bake past golden brown
- Avoid changing flours
How to Make Keto Chicken Tenders
Ready to make some delicious keto chicken tenders for the whole family? Get out your keto recipe card and let’s get to cooking!
Ingredients
For these keto friendly chicken tenders you will need 5 basic ingredients. For the egg mixture you will need eggs and good quality heavy cream. As for the dry ingredients you will need almond flour (pork rinds crushed if nut free), salt, pepper, and whatever spices you enjoy. You can make your keto chicken tenders as basic, or as flavorful as you want. Some ideas for extra spices are garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne. Finally you will need chicken tenderloins.
Making Keto Chicken Tenders
To make your low carb chicken tenders preheat the oven to 350 and mix together all your spices. Now mix together the egg and heavy cream until well combined. Dip the chicken tenderloins (or sliced chicken breast) first into the eggs and then into the dry ingredients. Use one hand to dip into the wet and one into the dry. Place the easy keto breaded chicken onto a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Once finished, bake your low carb chicken strips for 30 minutes; or until they reach 165 degrees. Make sure to flip halfway. If you want them crispier simply broil for 2-3 minutes.
The Best Keto Dipping Sauces
This recipe is a must make for the whole family. Not only is the nutrition information show stopping, but it also can cook in under 30 minutes and be served with whatever dipping sauce you like. Picking a quality dipping sauce can be tricky on keto because most sauce companies are using lots of sugar and low quality vegetable oils. Some of our favorite keto sauces are:
- Low Carb BBQ Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
- Keto Ketchup
More Low Carb Chicken Recipes
Now that you’re pounding healthy chicken tenders and sauce you are going to need more chicken recipes to fill your cravings. Our favorite keto chicken recipes are:
- Keto Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Crust Pizza
- Keto Fried Chicken
- Keto Cashew Chicken
- Keto Orange Chicken
Baked Keto Chicken Tenders Recipe
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Season the almond flour generously with salt and pepper.
- Beat 1 egg together with 1 tbsp of heavy cream.
- Dip each tender first in the egg wash and then into the seasoned almond flour.
- Place tenders on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. If they are not as crispy as you would like you can additionally broil them for 2-3 minutes.
- Allow tenders to cool for 5 minutes before enjoying.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving:
- Calories 212
- Calories from Fat 117
- % Daily Value*:
- Fat 13g, 20%
- Saturated Fat 2g, 10%
- Trans Fat 1g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
- Monounsaturated Fat 1g
- Cholesterol 83mg, 28%
- Sodium 100mg, 4%
- Potassium 293mg, 8%
- Carbohydrates 4g, 1%
- Fiber 2g, 8%
- Sugar 1g, 1%
- Protein 21g
