I actually made this recipe a few weeks ago, back when I was on my salad kick. I thought I had forgotten to take any pictures, but it turns out Alex had me covered! I’ve since moved away from making really intense low-carb meals (and transitioned to a lazy keto approach) but this was one of my more exciting achievements while deep into the diet. These popcorn chicken bites are great as a standalone snack or as part of a meal!
This meal comes out to about 2 carbs per popcorn chicken piece, so 12 carbs per serving of 6 popcorn chicken “nuggets”.
This recipe makes 24 pieces, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
Ingredients:
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups sieved (or super fine) almond flour
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 – 2 ½ cups avocado or coconut oil, depending on pan size
Directions:
- Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 – 1 ½ inch chunks.
- In a large bowl, mix eggs and heavy cream. Stir until completely combined.
- Add chicken to the cream/egg marinade and mix until each piece is completely covered. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour or up to overnight.
- When your chicken is done marinating, add flour, paprika, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional). Mix lightly to combine.
- In a large stainless steel skillet pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan to about an inch.
- When your oil is hot, transfer each individual piece of chicken from the marinade to the dry ingredient mixture (this is called “dredging”, I believe), making sure it is completely covered. Shake off any excess flour and carefully place into the oil. Repeat until your pan is full.
- Cook each piece of chicken 2-3 minutes on each side, for a total of 5-6 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Carefully remove from the hot oil and place on a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat until you’ve cooked all of your chicken in batches.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or as protein for a salad!
This recipe keeps for three days in the refrigerator, and reheats well in the microwave or broiler.
Low-Carb Keto Crispy Popcorn Chicken
Servings: 24 nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts large
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups almond flour sieved or super fine
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1 – 2 ½ cups avocado or coconut oil depending on pan size
Instructions
- Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 – 1 ½ inch chunks.
- In a large bowl, mix eggs and heavy cream. Stir until completely combined.
- Add chicken to the cream/egg marinade and mix until each piece is completely covered. Set aside in the fridge for 1 hour or up to overnight.
- When your chicken is done marinating, add flour, paprika, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional). Mix lightly to combine.
- In a large stainless steel skillet pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan to about an inch.
- When your oil is hot, transfer each individual piece of chicken from the marinade to the dry ingredient mixture (this is called “dredging”, I believe), making sure it is completely covered. Shake off any excess flour and carefully place into the oil. Repeat until your pan is full.
- Cook each piece of chicken 2-3 minutes on each side, for a total of 5-6 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Carefully remove from the hot oil and place on a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat until you’ve cooked all of your chicken in batches.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or as protein for a salad!
