These AIP Chicken Nuggets are crispy on the outside and have actual vegetables mixed into the chicken filling making these a flavorful, juicy, and healthy meal for kids and adults, alike.
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Traditional chicken nuggets aren't gluten-free (or healthy), but these golden beauties sure are! With a little pork rind panko, you can make allergy-friendly chicken nuggets easily with ground chicken as the filling (even working in some finely grated zucchini, carrot, and spinach, if desired).
Serve with banana fries for a truly happy meal or make the ultimate snack plate with your favorite dips (I love ranch!).
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🧂 Seasoning
Ground chicken is seasoned simply with sea salt, garlic powder, and onion powder for that traditional flavor profile.
🥘 Ingredients
- zucchini: one small organic zucchini (yellow or green squash) if possible, finely grated with a grater or the grater of a food processor
- carrot: one small-medium carrot peeled and finely grated/shredded
- baby spinach: I recommend baby spinach, which is softer and doesn't have the tough stems that mature spinach has (buy organic if possible); use baby arugula as a substitute
- ground chicken (or ground turkey): organic if possible
- avocado oil (olive oil, lard, tallow, or refined coconut oil work, too): a neutral, healthy, high-heat oil works best
- sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
- garlic powder or granulated garlic; fresh garlic (x 3) as a substitute, minced
- onion powder or very finely minced/grated fresh onion as substitute
- pork panko or pork rinds crushed and ground: a salty, fried pork skin alternative to grain-based breadcrumbs (plantain chips or cassava crackers crushed into a fine powder may be substituted)
🔪 Instructions
Time needed: 45 minutes
You will get about 20 small chicken-veggie nuggets with this recipe. While the pork rind coating may sound unusual, it's definitely delicious and sticks right to the meat mixture.
- Make the chicken and vegetable mixture.
- Shape the chicken nuggets.
- Dip the chicken nuggets into the pork rind panko.
- Cook the chicken nuggets in the air fryer (or pan-fry/roast).
- Serve the chicken nuggets!
Oh, I do love a sauce selection. Honey is great and so is this AIP Ranch Dip (also including recipe instructions in the notes for convenience).
Also, here's the recipe for the nightshade-free fries that are actually made from green bananas!
If you get a chance to try this recipe, I'd really love it if you'd rate the recipe and leave a review. Thanks for your support!
📋 Recipe
My husband read me an interesting article about protein, and I just started trying to imagine more family and kid-friendly ways to enjoy this essential macro-nutrient. I really wanted a chicken nugget that incorporates actual veggies, too.
CRISPY CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH VEGETABLES {AIP, GLUTEN-FREE, PALEO}
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer optional
Ingredients
Chicken Nuggets:
- ¼ cup grated zucchini from 1 small zucchini
- ¼ cup grated carrot from 1 medium peeled carrot
- ¼ cup finely chopped baby spinach
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup ground pork rinds
Instructions
- Make the chicken and vegetable mixture. Press the zucchini with a clean dish towel or paper towel to remove excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine the drained zucchini, shredded carrot, chopped spinach, chicken, oil, salt, garlic, and onion powder and mix to combine.
- Shape the chicken nuggets. Use your hands to form small nugget-shapes (about 1-inch long by ½-inch wide) and set aside on a tray lined with parchment paper (for easy clean-up).
- Dip the chicken nuggets into the pork rind panko. Place pork rind crumbs in a shallow bowl and press both sides of each nugget until coated well front to back.
- Cook the chicken nuggets.Stovetop Instructions: Heat a large skillet over medium heat along with two tablespoons of oil. When the oil shimmers, add the nuggets in a single layer and cook until golden, about 3 minutes per side.Air Fryer Instructions (Recommended): Place the nuggets into the air fryer basket lightly coated with oil and fry on 400F for 10 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Serve the chicken nuggets with a side of AIP ranch dip or banana fries for a happy meal.
Video
Notes
- ½ cup canned full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup plain coconut yogurt
- ¼ cup avocado oil (not olive oil*)
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Nutrition
FAQS About Paleo Chicken Nuggets
Yes. The trick is to use high heat and coat your baking tray with plenty of oil. I'd recommend 425F for 5-6 minutes (flip) and then cook another 5-6 minutes or until cooked through on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, toaster oven, or air fryer.
Freeze: Cook through then cool and freeze in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag for up to 3 months. Use parchment to separate stacked layers of chicken nuggets to prevent sticking. For best results, reheat in the oven or air fryer to get crispy/warm through.
Yes! The only thing I'd alter is to leave out the veggies and just do tail-on, cleaned shrimp (maybe use coconut milk as an egg batter if the coating doesn't stick). You could also try using ground shrimp shaped into balls.
So, you want to be careful to keep the veggie proportions in the recipe. Otherwise, you might introduce too much liquid. You should be able to make veggie substitutions as long as you use finely grated veggies. Leave what works (or doesn't) in the comments below.
You could try adding some dried oregano or Italian seasoning to the chicken mixture and then serve alongside your favorite nightshade-free marinara sauce.
You can put them in a bag and simply squeeze them to crush into a fine powder or throw them into a food processor to grind down further.
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