This Keto Chicken Nuggets recipe is made with simple ingredients found right in your pantry and is the best way to enjoy a quick and easy lunch that fits a low carb or keto diet. These homemade nuggets are made with canned chicken, are ready in just a few basic steps, and can be cooked in the air fryer, oven, or skillet.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Pantry Staples: You'll likely already have every single ingredient sitting in your kitchen right now.
Super Fast: There is no chopping or heavy prep work required. Just mix, shape, and cook.
Meal Prep Friendly: These freeze beautifully, making them perfect for quick, healthy weekday lunches.
What You Need to Make Keto Chicken Nuggets
Canned chicken: Drained well and shredded with a fork.
Part-skim mozzarella cheese: Pre-shredded cheese is ok to use in this recipe.
Almond flour: Is added to the chicken and egg mixture to aid in binding the ingredients and adds protein and fat.
Large eggs
Crushed pork rinds: Optional, but they add an outer crumb to the chicken nugget giving it crunch and texture.
How to Make Easy Keto Chicken Nuggets
To make easy keto chicken nuggets, simply mix drained canned chicken, pre-shredded mozzarella, almond flour, and spices. Shape into nuggets, coat in crushed pork rinds and cook using one of the methods below:
Oven method:
- Place the nugget on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Spritz a light coating of cooking spray on top of the nuggets.
- Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the chicken nuggets over half way thru cooking time.
Air Fryer method:
- Place the keto nuggets in the air fryer basket and place in the air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time, until golden.
Pan Fry method:
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil over medium heat until hot. Place chicken nuggets in hot oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and hot. Transfer cooked nuggets to a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess grease.
Top Tips
- Be sure to drain the canned chicken well.
- Before mixing any of the ingredients into the chicken, break the chicken pieces up with a fork or use a food processor to mix everything together.
- If not using pre crushed pork rinds, use a blender or food processor to crush the pork rinds.
- If using the oven method, do not use parchment paper to line the baking sheet. The nuggets do not crisp up as well if you do.
Ways to Switch Up The Flavor
- Use plain or different flavored pork rinds as the coating (be sure there is no sugars involved in the making of these).
- If pan frying, olive oil can be substituted for avocado oil.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and a dash or two of cayenne pepper for added flavor.
- Substitute 1 tablespoon coconut flour for the almond flour.
- Almond flour can be used to coat the chicken nuggets instead of pork rinds.
Keto Chicken Nugget Questions Answered
Regular fast-food and frozen store nuggets are full of flour and breadcrumbs that will kick you out of ketosis. This recipe swaps those out for canned chicken, cheese, and crushed pork rinds to keep the carbs close to zero.
It's fast and gives you the best texture. Ground chicken can get slimy and wet when you try to shape it, but drained canned chicken mixes perfectly with the mozzarella so the nuggets hold their shape in the air fryer.
Not at all! They just give you that classic crunchy coating. Once they bake or air fry, that distinct pork flavor completely disappears. If you really don't want to use them, just swap them for extra grated parmesan or almond flour.
Storage
Refrigerate: store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days
Freeze: store in a freezer safe airtight container up to 3 months.
Reheat: warm frozen nuggets in the air fryer or oven at 350 degrees for 7 minutes (air fryer) or 15 minutes (oven) until warmed through or warm in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.
Serve with...
Serve these delicious keto chicken nuggets with your favorite dipping sauce. I love to serve these with homemade ranch dressing or chipotle salad dressing.
More Keto Chicken Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Keto Chicken Nuggets
Equipment
- Baking Sheet (if oven baking)
- Large skillet (if pan frying)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 12.5 ounce canned chicken drained
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup crushed pork rinds
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, combine the canned chicken, almond flour, mozzarella cheese, egg, onion powder, and garlic powder until well incorporated.
- Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop out a portion and shape into the shape of a nugget.
- Dip each chicken nugget into the crushed pork rinds, coating all sides.
Oven method:
- Place the nugget on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Spritz a light coating of cooking spray on top of the nuggets.Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the chicken nuggets over half way thru cooking time.
Air Fryer method:
- Place the keto nuggets in the air fryer basket and place in the air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time, until golden.
Pan Fry method:
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil over medium heat until hot. Place chicken nuggets in hot oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and hot. Transfer cooked nuggets to a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess grease.
Video
Notes
- Place the nugget on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Spritz a light coating of cooking spray on top of the nuggets.
- Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the chicken nuggets over half way thru cooking time.
- Place the keto nuggets in the air fryer basket and place in the air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time, until golden.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil over medium heat until hot. Place chicken nuggets in hot oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and hot. Transfer cooked nuggets to a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess grease.
Linda says
Wonderfully tasty with the pork rind crumbs! I used shredded roast chicken and 2 eggs instead of one for better binding, but it worked out great!
Tracy says
I made these last night - they were amazing! I added a little red pepper flakes, but otherwise, followed the recipe. Being keto, I am always chasing that "crunch"..these are SO crunchy and flavorful. They will definitely be in the dinner rotation from here on out!
CAZ says
My mom gave me a pack of 10 huge cans of chicken and I had no idea what to do with them (other than buffalo dip). These were great and a hit with the kids too! TY!
Kristin says
I love that this uses canned chicken! I always have a can in my pantry so this is perfect for those nights when I just need to be able to throw something simple together using ingredients I already have. It's so much better and less expensive than McNuggets or other fast food nuggets! And delicious too!
Kristina says
I have tried a lot of homemade chicken nugget recipes and this one is by far the best, keto or not. I make them for my kids and they also think they are the best...requesting them almost weekly!
Eileen Kelly says
I am a huge fan of chicken nuggets. Using keto ingredients and canned chicken is genius and these keto chicken nuggets are so delicious. I made mine in the air fryer. So crispy, crunchy, and tender.
Gwynn Galvin says
I love how easy these nuggets are to make using canned chicken! Such a good shortcut. I made them in my air fryer and they were so easy to make and so delicious too!
colleen says
Made these for my sister who is doing Keto and she loved them! Thanks for the great alternative way of making chicken nuggets!
Donna says
I used BBQ pork rinds and it turned out great! These are my work week meal prep. Even co workers could not believe how good they were and asked for the recipe. Thank you so much for creating these.
Jennifer says
This is such a great idea for folks like me who are watching their carbs!
Angela says
These were fantastic! My entire family loved them, looking forward to making them again. I appreciate this easy & delicious recipe.
Serena Tawil says
I can think of many different sauces to use with these but probably my favorite one would be my husband’s homemade hummus!
Theresa Krier says
My grandkids will love these, I would be serving with ranch, sweet and sour plus honey and mustard sauce and of course fries. Thank you ! kpkrier@kci.net
Keith says
I make these for my family almost once per week now. We add extra cheese to really get them cheesy. Great recipe and thank you for sharing.
Keith
Judy Armstrong says
I got an air fryer for Christmas so I am looking for recipes to try; This looks pretty easy so will give it a try! French frys sound like a good addition in the air fryer as well. I'm a big fan of teriyaki sauce so will most likely do that as a dipping sauce for the chicken!
Barb Hahn says
A coconut sweet and sour dipping sauce jumps out at me! That tangy taste with chicken would just pop those nuggets right into heaven! A side of skinny garlic bread and a small side dinner salad and we're good! Enjoy!
Kat says
Made these using a mini muffin tin in the oven (no flipping required!) and used pepper jack for my cheese. No need to use the pork rinds since they were crunchy enough on the outside. Delish!! Thanks for the recipe!
Irene Casimiro says
This is very good and french fries go good with it. May as well as you are already using the air fryer. And some nice Texas toast.
Marlene DiPaul says
Just wondering, instead of mozzarella cheese can I use a different kind of cheese?? I have sharp Cheddar in the refrigerator
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Absolutely! I feel any semi soft to hard cheese will work well in this recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Barbara Owen says
I often rotisserie an entire chicken. Would these nuggets be OK if the chicken was shredded? I only use pastured, soy free chicken because of food allergies.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Barbara, I would chop the chicken up into small pieces rather than shred it and using a rotisserie chicken is a great idea!
Shelby
Kim says
I have made this delicious!!!!
JK says
A great dipping sauce for this would be tzatziki sauce or a blend of hot sauce and mustard.
Patty J Shay says
I would make this with some fresh cut veggies and sour cream, dill dip, and some olive oil, roasted potato chunks!
Pamela Vignapiano says
Would you happen to have more keto recipes? This was simple and delicious.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Pamela, yes! I have a whole section devoted to keto. If you navigate to the recipes page you will find it as a category. I am also publishing new keto recipes right now, so my newest posts are mostly keto also. And, I do have a new cookbook for sale on amazon, it is called the Clean Ketogenic Cookbook for Beginners. I will have it linked up with my other two cookbooks on my site today. Thank you for trying the recipe! Shelby
cheryl says
I used chicken drumstick meat I cook as stock. I processed I'm the food processor. Subbed half the cheese with cheddar. They were fabulous.
Amanda says
These are amazing! I have made these about 5 times now. It is such a simple recipe. I used my food processor to shred the canned chicken more. These chicken nuggets are good to pair with anything.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Amanda, so glad you love the recipe and the food processor is a great idea and would work for batch processing also! Thank you so much. Shelby
Amanda says
I have literally now made this same recipe 10 times. Its so easy to make and use with so many other different recipes. I have used this with keto Chicken parm lasagna and also along side cauliflower tots.
Jason says
Been craving chicken nuggets. I accidently added only 1/2 cup of cheese (I only had Colby) but they still held together and tasted great.
Katie says
I know it would affect the nutritional content but could I sub regular flour for the almond flour or is there another ingredient I could substitute? I don’t have almond flour
Shelby Law Ruttan says
I wouldn't substitute regular flour, almond flour is basically ground nuts. If you have any almonds, pecans, or walnuts that you could grind that would work better. You could try leaving it out altogether or even substitute finely crushed pork rinds.
Andrea says
Any alteration in time or temp when using the air fryer? Really looking forward to trying this, might be part of my Super Bowl spread.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Andrea, Basically cook these in the air fryer the same as oven instructions, Air fry at 400 for 7 minutes, flip, and air fry 7-8 minutes more, until crispy. I hope you enjoy these, my family loves them! Shelby
Lisa G says
These were great! I don't like pork rinds at all, but you really don't taste it or smell it once the nuggets are cooked. The pork rinds give them a great crispy texture!
I added a dash of cayenne pepper. I think a tbsp or two of grated parmesan would be a terrific addition, too. Thank you for the recipe!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lisa, so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you for trying it and I love the addition of cayenne! I agree with the parmesan cheese also. 🙂
Amanda says
These were amazing! They curved my craving for fast food chicken nuggets. SO good. I paired them with green beans and it was fabulous.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Amanda, So glad you loved the recipe! We make these often as well as the buffalo chicken chaffles. So delicious and satisfying! Thank you! Shelby
RobinZ says
This is the best recipe yet for nuggets. So simple and good ingredients. It’s a win win!👍🏼
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Robin! Thanks for stopping back to rate the recipe! Happy you enjoyed it. Sheby
Karla says
I was staring into the pantry trying to come up with a lunch idea when I spied a can of chicken. Googled what to do with it and found this recipe which I am incredibly grateful for! These were so easy and super tasty. I didn't have mozzarella so just used an Italian blend but it worked. Hubby declared "wow something smells good" when he entered the house and was overly excited to have chicken nuggets and sugar free dip for lunch. Haha as far as he was concerned these were as good as gourmet. Will definitely make again.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Karla, so glad you found the recipe and that you and your hubby enjoyed it! Shelby
Shellie says
These look so good. I want to make them but was wondering how important the mozzarella cheese is in this recipe? After having covid my taste has been altered greatly and I'm not able to eat cheese anymore in anything 😢 what would I be able to use as a substitute for mozzarella if its in there to use to help hold the ingredients together? Thank you .
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Shellie, I think could make these without the cheese and increase the almond flour to 1 cup. They should still hold together. I have not done this so I am not sure how they would turn out, but the egg is what helps hold the nugget together. Let me know if you try and I'm happy that you were able to recover from covid! Shelby
Lauren says
These were delicious and so easy! I was so surprised how much these tasted like traditional nuggets! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lauren, thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience! Shelby
SCOTT & VANESSA says
Trying this recipe right now. I am disappointed to realize they never mentioned adding the egg into the chkn & chz mixture. I did see the egg on the ingredient list. Thankfully I did my own twist at the end, by dipping my chkn & chz nuggets in flour 1st, egg 2nd, then a mix of ground up seasoned pork cracklings (waffle chips I had leftover from chick fil a & some bread crumbs, I know not entirely keto friendly, but we're still allowed the few carbs a day okay lol)
They are halfway done right now, just flipped them they are looking good.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hello Scott & Vanessa, thanks for stopping by and for trying the recipe. I fixed the instruction to be sure the egg was in there. Thank you for letting me know. Hope they turned out with your variation! Shelby
Liz says
Love how quick this recipe is!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Liz! Thanks for coming back to rate the recipe, it is very much appreciated! Shelby
Kayla DiMaggio says
Love the idea of using canned chicken in these chick nuggets. So cheap and budget friendly!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thanks! We also just started using tuna fish and salmon as a test and my grandson loves them both!
Cathleen Childs says
These chicken nuggets are calling my name!! I am definitely going to give this a go this weekend, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Cathleen! Thank you for stopping by. I hope you love them as much as we do! Sheby