Keto Canned Chicken Nuggets (air fryer)

For a quick and delicious keto snack you can make in the air fryer try these keto canned chicken nuggets. You can make these with just a few ingredients including canned chicken other common foods you have in your pantry. A delicious low carb snack, appetizer or dinner that everyone will love. Each nugget has just 0.2g net carbs and 28 calories.

You might also like these breaded keto chicken nuggets in the air fryer.

I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a long time, especially in my air fryer. These keto canned chicken nuggets are very similar to my keto Italian chicken dip but just more meat centric. In other words the flavors are similar.

What I like about them other than the delicious flavor are that you can use canned chicken which is often in our pantry to make buffalo chicken dip. And that they make a great keto snack or even appetizer for a party.

The air fryer creates a crispy outside and flavorful meaty inside. They are great with dipping sauces and they don’t use breadcrumbs, pork rinds, flour or any kind of breading.

Recipe ingredients I used.

The simple ingredients I used was canned chicken breast, shredded mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.

I don’t really love canned chicken but I do like it for buffalo chicken dip and I use it sometimes when I’m in a pinch for my soup recipes. When you mix it with the cheese and spices it gives it a lot of flavor and will have the texture of nuggets.

How to make keto canned chicken nuggets in the air fryer.

Step 1: Get out a large mixing bowl and mix canned chicken, cheese, spices and egg. Make sure to drain the chicken well before mixing everything together.

Note the chicken is stringy. If you want you can mix everything in the food processor. Just make sure to pulse it and not process it too much.

Step 2: Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Take about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture and use your hands to form into a nugget shape. Place in the air fryer basket. Continue with all of the mixture.

You may have to do these in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

Step 3: Set the baking temperature to 350°F and cook the chicken nuggets for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool a few minutes before taking out of the air fryer. Cooking time may vary. 

Step 4: Plate up the keto nuggets and eat them as a low carb snack or even as a meal. You can eat them as is, with your favorite dipping sauce or your favorite condiment. Below I have a selection of low carb dip recipes to try.

Store leftover nuggets in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

To make these in an oven, preheat oven to 375°F and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the uncooked nuggets on the tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

To make these on the stove, get out a large skillet. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat up to medium high heat. Add the nuggets and then turn the heat down to medium heat.

Once they start browning, turn them over and try to get them to brown on all sides. When done transfer to a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Let cool then serve.

What to serve with these air fryer nuggets.

If you wanted to eat these as a meal, I would serve with these keto tater tots or if you don’t care about carbs try these air fryer diced potatoes. Add a steamed veggie and green salad and call it a meal.

Keto dipping sauce for these chicken nuggets.

Check out these easy and delicious recipes for dipping sauces that you can use with this dish. The use only a few basic ingredients and will add another layer of flavor. I used one of my favorite sauces – the sriracha aioli because I like the heat and creaminess of it. 

• keto creamy sriracha aioli sauce
• low carb bbq sauce
• low carb honey mustard sauce
• dairy free homemade ranch dressing
•  avocado lime dipping sauce
• tomato bacon jam
•  jalapeno aioli 
• buffalo aioli recipe

Well I hope you give these keto canned chicken nuggets a chance one of these days when you are in the mood for keto snack or even main dish. They are fun to eat and full of flavor. Enjoy!

The nutritional information for 1 keto friendly nugget is 28 calories / 1.1g fat / 0.2g carbs / 2.9g protein = 0.2g net carbs

Check out all my keto chicken recipes and air fryer recipes.

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Keto Canned Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Yield: 17

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

These keto canned chicken nuggets recipe is full of flavor and uses simple ingredients from your pantry. Air fryer chicken nuggets are great for a low carb snack, dinner or even as a keto appetizer.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 can chicken breast (12.5 ounces)
• ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Spray an airfryer basket with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Carefully drain all the liquid from the canned chicken then pour into a mixing bowl. Use a fork to separate the meat.
3. Add the mozzarella cheese, egg and spices. Mix well then form into nuggets and place on the prepared air fryer basket. Note if your chicken is stringy you can also quickly pulse it in the food processor. Don't over process it though.
4. Air ffry at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Check them at 12 minutes and if they are not browned enough put them back in for 2-3 minutes more. You may have to do these in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
5. Let cool before eating. Store leftovers in an airtight container. Serve with dipping sauces if you wish.

Notes

To make these in an oven, preheat oven to 375°F and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the uncooked nuggets on the tray in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

To make these on the stove, pour oil in a large skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. Then heat up to medium high heat. Add the nuggets and then turn the heat down to medium heat.

Once they start to brown, flip and brown the other side. When done transfer to a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Let cool then serve.

The nutritional information for 1 nugget is 28 calories / 1.1g fat / 0.2g carbs / 2.9g protein = 0.2g net carbs

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 17 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 17