These crispy low carb chicken nuggets are quick and easy in the Air Fryer. Whip up a batch with just a few ingredients and the whole recipe has only 3.8g net carbs!
You might also like these low carb breaded pork cutlets.
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I’ve had an air fryer for a few months now because I am the gadget queen. I didn’t use it much but I have a friend who just raves about it so it’s time to put it to use. One thing I noticed is that it cooks breaded food really well. To me it cooks like a microwave and oven all in one. So today I wanted to make some crispy low carb chicken nuggets and tenders in the air fryer for my son. He loved them!!!
He actually said to me “mom you know how you try to make foods I like [junky foods ] well this one I really like!” Yay for me! I’ve been trying for years to make healthier versions of foods he likes and I win maybe 25% of the time. So.
Just look how crispy those low carb chicken nuggets and tenders are!
Low Carb Chicken Breading
I have used pork rinds for my breading when I made my breaded pork cutlets. I don’t really like pork rinds or want to think about what they actually are but they make great breading! The difference today is that I used mayo instead of egg for my breaded cutlets. It worked great for this recipe because usually you have to mix whatever you make in the air fryer with a tablespoon of oil. The mayo acts as the oil and keeps the crunchy topping on.
I use mayo instead of egg to bread the chicken.
I bought everything at Aldi, including their pork rinds. I crushed them up and added some spices and parmesan cheese. This became my breading and it was quite good! So I just mixed the ingredients and place in a large shallow bowl or plate.
The chicken nugget breading is just crushed pork rinds, parmesan cheese & spices.
Low carb chicken nuggets recipe
Now you start by towel drying your chicken so it will adhere to the mayo. Then place it in a baggie with the mayo and squish it around until the chicken is covered. Then you roll each piece in the breading and then gently place in the basket of the air fryer. Continue until all the chicken is done.
Easy Crispy Low Carb Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
What temperature should you set the air fryer to?
I air fryed the chicken at 380 degrees F for 15 minutes and then turned it up to 400 for five more minutes. The higher temp will get it crunchier. Make sure the meat is done though. If not put them back in for a few more minutes. It’s so easy to do in the air fryer.
Cook at a lower temperature for most of the time and then turn up the heat at the end to make them very crispy.
Note I made tenders and nuggets. The nuggets cook a bit faster then the planks so make sure you check them to see if the tenders are cooked before you serve them if you are making them together like I did.
This is my air fryer
Well they were awesome and I will definitely be making more. Next time I might use Aldi’s spice pork rinds and see how they go. And for another awesome fried chicken recipe, check out my friend Mira’s best crispy keto fried chicken!
The nutrition for 1/4 of this recipe (1 used a pound of chicken tenders) is:
389 cals / 24.3g fat / 1.2g carbs / 0.3g fiber / 43.8g protein = 0.9g net carbs
Crispy Low Carb Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
These crispy low carb chicken nuggets are quick and easy in the Air Fryer. Whip up a batch with just a few ingredients and the whole recipe has only 3.8g net carbs!
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 bag pork rinds (3.25 oz)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup mayo
Instructions
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Pour the contents of the pork rinds in to a baggie and crush into the form of bread crumbs. Pour into a large shallow bowl and mix in the spices and cheese.
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Either cut or just add the tenders to a large plastic baggie and spoon the mayo on top.
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Squish the mayo and chicken around to cover the chicken completely.
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Piece by piece cover the chicken with the bread crumbs and carefully place in the basket of the air fryer.
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Cook for 15 at 380 degrees F and then 5 minutes. at 400 degrees. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked, especially with the tenders.
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Serve immediately.
Pam Wolfe
October 3, 2019 at 9:51 pmWow! Just Wow! I used some spicy pork rinds AMF this was amazing… And beautiful! Thanks!
Denise
October 4, 2019 at 7:00 amHi Pam,
so glad you liked them. I have a whole new appreciation for pork rinds now that I use them with my air fryer. Thanks for coming back to comment and rate the recipe…I appreciate it!
Kaela Milette
September 12, 2019 at 11:06 pmMade these tonight for dinner and the family LOVED them. I have tried other “keto” chicken tenders before and I had not come across any that my husband and daughter liked. SO GLAD we found this recipe and that it was such a hit. I added some buffalo sauce to them and dipped them in blue cheese. SO GOOD.
Kaela Milette
September 12, 2019 at 11:07 pmForgot to leave my rating. of course-5 stars!
Denise
September 13, 2019 at 6:41 amHi Kaela, so glad you liked them! I love the idea of the buffalo sauce and blue cheese. I’m trying that next time. Thanks also for coming back to comment and rate the recipe … I really appreciate it!
Kristen Warnick
August 15, 2019 at 1:54 pmI made these last night after finding your on pinterest. WOW!!!!!!! These were amazing!!! I am totally hooked and can’t wait to try more of your recipes! I shared the link to this recipe on your website on the Atkins Recipe Share board. I hope that’s OK! 🙂
Denise
August 16, 2019 at 6:43 amHi Kristen, so glad you liked it! And yes you can share the link. THat’s really helpful to me so thanks a lot!
Jennifer
July 30, 2019 at 10:46 pmJust got my air fryer today and this was the first thing I made. They were delicious!! My family likes a bit more spice so I did add in a little chilli powder.
Denise
July 31, 2019 at 6:15 amHi Jennifer, so glad you liked them. That air fryer is really a cool kitchen gadget. I need to try new things with it but so far I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Thanks for sharing your experience. You can certainly add any herbs and spices you want. My husband and I like spice too but sometimes I write my recipes for what the average person would like. Take care.
Thia
May 26, 2019 at 3:00 pmI just finished making these about 10 minutes ago. They are DELISH!!!! The only issue is that I made the nuggets a bit too small and one or two was a little dry. Next time, I’m going to go with a chicken tender shape. You know, once I look at every recipe on your site. 🙂
Denise
May 27, 2019 at 7:08 amHi Thia, so glad you liked them! That breading will go with everything. I’m going to try cauliflower this week. Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!
Laura
May 14, 2019 at 3:04 pmThese were amazing. I will be sharing and making these often.
Denise
May 15, 2019 at 1:47 pmHi Laura,
So glad you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment!