I’ve been in full comfort food mode this life season and I enjoy making clean-ingredient swaps on my favorites. I love fried chicken nuggets and decided to make my own grain-version. this recipe uses a grain-free flour to dredge, has tasty spices and is fried in heart healthy avocado oil. I’ve also added a dipping sauce addition packed with protein to yield a whopping 46 grams of protein per serving. my family gobbles down these grain-free fried chicken bites with yogurt honey dijon and I’m happy to share them with you.
grain-free nugget ingredients:
here is the ingredient line up…
- chicken breasts: I cube chicken breasts in small little bites to begin the process.
- eggs: a simple whisked egg is then added to the chicken bites.
- grain-free flour: I use tapioca flour to dredge the chicken bites.
- spices: paprika, dry mustard, granulated garlic, salt & pepper flavor the chicken bites.
- frying oil: I use heart-healthy avocado oil to fry the chicken bites.
dipping sauce ingredients:
here is the ingredient line up…
- full-fat greek yogurt: full fat greek yogurt begins the sauce, (ignore my picture, the 0% was purchased on mistake).
- whole grain mustard: I love this brand.
- honey: adds a delicious natural sweetness.
- optional: I’ve been adding some black truffle salt and a drizzle of black truffle oil to this sauce lately and it’s so delicious.
how to make:
this recipe is simple to make, but components come together quickly. make sure to read the recipe ahead of time, and have all of your ingredients and cooking utensils measured and ready to go. you’ll first dredge your chicken bites in egg, then the tapioca mixture. next, you’ll pan fry the chicken in 3 batches, making sure they are well coated. make sure you do this in batches or the result will be a gloppy mess. they only take a couple minutes per side to fry. you’ll set them on a paper towel-lined sheet to quickly drain then finish with a sprinkling of salt. serve right away with the delicious sauce!
menu ideas:
these grain-free fried chicken bites with yogurt honey dijon can be versatile for different meal times.
- weeknight family dinner: serve chicken bites with yogurt honey dijon, roasted sweet potato fries and sliced avocado.
- casual appetizer: serve chicken bites with yogurt honey dijon, pickles and fresh cucumbers, (shown below).
- sunday supper: serve fried chicken bites with yogurt honey dijon, loaded baked potatoes and my greek salad with pistachios.
Grain-Free Fried Chicken Bites with Yogurt Honey Dijon
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups avocado oil
- 1.25 lb chicken breast boneless skinless, cut into 1” chunks
- 1 large egg whisked
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 20 turns of freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1.25 cups tapioca flour
Yogurt Honey Dijon Sauce:
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup avocado oil mayo
- 2 Tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 2 Tablespoon honey
- 10 turns of freshly-cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Begin by making your yogurt honey dijon sauce. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until well combined. Set aside in the fridge while you are preparing the chicken bites.
- Add your cubed chicken to a medium bowl and combine with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and whisked egg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining salt, spices, black pepper and tapioca flour.
- In a heavy bottomed large cast iron skillet, add your avocado oil, and turn on heat to medium high. While your avocado oil is warming, begin breading your chicken in three batches.
- In 3 batches, add the egg coated chicken to the tapicoa, coating very well. Transfer to a sheet pan while you bread the others.
- Before adding the chicken, make sure the oil is hot enough by dropping a bit of tapioca mixture in the pan to see if it sizzles. Oil will take 4-5 minutes to heat up all the way.
- Add chicken to the hot pan, in batches, in a single layer and leave undisturbed.
- Cook chicken about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and just cooked through. With each batch, you may need to adjust the heat and turn it down a bit.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined dish to drain excess oil. Finish with a sprinkling of kosher salt then serve hot with dipping sauce on the side.
These are my favorite chicken nugget recipe! The sauce is super versatile too. Will definitely be keeping that on hand in my fridge!
Thank you so much, Jordan! I’m so happy you love the recipe and means so much coming from an expert cook as yourself!