These delicious almond flour chicken tenders are baked in the oven and ready in about 30 minutes. They are easy to make and are incredibly flavorful, with or without the dipping sauce.
Chicken tenders are magical. You take a bland chicken breast, coat it, bake or fry, and you've got yourself a tasty, crispy delicacy! This is an easy recipe - for sure, easier than deep-frying (though perhaps not as easy as these grilled chicken tenders). Coat the chicken in seasoned almond flour, bake for 15 minutes in a 450°F oven, then briefly broil to brown the outside.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
For the Dipping Sauce:
- Mayonnaise: I like to use avocado oil mayonnaise. If you like spicy food, you can use sriracha mayo.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard.
- Ketchup: Traditional ketchup is quite sugary, so I prefer unsweetened ketchup.
For the Chicken:
- Coating: A creamy coating of mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, followed by a crispy coating of almond meal and grated parmesan.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper.
- Raw chicken tenders: 1 pound, which is about 8 pieces.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Mix the dipping sauce ingredients. Set aside. Coat the chicken pieces in a mixture of mayonnaise, Dijon, and spices.
Dredge the chicken pieces in a mixture of almond meal and parmesan.
Place the tenders on a greased roasting rack fitted into a rimmed, broiler-safe baking sheet. Spray them with oil. Bake them for 15 minutes at 450°F, then briefly place them under the broiler to get them browned. Serve them with the dipping sauce.
Recipe Tip
It's best to use almond meal in this recipe and not superfine almond flour. Almond meal is made with ground almonds that were not blanched, so they still have their skin. Its texture is coarser than that of blanched almond flour, so it more closely resembles breadcrumbs. However, if all you have is blanched almond flour, you can use it in this recipe.
Recipe FAQs
The mixture of almond meal and grated parmesan cheese is just as tasty, but it doesn't adhere to the chicken pieces as efficiently as breadcrumbs.
Yes. You can fry them in an inch of avocado oil in a nonstick skillet for about 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium after flipping them if the pan gets too hot and the oil starts to smoke.
I don't recommend that. Almond flour and coconut flour are very different and are not interchangeable in recipes. This recipe was tested with almond flour.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The almond flour coating will lose its crispness, but you can get some of it back by reheating the chicken uncovered in a 350°F oven until heated through. You can also enjoy the leftovers cold.
Serving Suggestions
Since I bake them in a 450°F oven, I like to serve these chicken tenders with a side dish I can cook in the same oven. So, I often serve them with any of the following:
They're also good with salads, including Israeli salad, creamy cucumber salad, and homemade coleslaw.
Recipe Card
Almond Flour Chicken Tenders
Video
Ingredients
- Avocado oil spray
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened ketchup
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or a pinch of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken tenders:
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound raw chicken tenders - 8 tenders
- ½ cup almond meal
- ¼ cup parmesan - grated
- Pinch paprika - optional, added for color
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed, broiler-safe baking sheet with foil and fit it with a roasting rack. Spray the roasting rack with oil.
- If using, mix the dipping sauce ingredients (mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, and garlic powder) in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix the mayonnaise, mustard, kosher salt, garlic powder, dried thyme, and cayenne. Add the chicken tenders and toss to coat.
- In a 9 X 13 baking dish, whisk together the almond meal and parmesan. Place the chicken pieces in the mixture, one by one, and press on both sides until well-coated.
- Place the coated chicken tenders on the prepared roasting rack. Lightly spray them with avocado oil and sprinkle them with paprika.
- Bake the tenders for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven. Switch the oven to broil, keeping the baking sheet on the middle rack, and broil the tenders until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Their internal temperature should reach 165ºF.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Nutrition for 2 tenders plus ¼ of the dipping sauce: Calories 320; fat 19g; saturated fat 3g; carbs 4g; sugars 2g; sodium 628mg; fiber 2g; protein 31g.
- It's best to use almond meal and not superfine almond flour. Almond meal is made with ground almonds that were not blanched, so they still have their skin. Its texture is coarser than that of blanched almond flour, so it more closely resembles breadcrumbs. However, if all you have is blanched almond flour, you can use it in this recipe.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The almond flour coating will lose its crispness, but you can get some of it back by reheating the chicken uncovered in a 350°F oven until heated through. You can also enjoy the leftovers cold.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Tina says
Have you made these in an air fryer?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Tina,
I have not. I don't own one. 🙂
Leigh Ann says
What is dry grated Parmesan cheese?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Leigh Ann,
Thank you for this question. It's just grated parmesan. This is the one I typically use. I'll go ahead and edit the recipe to remove the word "dry" - it's confusing.