These keto chicken tenders are super easy to make and they are so flavorful, especially with the tasty dipping sauce.
These keto chicken tenders are healthy and tasty. They are also very easy to make. My entire family loves them, so I make them quite often, and they are always a success.
Baking is easier than frying!
This is an easy recipe – for sure easier than deep-frying (though perhaps not as easy as these grilled chicken tenders). Coat the chicken pieces, bake for 15 minutes in a 450F oven, then briefly broil to brown them.
The ingredients you’ll need
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below:
- Avocado oil spray
- For the dipping sauce:
- Mayonnaise: I like to use avocado oil mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard: Dijon is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard
- Unsweetened ketchup
- Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you might want to reduce the amount you use
- Garlic powder: Make sure it’s fresh
- For the tenders:
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Spices (garlic powder, thyme, and cayenne)
- Raw chicken tenders
- Coating: almond meal and grated (not shredded) parmesan
How to make keto chicken tenders
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Your first step is to mix the dipping sauce ingredients. Then set it aside.
- Coat the tenders in a mixture of mayonnaise, Dijon, and spices.
- Now dredge them in a mixture of almond meal and parmesan.
- Place on a greased roasting rack in a rimmed broiler-safe baking sheet. Spray with oil.
- Bake the tenders for 15 minutes at 450°F, then briefly broil.
The tasty coating: almond flour and parmesan
There’s no need for using breadcrumbs. Instead, I use a mixture of almond flour and grated Parmesan cheese, which is just as good.
It’s best to use coarse almond meal in this recipe, and not blanched, finely ground almond flour. Although if all you have is almond flour, it will be okay, just less crispy.
Avocado oil mayonnaise
I use avocado oil mayonnaise in both the chicken and the dipping sauce. Avocado oil is thought by some experts to be healthier than refined, bleached, and deodorized oils (RBD oils).
But if your main concern is keeping these keto chicken tenders low in carbs, any mayonnaise will do as long as it’s not low fat.
As for the ketchup, I use unsweetened ketchup in the dipping sauce. But since I use just one tablespoon, it won’t make much of a difference in terms of carbs if you use regular ketchup.
The dipping sauce is great, by the way. It’s purely optional, but it does greatly enhance the flavor of these chicken tenders.
What side dishes go with this recipe?
Anything goes! It’s such a versatile main dish. But since I bake them in a 450°F oven, I often serve them with a side that I can cook in the same oven. So I often serve them with roasted green beans or with roasted bell peppers.
What to do with leftovers of these keto chicken tenders
You can keep the leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The almond flour coating will lose its crispness. But you can get some of it back by reheating them in a 250F oven for about 15 minutes.
More tasty chicken recipes
If you don’t object to frying, another keto and gluten-free chicken tenders recipe that I really like is this recipe for Parmesan chicken tenders.
They are coated with Parmesan only – no breading, then fried in olive oil. They are wonderfully flavorful.
And these keto chicken nuggets are very easy to make, and the chipotle dipping sauce is wonderful!
Never miss a recipe!
I typically publish a new healthy recipe once or twice per week. Want the new recipes in your inbox? Subscribe!
Keto Chicken Tenders
INGREDIENTS
- Avocado oil spray
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken tenders:
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lb. raw chicken tenders 8 tenders
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- Optional: sprinkle of paprika for color
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees 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 in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix the mayonnaise, mustard, kosher salt, garlic powder, 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 spray and sprinkle with paprika.
- Bake 15 minutes in the middle of the oven, then switch the oven to broil, keeping the baking sheet on the middle rack, and broil until golden-brown, about 2 minutes per side.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
More Healthy Recipes:
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
