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These crispy chicken nuggets are gluten free, simple to prepare and are made with all wholesome ingredients. I use organic chicken to ensure you aren’t filling your bodies with unnecessary antibiotics, toxins and chemicals.
These are so simple to make for the kids (and adults too). There aren’t any bread crumbs in these, just all healthy, clean ingredients. I make a bunch of these at once and freeze them to take out and reheat for a quick weeknight meal.
The kiddies have no clue that they are eating tons of fiber, antioxidants, protein and omega-3-fatty-acids. Shhhhhh…… I won’t tell if you won’t tell 😉 It’ll be our secret,
But to be honest, adults love these too. I mean, doesn’t everyone love a good chicken nugget? Well, not everyone of course. I should know that since I am one of the pickiest eaters EVER.
And it’s funny, I have one kid who doesn’t like to dip them in anything, one likes your standard ketchup dip and my other one likes to dip them in hot sauce! To each his own. What do you like to dip your nuggets in? My old friend used to dip hers in ranch dressing and although I used to think it was weird, it sounds really delicious to me now.
Honestly ranch could taste amazing on almost anything. I said almost, though. I still don’t get the whole pizza and ranch sauce thing.
Is that a southern thing? Nope, I don’t get it.
Check out just how easy they are to make with my new video…
Most of the store bought chicken nuggets contain a whole lot of junk. Now full disclosure here, I am not saying that I won’t ever give my kids those. There are busy nights where I have no choice because life is too busy to make a homemade meal.
And I don’t believe in shaming other parents for buying them. We are all just doing our best, right? On days and nights where we have some extra time, why not make these?
Maybe double or tripe the recipe and freeze some for later? That’s what I try to do. And on those crazy nights I serve them the frozen store bought variety. I just read the ingredients to make sure they aren’t completely load with nonsense.
These nuggets are made with all ingredients that you should most likely have in your pantry most of the time too, so that is always a help. I like to buy the chicken breasts or tenderloins and cut them up because my kids tend to like nuggets with white meat better.
I know readers have told me that they have used boneless chicken thighs in here as well and they came out great. Use what you like (or really whatever you have in your house) to make it easier. Let me know if you use the chicken thighs though, I’d love to hear what you think!
I would also love to hear some brands of store bought chicken nuggets that have real, wholesome ingredients. This is probably not the most popular nutritionist question out there, again I am keeping it real here. And when you post it on my site you are also helping out those other parents out there with your suggestions!
Most of you know I am very realistic and I promote a lifestyle of moderation and balance. I don’t like shaming anyone else, it really bothers me. If you are vegan, dairy free, gluten free or whatever and feel strongly about it, go for it! Just don’t judge anyone else for not eating the same way.
Ok, enough of that. It just really, really bothers me.
I have also had readers tell me that they have made these in the air fryer and they came out beautifully. I don’t even have an air fryer so I can’t speak to that, but I love that they still came out delicious!
Maybe I need to invest in one of those air fryers. Do you have one and love it? Let me know, I have been thinking about it for a while now.
Back to these nuggets!
Healthy Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 pound organic skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 3/4 cup ground flax seed
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 eggs
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or baking pan.
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In a medium bowl, place flax seed, chia seeds, Parmesan cheese, salt, oregano, basil and garlic. Mix well.
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In another separate medium bowl, place eggs and mix well.
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Line up the bowls and place each piece of chicken into egg mixture, then flax/chia mixture. Lay onto prepared baking sheet until all the chicken is used.
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Discard any remaining egg or flax mixtures.
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Cook chicken for 25 minutes or until cooked through, making sure to turn over once halfway through. Serve immediately.
Pleaes see the nutrition information below. High protein, low carb and all real ingredients!
Simple to make, healthy and delicious, what’s not to love here?
I thought I’d share some more healthy chicken recipes that you might like:
Healthy Chicken Salad made with Greek yogurt
Healthy Orange Chicken from the Clean Eating Couple
Easy Healthy Chicken and Asparagus Skillet from Mommy’s Home Cooking
Healthy Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Well Plated
Easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken from Creme de la Crumb
Spicy Honey Lime Chickenwith Edamame Rice
Slow Cooker Honey Sriracha Chicken from Fit Foodie Finds
Thai Chicken Tacos with Spicy Peanut Sauce from the Suburban Soapbox
Chicken and Spaghetti in Creamy Avocado Sauce
Chicken Enchilada Skillet from All Day I Dream About Food
Let me know how you like these nuggets and any of the recipes above! I love to hear from you guys and I ma so thankful for your support. Thanks for stopping by~
I’m wondering how many servings would you say this serves? I’m trying to get weight watchers points for my tracking and I made these before I joined and loved them! Thanks for these!
That would be difficult to say, maybe take not when you are cutting the breasts as to how many nuggets per breast? Then 1 breast would equal one serving, I would guess that 3 or 4 nuggets would equal one breast. Thank you so much, so glad you liked them!
It looks delicious and easy to make. I’m definitely trying this next weekend.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hope you like them! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
These are my favorite! Hope you like them too!
Seems like a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to try it! Out of curiosity, do you freeze them before or after you bake them?
Hi Candice! I freeze them after I bake them. It’s a healthier alternative to those frozen chicken nuggets at the grocery store. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I cooked this recipe for dinner, my husband didn’t care for it. I thought it was alright. Definitely helped with my craving for crunchy foods. We are on a low Carb diet so we don’t eat any breads. We have tried the pork rind breading with chicken which was very good bit definitely not as healthy . Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Meliza,
Just curious…Was it crunchy? seeds did not get soggy? Also, just wondering if anyone tried sesame seeds for breading…whole vs ground? on all seeds 🙂
No they were crunchy! The seeds weren’t crunchy but the nuggets were soggy. I hope you like them Aurora!
These are delicious! Will definitely be making these again. Thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad you liked them Lydia! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on chicken nuggets.
Regards
I used this breading for skinless thighs. They are baking now & I can’t wait to taste them!
I hope you like it Marjorie! 🙂
I really enjoyed these chicken nuggets. I didn’t have any flaxseed so I used almond meal. I used nutritional yeast instead of the parmesan cheese and it was really delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I am so glad to hear that Christine, thank you for telling me! 🙂
Just curious…what was the contribution of the yeast to the texture, taste, crunchiness 🙂
I would like to try these but my son can’t have eggs. Do you have any suggestions for an egg free dip before putting the coating on? Thanks
Hi Erin! Have you tried flax eggs? Mix 1 tablespoon flax meal plus 3 tablespoons water and stir. That can easily replace 1 egg. I hope you like them!
Just a quick question! When you say 1/4 Parmesan Cheese Grated – Do you mean 1/4 Cup? Also, the Basil, is it fresh or dried?
Hi there! Yes, I meant 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 🙂 And I used dried basil too. Sorry for the typos, I hope you like them!
I made these over the weekend and they were a hit with my family. The kids LOVED them! Thank you
Who knew you could make these low carb? Such a great recipe and I know my kids will love them!
Love that you made these without breadcrumbs! They look awesome. I love making chicken dishes, too. It’s my husbands favorite so I’m always looking for new ideas 🙂
Lauren – these look delicious! Will have to give it a whirl to jazz up weeknight chicken – plus with the healthier punch, even better 🙂
I love that you “breaded” these with chia and flax instead of breadcrumbs. Yum!
We’re always looking for kid-friendly, gluten free food ideas for a young family member when he comes to our house for dinner. Looks great!
What a great idea to use chia and flax seed for the coating. My kids would love these!
I’ve got some flax seed at home that’s just waiting for these chicken nuggets!!
Oh wow, I love the coating on these. I say if the kids resist them, it’s only a bonus for mom… 😉
These look absolutely scrumptious. I love chicken nuggets but most recipes for them are not very healthy. Nice to see a fabulous healthy alternative.
Kids always love chicken nuggets. I bet the seeds add plenty of crunch!
These look so good! I’ve been avoiding letting my daughter learn about chicken nuggets, but I’d have no problem with these!
I was looking for some chicken nugget recipe for my nephews since it’s break from school, and I found this recipe. I am so glad that it seems so easy to prepare and cook. I will definitely try this one next week. I hope my nephews will love this yummy chicken recipe.
Thank you Camilla! I hope they like them too!
Are we talking farenheit or centigrade ?
Thanks
I apologize, it’s Fahrenheit. Thank you!
Just curious what your method is for reheating after freezing. Very much looking forward to trying out this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! I usually just bake them at 375 for 20 minutes but since all ovens vary, check them after 15 minutes. I hope that helps!
Hi, Lauren
Going to pin and try this. Been looking for new ways to use chia seeds.
blessings, Karen
Thank you Karen! I hope you like them!
These look delicious!
Wow! looks delicious. I would try making these healthy gluten free chicken nuggets for sure! Thx for sharing recipe, i definitely add it to my cookbook!
I hope you liked them, Jill!
Definitely your healthy gluten free chicken nuggets are awesomeness! This is a great recipe Lauren, as you know I made them a short while ago and they was lovely, in fact have made them again since. Thanks for sharing!
I love to hear that, Bella! Thank you so much for stopping by and please come back again!
Just made these. Using a pound of chicken I made 24 nuggets. Curious as to how many carbs in 4 our 6 of these. They are really delicious.
Hi Sharon! I just added the nutritional information based on cutting the chicken into 20 nuggets. I hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by!
My son has gluten allergy I tried this recipe out for him and he loved I’ll be making this dish again for sure.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you!
i love healthy gluten free chicken nuggets. i will try it.
I hope you love them!