Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

These homemade gluten-free chicken fingers are super simple to prepare and turn out perfectly crispy every single time.

I honestly haven’t eaten chicken fingers in years. As soon as I started focusing on eating whole foods, I made a point to cut out all processed and pre-packaged foods, chicken fingers included. Truth be told, they weren’t one of my favorite foods, to begin with, I’m much more of a French fry girl myself, however, I know how much people love them, so I figured making a recipe for oven-baked chicken fingers would be a lot of fun.

When it comes to deep-fried foods, recreating a healthier version can be really tough because it is really the fryer and the oil that provide all of the texture and flavor. So when it came to creating a gluten-free version of oven-baked chicken fingers I knew I had my work cut out for me. Fortunately, today there are a ton of different flour options on the market, so I knew if I could find the right combination I could make it work.

The key to getting these Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers crunchy and crispy is the addition of tapioca flour to the almond flour. Although tapioca flour, or tapioca starch, might sound fancy it is simply flour made of cassava, which is a long tuberous root that is high in starch content, which makes it ideal for thickening soups or sauces and also helps to provide a crispy texture in baking and cooking. The combination of the almond flour and tapioca flour in this recipe helps to give these Oven-Baked Chicken Fingers the crispy deep-fried texture you would expect without any deep-frying at all.

These gluten-free chicken fingers are a great meal for kids, a large group or party, or a make-ahead dinner idea. They store really well in the fridge and keep their crispiness for up to 3 days, or you can batch-cook them in advance and store them in a freezer and warm them in the oven when you need a simple dinner in a pinch.

Gluten-Free Chicken Fingers

Author: Stephanie Kay

Made with chicken breasts, almond flour and tapioca flour, these baked chicken fingers are a healthy and gluten-free recipe the whole family can enjoy!

• Author: Stephanie Kay
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Mains
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil + more as needed

To Serve:

• Honey Mustard (3 tablespoons mustard + 1 tablespoon honey)
• Ketchup

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, tapioca flour, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt and black together, and set aside.
4. In a separate small bowl, crack eggs and whisk until well combined.
5. One at a time, dip chicken strips into egg mixture, ensure it is well coated, and then transfer to the flour mixture. Use your hands to ensure that the entire chicken strip is well coated in the flour mixture and then transfer it to the baking sheet.
6. Continue doing this, one chicken strip at a time, until all of the chicken has been coated in the egg and flour mixture and placed onto the baking sheet.
7. Once the baking sheet is lined with the chicken strips, drizzle olive or avocado oil across all of the chicken strips. You don’t need the chicken to be coated in oil, just a little drizzle across the top of each piece.
8. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven for a total of 18 minutes, turning the strips halfway through, until the tenders are brown and crispy on both sides.
9. Serve with a side of honey mustard or organic ketchup.
10. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 309 calories
• Sugar: 1 gram
• Fat: 11 grams
• Carbohydrates: 11 grams
• Fiber: 1 gram
• Protein: 26 grams