Paleo Honey Garlic Chicken
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Tender and succulent chicken is coated in a delicate, golden crust, then slathered in a simple, sticky honey garlic sauce that’s an irresistible combination of savory and sweet! Paleo honey chicken is a true crowd-pleaser that the whole family will fall in love with!
It’s hard for me to choose the best part of this recipe. Some days it’s the juicy chicken, other days it’s that incredibly satisfying crunch when you bite into the crispy, grain-free crust. Either way, it’s one of those dinners that feels special from the very first bite.
Then there’s the honey garlic sauce. It’s made from just a handful of simple ingredients, but somehow hits that perfect balance of sweet, garlicky, and savory. It cooks down into a rich, glossy glaze that clings to every piece of chicken, and I always find myself wishing there was extra to spoon over everything else on my plate.
This is one of those recipes that proves you don’t need much to make something truly crave-worthy. It’s bold, comforting, and downright delicious.
Ingredients needed
Paleo honey garlic chicken is made with under ten ingredients, most of which are pantry staples! This is what you need:
- Chicken: Opt for tenders, or use chicken breasts cut into strips.
- Tapioca flour: Also known as tapioca starch. You can find it in most grocery stores or online.
- Other ingredients: Almond flour, sea salt and black pepper, eggs, honey, garlic cloves, and cayenne.
How to prevent the crust from falling off?
- Lower-quality chicken is often pumped with water, which makes it appear to be a better value than smaller pieces of chicken. However, the water released during cooking can push the crust off. For this reason, opt for the best-quality chicken within your budget.
- If you have the time, let your chicken rest! After you dip it in the almond flour, let it rest in the fridge for around 30-60 minutes so the crust has time to bind, allowing it to stick better to the chicken.
- After you’ve dipped the chicken in the egg mixture, shake off any excess egg before dipping it into the almond flour. You want just a little moisture, but not too much!
What to serve with paleo honey garlic chicken
These paleo honey garlic chicken tenders work as a snack to enjoy while watching the Super Bowl, an appetizer, or as a super easy and delicious weeknight dinner. Keep it simple and serve with a big green salad or add beside some veggies to make it the main course!
Serve your honey garlic chicken on a bed of cauliflower fried rice or next to crispy roasted potatoes. Finish it off with a side of Asian coleslaw, honey roasted carrots, a broccoli and kale salad or sweet potatoes wedges.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use another cut of chicken?
Yes! You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts and slice them into smaller, longer pieces. Or, if you want to use up whatever is in the fridge, this recipe will still work on skin-on and bone-on chicken cuts. We love eating these as tenders that you can sink your teeth into, but the flavors will still work.
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Let the chicken cool completely before you put it in the container so the crust doesn’t get steamed and become too soft. You can also store leftovers in the freezer for up to three months.
Can I adjust the heat level?
Sure! You can do this by omitting cayenne pepper or increasing the amount. If you’re a fan of spice, use a hot sauce as a dipping sauce, or serve them beside hot honey, chipotle mayo, or bang bang sauce.
Paleo Honey Garlic Chicken Fingers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 1 lb chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the almond flour, sea salt, and black pepper in a bowl and stir them together. Place the eggs in another bowl with a small splash of water and whisk. Place the tapioca flour into another bowl.1 ½ cups almond flour, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and black pepper, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup tapioca flour
- Dip the chicken tenders, one at a time, into the tapioca, then into the egg, and then into the almond flour. Keeping one hand for the egg and one for the starch and flour makes this a lot less messy. Lay the chicken tenders on the prepared baking sheet.1 lb chicken tenders
- *OPTIONAL STEP*: Let the chicken rest for 30-60 minutes in your fridge before you bake it. This step will help the crust to stick to the chicken.
- Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, or until it is crispy and beginning to look golden brown.
- While the chicken is baking, prepare the sauce. In a small frying pan over medium heat, bring the honey, garlic, sea salt, and (if using) the cayenne to a boil and then set it aside.⅓ cup honey, 4 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon sea salt, Optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- When the chicken has finished baking, remove it from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Dip each of the chicken tenders in the sauce and then lay them back on the baking sheet. Save the extra sauce.
- Put the chicken back in the oven for 2-3 minutes for the glaze to caramelize slightly. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn.
- Baste the chicken with any extra sauce once they come out of the oven and then serve immediately.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
So happy you like both of them!!
Thanks for your simple but delicious recipe!!! Yay for easy gluten-free and paleo dinner recipes! 😀
You are so welcome!!
Based on your recommendation, we went ahead and tried these and loved them! Now we do half and half between the two sauces and it’s great to have a mix of different chicken tenders for dinner. Thank you again!!
I love it! So happy you like them both!
This looks delicious! I have all the ingredients and making tonight, but can’t decide between this one and the sweet and spicy tenders… do you have a fav? I’m way too indecisive!
Oh man … that’s a tough call! I honestly love them both. I love these ones because of the garlic and the other ones because they’re spicy. Haha I can’t choose either!
Maybe make a half batch of both sauces so you get some of each!
Thanks for the reply! I couldn’t decide either, sooooo I just combined them! I followed the recipe for the Sweet and Spicy version, but added the 4 cloves of fresh garlic (and omitted garlic powder) and added the salt as well. It was soooo good! If you are ever indecisive like me, just combine them! My fiance loved it! We took your recommendation and served it over a kale salad that i rubbed with a little avocado oil and lime juice. I added in some red onion and topped with a drizzle of homemade paleo ranch and it was perfect! Thank you!
Such a great idea! I may just have to do that next time, too!!
I made these last night, and they were perfection. That 3-step dredging makes all the difference, and it’s the tapioca starch that really makes the chicken perfect. We loved this! In fact, all your chicken dishes we’ve tried have been top-notch. This is going on repeat.
I’m so happy to hear you liked them … and my other chicken recipes! Hooray!
These look amazing. I don’t have tapioca flour though. Is there a substitute for it that you can recommend?
Any starch will work, it just depends on if you follow a paleo diet or not. If you do, then arrowroot powder could be substituted. If you don’t, then you could use rice flour, cornstarch, or even regular flour. I hope that helps!