Sweet and Spicy Paleo Chicken Fingers
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Craving chicken fingers but keeping things paleo? I’ve spent years perfecting this recipe, and these golden, sticky paleo chicken fingers deliver big crunch without breaking the rules.
Reader, Amy, said: “I truly can’t say enough good things about this recipe! Tonight was our second time making the chicken tenders and they were even better than the first time! This time we ensured to shake off the excess egg and let the tenders rest in the fridge for an hour which really helped the breading stay together! Thank you so much! This is a forever staple in our home now! ★★★★★“
These paleo chicken fingers are proof that you don’t need deep frying to get seriously crispy, satisfying chicken. The almond flour coating bakes up beautifully golden and crunchy while the chicken stays juicy and tender inside. Tossed in a sticky honey hot sauce glaze, they hit that perfect sweet-spicy-crispy combination that makes them hard to stop eating.
After testing a few versions, this coating was the clear winner. Almond flour creates a crisp exterior with lots of flavor and works especially well once the glaze caramelizes around the edges in the oven. I usually make these with chicken tenders, but sliced chicken breasts or boneless thighs work really well, too.
If you’re not into spice, you can easily skip the hot sauce or make my honey garlic paleo chicken fingers instead. And if you’re looking for something to dip them in, I highly recommend this paleo avocado ranch — it’s ridiculously good with its sweet-and-spicy glaze. Or check out my 7 staple paleo sauces for even more dipping inspiration.
Top tips to prevent the crust from falling off
When I first set out to make these, I found that beautiful crust didn’t want to stay on the chicken, where it belongs. I’ve found a few tips to help with this:
- Quality matters: Start with the best quality chicken within your budget. Cheap chicken is typically pumped full of water, making it look like it’s better value than a smaller piece of chicken. The problem with this is that when the chicken cooks the water is released, and it pushes the crust off. Don’t be fooled!
- Rest: After you coat the chicken in the almond flour, sea salt, and pepper, let it sit for 30-60 minutes in the fridge before popping it in the oven; this helps to bind the crust together so that it sticks to the chicken and turns golden brown.
- Egg mixture: Make sure to shake any excess eggs off the chicken before dipping it into the almond flour. You need some moisture to help it stick, but not so much that it causes the breading to fall off.
What to serve with baked paleo chicken tenders
I often keep things super simple and serve them next to vegetables or a big green salad on the side with lettuce, tomatoes, and onion.
For sides, you can’t go past these sweet and spicy yam wedges or Cajun sweet potato fries. These Honey roasted carrots complement the sweetness.
Store and freeze
How do you store leftover paleo chicken fingers? Leftover paleo chicken strips can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. They can be reheated in the oven or air fryer.
Can I freeze these paleo chicken fingers? Yes! Ideally, you’ll want to freeze them BEFORE you coat them in sauce. Once they’re baked, let them cool completely, then freeze them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Once they’re frozen, transfer them to a reusable freezer bag. Note: if they are coated in sauce, you can still freeze them. They just won’t get crunchy when you thaw and warm them.
Sweet and Spicy Paleo Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond meal (can use almond flour)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup tapioca or potato starch
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup hot sauce (Franks or Tapatio work great)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Minced cilantro or parsley (for serving)
- Optional: paleo ranch for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the almond flour, sea salt, and pepper into a bowl and stir it together. Place the eggs in another bowl with a splash of water and whisk them.1 ½ cups almond meal, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 large eggs
- Dip the chicken tenders, one at a time, into the tapioca or potato starch, 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 baking sheet.¼ cup tapioca or potato starch , 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 high heat bring the honey, hot sauce and garlic powder to a boil then set it aside.½ cup honey, ⅓ cup hot sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 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 then lay them back on the baking sheet. Save the extra sauce.
- Put the chicken back in the oven for 2-5 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, sprinkle with some minced cilantro or parsley, and serve immediately.Optional: paleo ranch for dipping
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Hello from Texas! I made these chicken fingers tonight and they were delicious! It was my first ever Paleo recipe. My husband is a very picky eater and loved them, too. Thanks for taking the time to create and share your recipe! It’s in my meal rotation now.
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy to hear that both you and your husband loved them!!
Oh my gosh! I’m obsessed with these. These will be a staple in my house for sure. I followed all of the optional steps and they turned out perfect. The broiling at the end is key!
We’re pretty obsessed with them here, too! So happy you like them!!
When it says one portion how many strips is that?
It’s for 1/4 of the recipe, or 1/4 lb. of chicken. I can’t say how many strips exactly since they can differ in size. When I buy chicken tenders I find the sizes vary a lot. Hope that helps a little!
Just made this for my fiancé and I this evening and holy moly!!!! Super DELICIOUS! Thank you for posting this easy and scrumptious recipe.
Thanks for making the recipe and for the feedback. I love this one, too!
I used coconut flour for the crust and arrowroot flour for the base and did not have the issues with the crust falling off like I did when I followed your directions for the almond flour. Just a tip!
That’s awesome! Thank you for the feedback!!
Yup! Me too. Just made them today! Delicious. (A little high in carbs, but totally worth it.)
So happy you like the recipe!
Dumb question when it calls for a 1lb of chicken tenders does that mean store bought frozen breaded chicken tenders or just sliced raw chicken?
Not a dumb question at all! I like to use raw chicken tenders – the little piece that is on the underside of the chicken breast. My local market sells them seperately but you could always just use chicken breasts and slice them. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! It looked so yummy, that I couldn’t help but take a bite the moment I took it out of the oven. I looked forward to serving this for dinner!
You are so welcome! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them!!
These look delicious. Are they good for leftovers, do they reheat well? How long would they stay good in the fridge?
Thanks, Alex! I reheat them in the oven and they’re actually pretty good as leftovers too. Make sure to eat them within 2-3 days. 🙂
These turned out GREAT! Thank you for the recipe.
You are so welcome!!! 🙂
No cooked food, should be stored more than a maximum of 3 days in the fridge 🙂
Hey Ole,
How long you can safely store cooked food depends on what it is. For chicken, the recommended maximum storage is 2-3 days. Other things, like bacon, can last up to a week.
Here’s a link to a handy chart that is used in the restaurant industry: http://www.foodsafe.ca/resources/storagetimes.pdf
Out of curiosity … does it say in this post or comments anywhere that the chicken can be stored longer? I can’t find anywhere, but I want to make sure I’m not missing something.
Looks great. Are you turning them over at any time in the oven, or bake them on the same side the whole time?
Thanks, Erin! Nope, I just leave them in the oven and don’t flip them. The ‘breading’ is a little delicate so I find it’s best just to put them in the oven and leave them alone. 🙂
can i use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I haven’t tried it myself but others have commented on here that they have used coconut flour with success. I’d love to hear if that modification works for you too!
I used coconut flour in place of almond flour and I think it came out great. I also used Frank’s sweet chili sauce for hot sauce, and I added some fresh garlic into the sauce too. I would definitely make this again.
Thank you so much for the update. I seriously appreciate it!
I love that you used sweet chili sauce instead … I bet it was extra delicious. 🙂
This recipe was PHENOMENAL! I decreased the honey to a half a cup, but otherwise followed the directions and it was delicious. Even my super junk food eating husband and incredibly picky kids loved it. My husband loved it so much that he made sure there was enough for him to take to his friend to try. Thanks for this recipe; it’s a keeper
I’m so happy to hear you and your family loved this chicken. It’s one of my all-time favs!!
Disclaimer:Had screenshot the old recipe and didn’t see the good tips about the crust not falling off because that’s surely what happened.
However, the sauce was really good, and sweet with a spicy kick. Think I may have used too much franks. We used plain Greek yogurt as a dipping sauce and my daughter liked it. Will make again with the new updated recipe. I love recipes but hate to cook but glad I found it on Pinterest.
So happy to hear you liked the sauce! 🙂
Unfortunately the breading on mine completely fell off so I couldn’t really dip them in the sauce. I just sort of poured it over the top of the strips.
Hi BP,
Thank you so much for your feedback!
I’ve just made some small changes to the original recipe, as well as added some tips in the post, that should help the breading stay on better next time. 🙂
I’m making this now. it looks nothing like the pic. it looks oatmeal-ly in the oven
You’re actually totally right, almond meal can look a little oatmeal-y. I’ve even used it before to make a paleo version of oatmeal. 🙂
Made these last week and the flavor was delicious!! One question though, I always seem to have a hard time with my breading staying on the chicken and not falling off, any tips!? Or happen to anyone else, I think I’m alone here! Thanks so much!
So happy liked the taste! The breading definitely doesn’t stick as well as more traditional breadcrumbs do. If I figure out how to make the almond meal stick as well as panko would I’ll definitely update.
I just wanted to reach out again and let you know that, after doing a little recipe testing, I’ve made some small changes to the original recipe that should help the breading stay on better. I’ve also added some tips about making the breading stick in the last paragraph of the post. 🙂
I am the only one in my family that can’t have eggs. What would you recommend to help the almond meal stick and not change the flavor?(I can’t do dairy either) Would egg replacer help or no? I am new to this paleo thing due to my Rheumatoid Arthritis… getting the hang of baking and cooking differently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Courtney,
I would try dipping it in some non-dairy milk and see if that works. Or maybe try a chia egg; they’re pretty sticky so that might be a good alternative too. 🙂
Would love to hear if one of those alternatives worked for you!