May 9th, 2010

Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders

I have four main goals in my culinary exploits: less work, less expense, better nutrition, and better taste. And every once in a long while, I strike upon something that accomplishes all four at once. When this happens, let me tell you, I practically set off fireworks in jubilation.

But can I really improve on these delectable GFCF chicken nuggets I showed you how to make way back when? Oh, indeed. You may recall that at the time, I said, “I’d probably bread everything in nothing but almond meal, if the stuff weren’t so darn expensive.” Well it turns out, there was a less expensive source sitting right under my nose. Much less expensive, in fact!

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Honeyville Grain sells blanched almond flour at half the price of Bob’s Red Mill. (The price drops even more if you buy it in 25 lb. bags, but I realize most of you aren’t going to be able to go through it that quickly — though it does keep for a very long time in the refrigerator…) I’ve been experimenting with this stuff like a madwoman, and I have to say, I’m an almond flour convert at this point. The texture is just miles better than anything else out there in my opinion, and with the obstacle of cost removed (or at least reduced to the equivalent of every other GF flour out there,) there’s no reason not to use it in practically everything.

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I’ll try to post some recipes for baked items involving almond flour in the near future, but for now, let’s get back to these amazing chicken tenders, shall we? I was exaggerating slightly when I said “nothing but” almond flour, there are a few seasonings that help this meal reach its full potential. Specifically, that’s 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, and ground ginger, and 1 teaspoon of paprika.

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Blend all that into 1 cup of almond flour. (That’s another important distinction between the Honeyville product versus Bob’s Red Mill, by the way: Bob’s Red Mill officially makes almond meal, which is a coarser texture, and doesn’t work as well for baking. It would still work fine here, except for the part where it’s twice as expensive.)

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I’m using 2 pounds of chicken tenders straight out of the package, but you could certainly cut up your own chicken bits if you’d prefer. As always, make sure you get chicken meat that isn’t injected with broth, as that may contain gluten. “Retained water” = good, “up to 3% solution” = bad. There’s really no need to do an egg wash in this recipe, especially since the almond flour is already packed with protein. I just use about a Tablespoon of high-quality olive oil.

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Roll your oiled chicken in the breading, and lay them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

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I sprinkle any leftover bits on top for a little extra crunch. The reason you can get away with doing these in the oven instead of frying them in oil is because the almond grains are too dense to get soggy in the oven like other GF breadings. They come out just as crunchy, with less effort.

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30 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees, and just look at that golden deliciousness! My whole family prefers the taste, plus it’s more nutritious, costs the same as anything else a gluten-free cook would use, and involves less work and cleanup than frying. Time to light the fireworks!

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Happy Eating!

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Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders

2 lb. chicken tenders
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup Honeyville almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika

 

10 comments to Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders

  • xoxoxoBruce

    If people find out where you live, you’re going to need way more than 2 lbs.;o)
    I suppose the baking time would preclude a small restaurant or diner, offering this as a non-fried alternative. Have you tried reheating them, or does your tribe gobble them up too fast to try?

  • TheGFCFLady

    Oh yes, you can freeze and reheat them just like the fried version. It will never be quite as good as fresh, of course, but it’s just as good as reheating the fried kind.

  • grannymudita

    Do you think this almond meal approach would work on fish fillets too?

  • TheGFCFLady

    Absolutely! Anything that can be breaded can be breaded in almond flour. I’ve actually been thinking about doing something like this with root vegetables, cutting them long and thin like french fries and breading them. Have to figure out which ones would hold up firm enough in the oven without frying though. Hmm…

  • cra1982

    Where do you get your almond flour? I also live in south central Texas, and haven’t been able to find it anywhere, or do you order it online? Also, I’m new to gfcf diet, but it’s been going well. Have you had any experience with eating out on this diet? Thanks!

  • TheGFCFLady

    I buy mine online at http://www.honeyvillegrain.com. If you buy the bulk bags in 5 or 25 pounds, it’s considerably cheaper than the smaller bags available from other brands. As far as eating out, generally speaking we just don’t. 🙂 There are so many cross-contamination issues, and we have extra allergies to contend with… there are actually a handful of restaurants in our area that we do eat at, but they are all local specialty places, not large restaurant chains, so they wouldn’t help you much. My advice would be to call around the places in your area and just see what’s available to you. Good luck!

  • jmr

    I made this recipe using Glutino pretzels- I crush them up in a blender and it turns out delicious! Just an idea. I am making this tonight for dinner.

  • jfossum

    these seriously are amazing! your website is great, i just found it a couple weeks ago, was totally overwhelmed trying to feed my son a gfcf diet, you really helped!

  • We just had these for dinner. Mine didn’t turn out very crispy, but I didn’t measure oil so maybe I didn’t use enough. I had a lot of almond mix left over for 2.2 lbs chicken so I’ll use 3/4 cup next time. Anyway the kids wanted seconds and I think they are worth trying again! I like the touch of ginger. I wouldn’t have thought of that.

  • Loraine

    I’ve just discovered this website, and tried the above recipe with ground almonds (as it was all I had in the cupboard.). Great that they didn”t stick to the tray (even without using parchment paper). Although not that crispy, it didn’t seem to matter. They were absolutely amazing! ( kids loved them too). Wow, real food, no nasty additives and allergy free too! THANK-YOU!

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