I created this gluten free and paleo chicken finger recipe so I could continue enjoying a healthier version of one of my favorite foods, and make something familiar for my family too. Plus, this recipe is AIP compliant, Whole30, keto, and kid-friendly to boot!
These chicken tenders/fingers are breaded in healthy coconut flour and oven baked instead of fried. They’re tasty and much healthier than anything similar that you’d find at a restaurant.
When I was in high school, I basically lived on chicken tenders. Every day I would eat a box from the local deli along with a pile of potato wedges.
If I had any idea what I was doing to my body, I would definitely have thought twice about my daily lunch!
Chicken tenders are coated in gluten-filled breadcrumbs and deep fried in low-quality vegetable oils. No wonder I struggled for years with inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and generally feeling like garbage.
Luckily, after studying nutrition, I got my act together and began eating more healing foods. Of course, I still crave familiar flavors – so, healthy comfort food recipes are essential!
Healthy Chicken Finger Recipe (Gluten-Free & Paleo):
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (for AIP sub for compliant spices like sage, thyme, salt and marjoram)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 lb boneless skinless pastured chicken breasts
- ¼ cup avocado oil or melted ghee
- Coconut or avocado oil in a spray bottle (for misting)
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a shallow bowl or on a plate, combine the coconut flour, poultry seasoning, and sea salt.
- Slice the chicken breast into strips, and coat generously with avocado oil.
- Dip the oil-coated chicken strips into the coconut flour mixture to coat.
- Place the finished strips onto a baking sheet one-at-a-time. When all the strips are coated, mist them with a thin coating of oil (this step makes them even crispier).
- Bake for 12 minutes, flip them over and mist with oil, before returning to the oven for another 12 minutes.
- Enjoy with your favourite dip like organic ketchup or homemade paleo mayo!
Click Here to Pin It!
About the Author Ashley Sauvé of Nutritionist Eats
Ashley Sauvé is a Certified Nutritionist and Wellness Chef based in Toronto. She is the blogger behind Nutritionist Eats. Her areas of expertise include: women’s health and hormone balancing diets, eating for autoimmunity, anti-inflammatory diets, gluten-free living, elimination/hypoallergenic diets, weight loss and metabolic balance, eating for energy and immunity and ancestral nutrition.
FREE "6 Easy Tips to Quit Sugar" Guide!
By submitting your name and email you will receive a free copy of the 6 Easy Tips to Quit Sugar Ebook and are consenting to receive regular newsletter emails from Healy Eats Real including information about our products and special offers. You can unsubscribe at any time.
FREE "6 Easy Tips to Quit Sugar" Guide!
By submitting your name and email you are consenting to receive a free copy of "6 Easy Tips to Quit Sugar" as well as regular newsletter emails from Healy Eats Real including information about our products and special offers. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This looks terrific. I can’t wait to try it out!
Yum! I love coconut flour– so many uses!
Wow, the coconut flour really transforms this into a tasty and totally guilt free snack 🙂
I love using coconut flour in a lot of things. This is such a great idea!
These look tasty! Love they are paleo.
Yum! I used to live on chicken fingers as a kid too. Love that you used coconut flour.
So simple! My kids will love these – thanks!
Oh yum, I haven’t used poultry seasoning in a chicken finger before but it sounds like a really great addition!
These look really amazing and tasty! Thanks for sharing.
This is a fabulous recipe, hun! It is amazing how our choices in our teens come back to haunt later in life. Glad you are making better choices now.
Chicken tenders are always a hit with me and the kids! These are a much healthier option 🙂 Thanks
Chicken fingers are pretty much the ultimate comfort food, I’ll never get over my ‘nugget’ cravings, so a healthy alternative is awesome!
I love how simple these are! They look so delicious, I know these would be a huge hit with my family.
Love that these can be made AIP! Win!
Chicken tenders where a favorite food of mine as well when I was younger. Ok, I still love them but only healthier homemade versions. These ones look so delicious and sound easy! Yum!
Love chicken fingers. I can have them all day long !
Oh, my kids would love these!!
Love chicken fingers! This version looks great!
Love how easy this recipe is! Can’t wait to try it out!
This looks like restaurant quality. 🙂 So tasty-looking.
These look lovely and crispy and are always a firm favourite for children.
Oh my my kiddies would be all over this!
GREAT RECIPE!, TRYING TO START A KETO AIP TYPE DIET, IT’S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR ME TO DO, BUT HAVE A LOT OF HEALTH ISSUES.
This looks so good! Do you use this poultry seasoning for any other recipes?
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
The flavor works but unfortunately, mine were not crispy at all 🙁 Mushy, even though I did the extra oil-misting step. Not sure what I did wrong, might try frying them next time.