We have been on a serious chicken kick in my home lately. Fried chicken, chicken nuggets, chicken patties, grilled chicken, baked chicken….
Maybe it might have something to do with having a toddler who loves chicken and loves to feed himself even more. What do kids love more than chicken nuggets? Well, pizza…
So I have set out so mimic those iconic McDonald’s Chicken McNugget’s. There are a lot of recipes out there for copycat Keto Chick-Fil-A style Chicken (in fact I have my own here), but no one has a recipe for McDonald’s style nuggets. Are we all too ashamed to admit we secretly love the nuggets made from “Pink Slime”? Well, I’m not! My favorite was dipped straight in honey! A keto nightmare, ammiright?
So these nuggets have ZERO carbs! There would be a few added carbs from the dipping sauces of your choice! I like G Hughs Brand Sugar Free Ketchup & BBQ Sauce or a nice spicy mustard!
Let’s talk coating. The crispy outside is attributed to Unflavored Whey Protein Powder. I’ve been tinkering with a few brands and my FAVORITE is Hoosier Farms Brand (you can buy it on Amazon). It has zero carbs and fries up crisp. I’ve noticed some brands with a negligible amount of carbs will not be crispy.
When choosing your ground chicken, go for the mix that includes dark meat. I know, I know. McNuggets have “all white meat.” Well, I tried that…and they were dry as a bone! So opt for the dark meat! They will be juicy and have the added fat we need on a Keto Diet!
Carb Count=ZERO CARBS
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Chicken (NOT all white meat unless you want them dry!)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 cup Unflavored Whey Protein Powder (I used Hoosier Farms Brand) in a shallow bowl.
- 2 quarts oil for frying (I used refined Coconut Oil)
Method:
- Fill a dutch oven (or a thick, deep pan) with oil and heat on medium high until it reaches 350 degrees (or if you are using an actual Fryer set to 350 and warm up).
- While oil is heating; mix chicken, egg & seasonings together in a bowl.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoon of the chicken mixture with your hand and dip into the whey protein powder. Roll around and coat completely. Flatten them down a bit for that iconic nugget shape and place it in the hot oil.
- Fry until golden brown.
- Serve with Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce, Sugar-Free Ketchup or Mustard!
The Primitive Palate 
Thanks looks yummy. Now for the real challenge keto friendly McDonald’s sweet and sour. Maybe odds be ever in your favor lol
Boy those pictures sure make them look crispy & yummy !
So is the chicken mixture sorta like a paste ? I’ve never used ground chicken before… can’t wait to try these
Thanks
Yep it’s definitely a paste! And quite sticky! But really tasty!!!!
Trying today! Happened to have the Hooiser Farm whey and the ground chicken.
Yay! If you have Instagram, tag me in a picture! I’m @ThePrimitivePalate
yummy
Wonderful & fantastic for us Ketogenic folks, this is the kind of meaningful help we need to get more of our family on board, how do I save this recipe? My phone doesn’t work like my PC?(I am learning).
I usually use the Pinterest app to save recipes on my phone!
These came out perfect, thank you!
Is it with Whey Protein Isolate? Or normal Whey Protein?
What I use is “Unflavored Whey protein powder” by Hoosier Farms.
Is it this company? http://hoosierhillfarm.com I haven’t been able to find the normal Whey protein that isn’t just isolate.
Thats them! I buy it on Amazon. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what the difference with the isolate is! I’ve only tried Hoosier and Bobs Red Mill. Bob’s was not good!
Is there any substitute for the whey protein?
There are lots of different ways to make low carb breading for frying. Crushed pork rinds, ground Parmesan cheese or almond flour…but they all taste different.