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What the heck is a finger nugget you ask? Well, it’s those things in the picture above. When I made these the first time, I was in somewhat of a hurry, so I haphazardly cut my chicken breasts into pieces. I realized as I was cooking that they were a little too big to be called nuggets, but yet a tad too small to be called fingers. Finger nuggets were born. Silly story, I know. But, it’s fun to say! 🙂
These are SO tasty! The coconut flour and shredded coconut combo make almost a Panko-style breading. They fry up nicely and can be served in any number of ways. They taste great on salads, on sandwiches, or just as is. You could even make mini chicken parmigiana if you wanted! Try dipping them in your favorite sauce. Before I went dairy-free, ranch dressing was my favorite.
Gluten & Grain-Free Crispy Coconut Chicken Finger Nuggets
These are SO tasty! The coconut flour and shredded coconut combo make almost a Panko-style breading. They fry up nicely and can be served in any number of ways.
Ingredients
- Finger Nuggets:
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 3 pastured eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (I used canned, rather than homemade to make the eggs not as runny)
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- Palm shortening or expeller-pressed coconut oil for frying
- Tangy Balsamic Dip:
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1.5 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- Dash of sea salt
- Dash of black pepper
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breasts into fingers or strips. Set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, beat 3 eggs.
- Add the coconut milk and mix well.
- In a separate shallow bowl, mix the coconut flour, shredded coconut, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined. You want to make sure there are no lumps left in the coconut flour.
- In a large frying pan, start heating your palm shortening or coconut oil over medium heat.
- As the oil is heating, you can start breading the chicken.
- Take a piece of chicken and dredge in the coconut flour mix. Then, dredge in the egg mixture. Then, back over to the coconut flour. You want dry –> wet –> dry. Set on a separate plate and repeat with your other pieces of chicken.
- Once your oil is heated, you can start adding the chicken in. You want to make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, so make sure each piece of chicken has plenty of room around it. Also, keep an eye on the temperature of the oil so it doesn’t burn. I usually have to turn mine down to medium-low to keep the oil from getting too hot.
- Flip each piece of chicken gently and cook until golden brown. If you’re frying in a deep pan, the chicken will be done when it floats. You can also put the chicken on a sheet pan and cook in the oven if you’re concerned with the pieces being done. If you have a big batch, it’s also nice to keep the chicken warm in the oven.
- When you’ve cooked all the chicken, you’re ready to serve.
- Tastes great in a wide variety of dipping sauces, but my new fave is the sweet and tangy balsamic mustard dip, which is super easy to whip up! Just mix the three ingredients above until smooth!
- Enjoy! If you have leftovers, they reheat nicely in the oven!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
-
Bionaturae Organic Balsamic Vinegar, 17 Count -
Annie's Naturals Organic Dijon Mustard, 9 oz -
Nutiva Organic, Cold-Pressed, Unrefined, Virgin Coconut Oil -
1 Gallon Glyphosate-Tested Palm Shortening - 112 oz. -
Black Pepper Organic -
Redmond Real Sea Salt -
Simply Organic Onion Powder -
Simply Organic Ground Garlic -
Anthony's Organic Shredded Coconut -
Anthony's Organic Coconut Flour -
Aroy-d Coconut Milk -
Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Large Eggs 12 ct
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Sounds delicious! And I have all the ingredients ready to go. Do you fry them in 1/4 inch of oil or less?
I use my largest frying pan and there’s probably about a 1/2 inch of oil in there. They are tasty!! 🙂
My husband will love these! When we were first dating I would always tease him because everytime we would go out to eat, he would order chicken fingers! Thankfully, I’ve broadened his culinary tastes, but he would love for me to make these for him 😉
Hi Kelly – Thanks for stopping by! My hubby is a huge chicken tenders guy too. He loves these and I am happy that it is actually good for you! I hope your hubby likes them as well! Enjoy! 🙂 P.S. I like your site! I am now following you on FB!
Thank you Jessica!! 😀 I am still stalking your page and when I am done, I’m subscribing/liking/joining everything! You are so creative! I have a whole list of things I want to try 😉
Awww!!! Thank you!!! You just made my whole day! 🙂 🙂
Can you sub another oil to fry them in and do you think they would go well with a sweet plum sauce like you would dip coconut fried shrimp into to eat?
Hi Linda – You can certainly sub another oil for frying, but the reason I recommend palm shortening or coconut oil is because they both have high smoke points, which make them great for frying. I bet they would taste amazing with plum sauce — I LOVE plum sauce! 🙂
Can you use milk instead of coconut milk?
Hi Mallory – Yep! Milk would work just fine! 🙂
Thought you should know. Please don’t support the palm oil industry and their atrocities. Coconut oil or olive is a much better choice! http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/
Hi Karen – Thank you for your concern, but the palm shortening that I use in my recipes comes from South America, NOT from the Indonesia and Malaysia areas where the deforestation and massive destruction of plants and animals is taking place. I only use Tropical Traditions palm shortening for this very reason. Also, I am very selective on the products that I use and promote and I do a lot of due diligence to ensure that a product is vetted before I ever promote it. I would never use or promote a product that was not eco-friendly and ethical. I appreciate your concern, but rest assured that I am not using products from those areas. 🙂
Oh, good! I’ve never used palm oil, and only just found out about the sad practices of the Indonesian/Malaysian producers. I didn’t stop to think long enough that there would be other sources to get it from 🙂 I love tropical traditions, and used their coconut oil to cook up this very recipe tonight. My husband, myself and by two little boys loved these! This recipe is going to be a keeper in our house.
Hi Karen – SO glad you liked them! They are a fave in our house too. We could probably eat them every night! 🙂 🙂
I made this recipe a couple of days ago. I think that next time I will bake them in the oven, as quite much of the “breading” stayed in the pan! (DH found it delicious, though)
At which temperature would you recommend baking? And for our long?
Thanks!
Hi Mrs. G – I’ve never baked these, but I would try 375 for 25-30 minutes. That’s a rough estimate and will depend on how thick the tenders are. Let me know how they turn out if you do bake them and I’ll update the recipe to include that option! 🙂
Omg, these came out perfect! My 10-year-old helped with the dredging and breading. 😀 I’ve made these using a recipe from a different site and they did NOT come out good! I’m so glad I found this one!
Awesome! So glad you guys enjoyed it!! Yay! 🙂