These Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders make a great low-carb appetizer or even main dish when served up on a salad, taco, or wrap!
This recipe for Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders is sponsored by our friends at Bob's Red Mill, thank you for supporting the brands that make CIK and our mission possible!
We love a good chicken tender and it's one thing that most everyone can agree on making it a fantastic dinner option for families with picky eaters. These Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders are so perfectly crunchy, saucy, and savory, we just can't get enough of them! Here's how to make your own:
Ingredients in Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders
- boneless chicken breast tenders - you can also just use regular chicken breasts and slice your own tenders, see the notes in the recipe card for a how-to!
- ground pork rinds - you can purchase pre-ground pork rinds or simply blitz up your own using a blender or food processor until it resembles panko crumbs
- Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour - we love, love, love using a combo of flours as this gives the best texture to gluten-free and keto recipes. The almond flour mixed with coconut flour allows the tenders to get super crispy without burning and the taste mimics regular wheat flour pretty remarkably.
- Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
- spices (dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt)
- full-fat coconut milk
- buffalo sauce
- lemon juice
- egg
Sauce + To Serve:
- unsalted butter
- buffalo sauce
- chopped chives
- keto-friendly ranch dressing + extra buffalo sauce
- sliced veggies (carrots, celery, cucumber are all great options)
How to make Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a seasoned cast iron pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes to heat up.
- Grind some pork rinds in a blender or food processor until a flour forms, then measure out ¼ cup of the ground rinds. In a bowl, combine the ground pork rinds, almond flour, coconut flour, dill, parsley, garlic, onion, black pepper, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of buffalo sauce, lemon juice, salt, and egg.
- Set up an assembly line by coating each chicken tender in the egg wash, then coating the tender in the flour mixture. Once the chicken is coated, place them carefully on a parchment covered plate or sheet pan. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and place it over medium heat on the stovetop. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and pour the melted butter into a small bowl with the remaining buffalo sauce and mix together. Set the buffalo sauce aside in a place where it can be kept warm.
- Heat another tablespoon of butter in the pan. Once melted and bubbly, add half of the chicken tenders. Sear the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Set the seared chicken aside. Next, add another tablespoon of butter and repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
- Add the last tablespoon of butter and melt it in the pan. Add all of the seared chicken tenders back to the pan in a single layer. Place the pan in the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken tenders reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the pan from the oven and brush the warm buffalo sauce mixture on top of the chicken. Top with chopped chives and serve immediately with more buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and sliced carrots and celery.
How to serve Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Here are a few options:
- as an appetizer as shown with cut veggies + ranch or blue cheese dressing
- on top of a cobb style salad
- tucked into a low-carb tortilla or lettuce wrap with a crunchy ranch or blue cheese slaw
- tucked into our Keto Rolls sort of like our Keto Buffalo Chicken Sliders!
Do I have to use a cast-iron skillet? Can these Keto Chicken Tenders be baked?
Technically, you could follow the instructions for breading and place the tenders on a sheet pan to bake in the oven but we really think this method turns out the best results.
What is the nutritional information?
As always, you can find the nutritional information for each recipe (per serving) at the bottom of the recipe card. Please note, the info for these Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders do not include the veggies or dip.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast tenders
- ¼ cup ground pork rinds
- ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
- 3 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon buffalo sauce I used The New Primal Medium Buffalo Sauce
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
Sauce + To Serve:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
- Chopped chives
- Keto-friendly ranch dressing and more Buffalo sauce
- Sliced carrots and celery
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a seasoned cast iron pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes to heat up.
- Grind some pork rinds in a blender or food processor until a flour forms, then measure out ¼ cup of the ground rinds. In a bowl, combine the ground pork rinds, almond flour, coconut flour, dill, parsley, garlic, onion, black pepper, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of buffalo sauce, lemon juice, salt, and egg.
- Set up an assembly line by coating each chicken tender in the egg wash, then coating the tender in the flour mixture. Once the chicken is coated, place them carefully on a parchment covered plate or sheet pan. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and place it over medium heat on the stovetop. Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and pour the melted butter into a small bowl with the remaining buffalo sauce and mix together. Set the buffalo sauce aside in a place where it can be kept warm.
- Heat another tablespoon of butter in the pan. Once melted and bubbly, add half of the chicken tenders. Sear the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Set the seared chicken aside. Add another tablespoon of butter and repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.
- Add the last tablespoon of butter and melt it in the pan. Add all of the seared chicken tenders back to the pan in a single layer. Place the pan in the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken tenders reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the pan from the oven and brush the warm buffalo sauce mixture on top of the chicken. Top with chopped chives and serve immediately with more buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and sliced carrots and celery.
Notes
- In lieu of buying pre-cut chicken tenders, you can make your own from boneless chicken breasts. Place your chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment and flatten them slightly using a meat mallet. This will help make them super tender when they are cooked. Slice your chicken breasts into tenders/strips.
- If you are dairy-free, you can use Refined coconut oil in lieu of butter (refined coconut oil doesn’t have a coconut flavor so works well here).
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Amount Per Serving
Calories 328
Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 146mg49%
Sodium 1059mg46%
Potassium 435mg12%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 448IU9%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
*
Nutritional values are estimates only and do not include carbs from sugar alcohols.
# Hashtag with us!Don't forget to mention @castiron_keto or tag #castironketo on Instagram with your creations! We love seeing what you're making.
Lisa says
Those look amazing!