POUND. CUT. COAT. FRY.

Let’s face it, eating healthy can be a pain.  We eat low carb as a life style choice and occasionally go full Keto to supercharge results.  It doesn’t take long to get some cravings for something a little less healthy.  These chicken tenders dipped in some ranch, hot sauce, or no sugar added BBQ sauce is a great way to stay low carb and feel like your cheating!

To Start

If you don’t have a meat tenderizer you can use a rolling pin to pound the chicken, this is what I used before I purchased a meat tenderizer.  The chicken tenders will truly be more tender if you take the time to do this step.  To tenderize, take a section of parchment paper at least a couple feet long.  Place the chicken breasts on one half of the parchment paper and fold the other half over the top of the breasts.  With the flat side of the meat tenderizer pound the chicken evenly until thinned nicely, probably leaving it about 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick.

Next

Next simply cut these tenderized chicken breasts to the size you would like them for serving / dipping.

To Cook

I pan fry these in a cast iron skillet.  A non-stick teflon pan will work fine too…

Dip each chicken tender in the egg and then into the dry ingredients coating thoroughly then place into the fry pan.

Paying attention to the first tenders placed into the pan, after about 2 or 3 minutes start checking the bottom side for browning.  Once well browned turn them over, working through all the tenders as they brown up.

The second side might cook a bit faster now that everything is heated up, including the chicken tenders.  Once the second side is well browned remove from pan and serve.  If you’re not confident on whether they are properly cooked through; use an instant read thermometer placed into the center of the biggest chicken tenders and make sure you reach 165 F before removing from the pan.

If you’re on a keto meal plan these have about 3 grams of carbs per serving (1/4 lb.) Don’t forget to check out my other Keto Friendly recipes!

Pan-fried Chicken Tenders

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: 215 calories 15 fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast (or chicken tenderloins)
• 1 egg
• DRY INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup canned parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. chili pepper (I use Chipotle Chili Pepper for an extra kick of heat)

Instructions

1. Trim any excess fat or skin so you have clean chicken breast.
2. Tenderize and pound thin: Place chicken breasts in parchment paper, pull enough off the roll to put the chicken on one end and fold the rest over the top of the chicken.  With a tenderizer mallet (smooth surface side) pound the chicken until thinned about in half (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick).
3. Slice chicken into the size of tenders you want to eat, I do about 1 inch wide by 2 - 4 inches long.
4. In one bowl break and whisk the egg.
5. In another bowl add the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until well blended.
6. In a cast iron skillet add 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil and bring up to a med-high heat.
7. Dip each tender in the egg and then into the dry ingredients coating thoroughly then place into the fry pan.
8. Paying attention to the first tenders placed into the pan, after about 2 or 3 minutes start checking the bottom side for browning.  Once well browned turn them over, working through all the tenders as they brown up.
9. The second side might cook a bit faster now that everything is heated up, including the tenders.  Once the second side is well browned remove from pan and serve.  If you're not confident on whether they are properly cooked through; use an instant read thermometer placed into the center of the biggest tenders and make sure you reach 165 F before removing from the pan.

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I use Frank's Extra Red Hot and Ranch primarily, which are keto friendly as well. There are a lot of low carb options out there now, like Sweet Baby Ray's No Sugar Added barbeque sauce and G Hughes' Smokehouse Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce.

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