Air Fryer Chicken Recipes for a keto or low carb diet are easy with a few ingredient swaps. One night I went to make some easy crispy chicken cutlets and I didn’t have any breadcrumbs.
What I did have was almond flour and Parmesan cheese. What resulted was air fryer chicken breasts that are perfect for your keto diet or any gluten free low carb diet.
Almond Flour Air Fried chicken is going to be in your rotation whether you are practicing one of these diet plans or not. It’s just a good Air Fryer Chicken recipe the whole family will love.
The Best Way to Prepare Air Fryer Chicken Recipes (Keto)
Anytime I’m cooking chicken or any kind of meat, I used a meat thermometer. Simply following a cooking time, especially when dealing with air fryer recipes, can lead to overcooked protein. You want to make sure that internal temperature is at least 165 degrees and not over 170. Once you go past 170 you are in dry chicken breast territory.
You are not using flour here as we keep this keto friendly and gluten free. Almond flour doesn’t have a lot flavor so an easy spice mixture makes this super yummy. Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper are all you need. A touch of cayenne pepper is nice if you like the kick.
A squeeze of lemon juice when you are done air frying is a nice touch!
Trust me by following this recipe you’ll have that crispy skin feel even on your low-carb diet. You need to have an egg wash to have your coating stick. My favorite oil to use is a light olive oil which is fine for cooking under 400 degrees.
It’s not absolutely necessary that you have an oil with a high smoke point here. Olive oil has so many benefits that I like to use it whenever I can. Avocado oil is another great choice.
You want to be sure that you spray your air fryer basket with oil to prevent sticking. I’ll link you to my favorite olive oil sprayer in the affiliate link section. I use it all the time and never need to buy those sprays with all kinds of additives that ruin your cookware.
Can you use the oven instead of air frying?
Yes, you can! If your oven has a convection setting, this will get you closest to the air fryer results. You can also follow the cooking time for the air fryer.
If you are using a regular oven, you’ll need to account that an air fryer cooks about 30% faster. So, this recipe will take more like 18-20 minutes instead of 12. You really need to start checking it around 15 minutes with your meat thermometer. Thickness of your chicken breast is another factor to consider.
Another great tip is to use a baking tray with a rack over top. The more you allow air to circulate around you food, the crispier it will be!
People often ask me if an air fryer is worth it, and I say yes absolutely. While Convection is the same concept, it’s definitely different when that hot air is swirling around a smaller space. I’ve tested it myself and air fryer just edges out the oven for me.
Do I have to use breasts? What about another piece of chicken?
Yes, you could use chicken legs or chicken thighs. Bone in chicken will take longer so you’ll definitely increase the cooking time on that. Just use your meat thermometer and don’t be afraid to check often.
There is so much flavor in chicken pieces versus breasts and you can get a lot of crips with little oil. No need to use that deep fryer for fried chicken.
As with any recipe, you want to make sure your chicken is in a single layer and has plenty of room so it will crisp up. This is the rule of thumb especially with breaded chicken recipes. If you crowd your basket, you won’t get crispy breading.
Another great idea is to use tenders and make keto crispy chicken tenders.
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This is my go to Air Fryer Oven. I love that it does other things besides Air Frying.
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Storing Leftover Air Fryer Chicken
This recipe is great for meal prep because you can use it as a main dish and serve it with a side of green beans or you can repurpose it into Chicken Parmesan. Just add tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese!
If you want to prepare ahead of time, just store it in an airtight container or freezer bag.
When ready to reheat- crisp it up in your air fryer at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
I hope this becomes an easy way for your to enjoy a take on traditional fried chicken. A healthier option is always a welcome thing in our house! Sure, sometimes you want the real deal, but it never hurts to have alternatives.
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This post was last updated on 6/13/22.
Almond Flour Air Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts About 4 ounces each and pounded to an even thickness. About 1/3 inch is thickness is best.
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Trim and pound the chicken breasts. A thickness of 1/3 of an inch is best.
- Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken and set aside.
- Mix the egg up in a dish. Be sure it's one your chicken will fit into as you'll be dipping the chicken in the egg first.
- In another dish mix together almond flour, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the egg and then the almond flour mixture.
- Preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees. Just allow it to run for 2-3 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Add the chicken, then spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray as well.
- Air fry for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Flip it halfway through cooking. I like to use an instant read thermometer to check my chicken. It's easy to overcook it when air frying.
Julia
Saturday 26th of October 2024
Absolutely amazing!!! Delicious and so quick and easy!! Thank you 🙏🏽
Krysten
Sunday 27th of October 2024
Hi Julia ! So Happy to hear it! :) Thanks for leaving a comment!
Laurie
Thursday 21st of September 2023
I may have used the wrong type of parmesan since I used grated parm. It wasn't specified if shredded or grated. This came out way too salty for me. I think parmesan cheese is pretty salty naturally so next time I won't add salt to the coating. However, mine kept sticking despite spraying the basket with oil so the coating would just come off the bottom when I was trying to flip it. I also wasted so much almond flour when scaling up the recipe. Had like half the coating leftover and had to toss! Almond flour isn't cheap! Overall, I'd say it's okay. I'll probably try again and remove the salt from coating, reduce the flour by 1/4 cup & maybe a little less cheese too.
Krysten
Monday 25th of September 2023
Hi Laurie! You can use grated or shredded, but a big difference here is in the kind that comes in a can versus fresh Parmesan. With fresh it should not be too salty, but this is a matter of taste as well since salty and sweet are relative to the person tasting it. Making adjustments to fit your needs definitely sounds like a good idea. I'd also be sure to really oil your basket. Over time air fryers can become sticky. A big tip on that is to not use sprays like Pam or anything aerosol. I use a sprayer with olive oil and that really preserves my non-stick surfaces!
Thanks for stopping by- hope your adjustments work out!
Julie
Monday 3rd of April 2023
Exactly what I was looking for, a low carb replacement for chicken tenders! Super yummy!
Krysten
Monday 10th of April 2023
Awesome Julie! So happy this worked out!
Stephanie
Monday 13th of March 2023
Net carbs or total carbs?
Krysten
Wednesday 15th of March 2023
Total Carbs are what is reflected in the nutrition information provided. Thanks Stephanie!
Linda
Thursday 22nd of April 2021
Have you tried using almond flour without the egg to fry chicken wings in the air fryer ?
Krysten
Saturday 1st of May 2021
I have not ! My guess is that it may not stick very well? Almond flour just doesn't have a bit of starch so having not tried it, I'm honestly not sure, but this is my best guess.