Necessity is the mother of invention. I go to make dinner wanting a nice crispy chicken cutlet. Gasp! No bread crumbs. I look around the kitchen and come across almond flour. I always like to mix Parmesan with my breadcrumbs so I added some of that too. What resulted was a nice crispy chicken cutlet without the extra carbs. Almond Flour Air Fried Chicken is now in regular rotation.
How to get crispy chicken without bread crumbs
I think the air fryer is the key reason this recipe works. I think it would work in the oven, but it would take longer and you always risk getting soggy chicken unless you use a wire rack over your sheet pan. The air fryer circulates the air around the chicken. It’s also a hot dry heat.
It’s very similar to convection oven cooking. You want to watch the chicken carefully and test it with an instant read thermometer. Cooking the chicken at higher heat ensures the outside is crispy, but you also don’t want to get dry chicken.
Air fryers are so affordable and believe me you’ll wonder why you ever lived without one!
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While I do not follow a low carb, gluten free or keto diet, the products available due to their popularity certainly open up new textures and flavors. I love the crunch of some panko bread crumbs, but this recipe is quite tasty as well. You can get crispy chicken without breadcrumbs.
If you’re looking for other chicken recipes without breadcrumbs or gluten free chicken recipes- check this other recipes out!
7 Minute Healthy Pan Fried Chicken Tenders
Crispy Gluten Free Chicken Tenders
I really hope you make this Almond Flour Air Fried Chicken. I think your entire family will love it. Tag me at Freshfitkitchen.com and share a pic!
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Almond Flour Air Fried Chicken
Almond Flour Air Fried Chicken is an easy low carb, gluten free and keto friendly crispy chicken recipe.
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
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Trim and pound the chicken breasts. A thickness of 1/3 of an inch is best.
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Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken and set aside.
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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.
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In another dish mix together almond flour, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
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Dredge the chicken in the egg and then the almond flour mixture.
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Preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees. Just allow it to run for 2-3 minutes.
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Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Add the chicken, then spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray as well.
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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.
Recipe Notes
You could make this in the oven too. I'd recommend baking it at 400 degrees and turning it halfway through cooking. I did not test it this way, but I imagine it would take about 20 minutes as the air fryer cooks about 30% faster than the oven. If you have it, I'd recommend cooking the chicken on a wire rack fitted over a sheet pan. This will allow air to circulate around the chicken. Watch the chicken carefully. Since I didn't test it this way and ovens vary- I can't guarantee 20 minutes won't over cook it.
This is a very simple and yummy recipe. And bonus – the kids love it! they call it the “crunchy chicken” It’s definitely in rotation at my house!
Thanks for your review Crista! I am so happy your family loved it!
This was amazing! I’ve never used almond flour before and I thought it wasn’t going to be good. I’ve add poultry seasoning and it took it up a notch for us. Even my picky 8 and 5 year old enjoyed it. This will definitely be in our rotation!
Hi Talea! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Yes- the only way I usually use almond flour is as a replacer for breading 🙂 Very glad your family enjoyed this and thank you for stopping by to leave a review!
Have you tried using almond flour without the egg to fry chicken wings in the air fryer ?
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.