Who doesn’t love a plate of crispy chicken tenders with a delicious dipping sauce? But this family-friendly meal doesn’t always love you back. Often heavily breaded with flour or panko, it’s not gluten-free or keto-friendly choice.
These Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders, however, are low carb, high protein, and over-the-top delicious. And they’re ready in under 30 minutes, making them a perfect weeknight dinner option. Serve them up with some keto honey mustard and no one will be able to resist!
Everything seasoning is such a useful ingredient, I keep it around all the time. I use to make keto bagels, but it’s also delicious in other recipes like Keto Crackers and Everything Bagel Cucumber Bites.
I often use it to top oven-baked salmon, so adding it to chicken was a no-brainer. It add so much flavor and extra crunch. And you can make these delicious tenders in the oven or the air-fryer!
Why you will love this recipe
- So easy! Ready in 25 minutes in the air fryer, or 30 minutes in the oven. You can even prep them a day ahead and cook them when you need them!
- Added flavor and crunch: The sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, and onion add a flavor burst and great texture.
- Cooking options: You can air-fry, oven-bake, or pan-fry these easy chicken tenders.
- High protein: With over 40 grams of protein per serving!
- Low carb and gluten-free: Naturally low carb, these are a great addition to your keto diet repertoire.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Chicken tenders come from the breast and are the smaller pieces on the underside of boneless chicken breasts. You can always simply cut up full breasts into smaller strips and use those.
- Nut flour: You can use any nut flour for the breading, like almond flour or pecan flour.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning: You can buy this seasoning pre-made or make your own at home.
- Garlic powder: I add garlic powder for additional flavor.
- Egg: This is used as a binder for the breading to stick to the chicken.
- Butter: Brush this over the top of the tenders to help them brown up while baking.
How to Make Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders
- Prepare the breading: Whisk together the almond flour, bagel seasoning, and garlic powder. In another shallow bowl, whisk the egg until frothy.
- Dredge the tenders: Pat the chicken tenders dry then dip each into the egg. Shake off the excess, then dredge in the nut flour mixture.
- Brush with butter: Preheat an air fryer or oven, and arrange the tenders with a little space between them. Brush the tops lightly with melted butter.
- Bake or air-fry: Cook until crispy, flipping the tenders over halfway through cooking.
Tips for Success
Can’t get chicken tenders? You can easily cut chicken breasts into strips. I recommend cutting the whole breast in half horizontally first, so that you have two thinner cutlets. Then cut each of those into strips.
Make sure to shake off the excess egg and excess breading as you dredge the tenders. Having too much egg can keep the coating from getting crisp. Too much breading means less for other tenders!
You can also pan-fry these tenders, although you will need more oil. Follow the method I use for Keto Chicken Piccata to make these in a pan.
More Easy Keto Chicken Recipes
Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (59.15 g) Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 lb (453.59 g) chicken tenders, (see notes)
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the almond flour, bagel seasoning, and garlic powder. In another shallow bowl, whisk the egg until frothy.
- Pat the chicken tenders dry. Dip each into the egg and shake off the excess, then dredge in the nut flour mixture. Place on a waxed paper lined plate.
- Preheat an air fryer to 375ºF and grease the air fryer rack. Arrange the tenders so that there is a little space between them.
- Brush the tops lightly with melted butter, gently so as not to disturb the coating.
- Air fry 8 to 10 minutes, flipping the tenders over halfway through cooking. Remove to wire rack set over a baking sheet when they are cooked through (165ºF).
Notes
- Prepare the keto chicken tenders as directed.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. If using convection or fan-forced, preheat to 375ºF.
- Lightly grease a baking rack and set it above a baking sheet. Arrange the tenders on the rack so that they have a little space around them for air to circulate. Brush with the butter.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking. The center of the tenders should reach 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
You can enjoy chicken tenders on a keto diet, and there are many ways to prepare them. If you want crispy breaded keto chicken tenders, use breading ingredients like crushed pork rinds, almond flour, or grated Parmesan.
Store any leftover tenders in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They may not be as crispy anymore, but you can gently re-heat them in a warm oven. They are great cut up over salad!
This keto chicken tender recipe has 5.3g of carbs and 2.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.6g net carbs per serving.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I’ll try it tonight, but what is the sauce? Looks good.
Please read the blog post, I mention it right at the beginning.
I was going to make your Cheesy Chicken Fritters for lunch today until I opened up your site to get the recipe and saw this new offering. So I cut up a chicken breast, made this recipe in my air fryer and sat down to enjoy this with some steamed asparagus. It did not disappoint! Nice crunch on outside while still tender. And based on your tips, I will try adding Everything Bagel to my salmon for tomorrow night’s dinner! Thank you once again!!
Great to hear!
I plan to try these soon! Look yummy! Thanks for another great recipe! You and your family remain in my thoughts and prayers