(Baked!) Paleo & Keto Popcorn Chicken

Paleo & keto popcorn chicken with sugar free ketchup

(Baked!) Paleo & Keto Popcorn Chicken

Crispy, tender, and flavorful-to-boot! This baked paleo and keto popcorn chicken is a real treat, with all good-for-you ingredients!

Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion.

Course Entree, Main

Cuisine American

Keyword baked popcorn chicken, keto popcorn chicken, paleo popcorn chicken

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Marinating Time 2

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 376kcal

Ingredients

For the marinade

500 g deboned chicken thighs or chicken breast, diced into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup sour cream or full-fat coconut cream
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cloves garlic ran through a press
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt to taste

For the coating

1/2-1 cup almond flour as needed (or more pork rinds for a nut-free version)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tablespoon sour cream
90 g pork rinds crushed*
25 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
kosher salt to taste

Serving suggestions

our marinara sauce
(sugar free!) ketchup or maple syrup
chives finely chopped

Metric - US Cups

Instructions

Rinse and pat dry your chicken pieces. Set aside.
In a large bowl suitable for marinating, mix together the sour cream, vinegar, poultry seasoning, garlic, freshly ground black pepper and season to taste. Add in the chicken, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for at least two hours (though preferably overnight!).
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper or a baking mat.
You will need three bowls for the three coatings. In bowl 1, place your almond flour (or more crushed pork rinds). In bowl 2, whisk your egg with sour cream. And in bowl 3, mix thoroughly together the crushed pork rinds, Parmesan cheese, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne and season to taste with salt (will vary quite a bit depending on the saltiness of your pork rinds).
Dip your chicken pieces one at a time in the almond flour, followed by the egg, followed by the pork rinds mixture. Place in the prepared baking tray.
Roast your chicken for 20-15 minutes until fully cooked (i.e. no longer pink and the juices run clear). Serve right away (though they're also surprisingly good cold too!).
Store in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to three months (they reheat great!).

Notes

*A lot of you ask me for brands, and I've loved the new baked variety from Epic (which has 40% less calories btw!). Because they're not fried in lard, they're drier and resemble panko crumbs so much.

Keep in mind that you can decrease the carb count even further by substituting the almond flour with more pork rinds (or even some whey protein). Though taste and texture was optimal with the flour.

Nutrition