Paleo Chicken Fingers Recipe

This recipe comes from our friend, Jessica Turney, a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, wellness blogger at kaleifornian.com and mother of two. She is equally passionate about deliciousness and nutrition (you’re probably not used to seeing the superfood, turmeric, in chicken fingers, but it works beautifully)! This recipe shows how you can use clean ingredients to recreate a classic that’s better than ever. For more healthy living tips, resources and recipes, follow Jessica @kaleifornian_orsign up for her monthly newsletter.

Ingredients

• 1.25-lb package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into pieces
• 5-oz bag of salted plantain chips
• 1 egg
• 1 generous Tbsp ground cassava flour
• 1/2 tsp all-purpose herb and spice blend
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• A few sprays of avocado oil

Note: if you use unsalted plantain chips, double the salt you add to be recipe. If there's salt in your favorite herb and spice blend, omit additional salt.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 430°F, convection on if you have it.
2. Lightly spray a baking sheet with avocado oil.
3. Use a blender to finely grind up plantain chips. Pour into a wide bowl and aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine egg, cassava flour, turmeric, spice blend, salt and pepper. Mix well until smooth. You can add a small splash of water (1-2 teaspoons) to thin it out a bit if needed.
5. Add all the cut chicken to the egg mixture; toss to coat evenly.
6. Dredge coated chicken in ground plantains on all sides and place pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all the chicken, leaving some space between pieces.
7. Lightly spray the top of the breaded chicken with avocado oil and bake for 13-15 minutes. When done, chicken should have an internal temperature of at least 165°F and the outside should be golden brown.

Notes:

• Jessica always make a double batch with both chicken breasts and thigh meat. These are great leftovers and can also be stored frozen before they’re cooked. Just double the other ingredients.

• The chicken fingers with ‘set’ a bit more and get a crispier texture after they’re out of the oven and cooled for a couple of mins.

• Try this recipe in your air fryer! Though Jessica recommends checking on them by the 10 minute mark since some of them seem to cook very quickly.