Paleo Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

Today’s post is written by my husband G who is a Baltimore, Maryland native and die hard Ravens fan. He’ll introduce our new recipe for Paleo Buffalo Chicken Nuggets just in time for Sunday’s Ravens-49ers match-up. The following recipes may come in handy for Super Bowl parties if you are looking for some delicious finger food without all the junk. Take it away G!

Super-Bowl Sunday – It’s an American tradition!

Since the first Super Bowl game was played in January of 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, the game has morphed into a mega-event that can captivate an entire nation for one Sunday afternoon. If you believe the statistics, nearly 85% of all Americans will be watching this year’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Simply put, that’s incredible!

And let’s not forget the drama surrounding Super Bowl XLVII. For starters, the head coaches of each team are brothers! That’s right, brothers! John Harbaugh coaches the Ravens and his younger brother Jim coaches the 49ers. Then there’s the impending retirement of the Raven’s team leader and future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, as well as the ascension of wonder-boy 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick to genuine NFL superstar. All in all, it looks to be a great game as fans around the country hunker down in front of their televisions to cheer on their team.

And what Super Bowl party would be complete without good food? Unfortunately if you’re eating Paleo, the pickings are often slim…but it doesn’t have to be that way! In the spirit of great tasting, all-American bar-food that goes so well with football and the Super Bowl, we’re happy to present…

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Nuggets!

These paleo buffalo chicken nuggets are surprisingly tasty! (Our family fights over these every time Lea makes them.)

Now for the recipes…first come the chicken nuggets, then homemade blue cheese dressing, dairy-free ranch dressing and how to make a plain paleo chicken nuggets version.

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

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gluten-free, dairy-free Buffalo Chicken Nuggets. Perfect party snack!

• Author: Lea Valle
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: dinner, snack

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound ground chicken (a little fat makes for a moister nugget)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons Frank’s RedHot Original Red Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/3 cup Frank’s RedHot Original Red Hot Sauce
• 3 tablespoons ghee or butter

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut flour, onion powder, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well.
3. In a medium bowl place the ground chicken, one egg, 2 tsp Frank’s hot sauce and the coconut flour mixture.
4. Mix with hands until well-combined but do not overmix.paleo buffalo chicken nuggets
5. Scoop out approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll into little meatballs. (You should end up with about 20.)
6. Shape each meatball into a flatter, “nugget” shape. (I did this assembly-line style)
7. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup coconut flour, 2 tablespoons flax meal and 1/4 teaspoon salt and dip each nugget gently into the flour mixture until coated on all sides.
8. Place the coated chicken nuggets onto a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper.
9. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. While chicken nuggets are baking, stir together 1/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce and 3 tablespoons ghee or butter and heat until warm and combined.
11. Once the chicken has baked for about 15 minutes, remove chicken nuggets from the oven and carefully dip each one in the butter mixture until coated on all sides. Place each nugget back on the baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes.
12. Serve hot with celery sticks and dip of choice. (See following recipes for Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing and Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing.)

Ingredients

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

• 1 pound ground chicken (a little fat makes for a moister nugget)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 teaspoons Frank’s RedHot Original Red Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Paleo Chicken Nugget Coating

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt

Buffalo Chicken Nugget Sauce 

• 1/3 cup Frank’s RedHot Original Red Hot Sauce
• 3 tablespoons ghee or butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut flour, onion powder, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well.
3. In a medium bowl place the ground chicken, one egg, 2 tsp Frank’s hot sauce and the coconut flour mixture.
4. Mix with hands until well-combined but do not overmix.
5. Scoop out approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll into little meatballs. (You should end up with about 20.)
6. Shape each meatball into a flatter, “nugget” shape. (I did this assembly-line style)
7. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup coconut flour, 2 tablespoons flax meal and 1/4 teaspoon salt and dip each nugget gently into the flour mixture until coated on all sides.
8. Place the coated chicken nuggets onto a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper.
9. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. While chicken nuggets are baking, stir together 1/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce and 3 tablespoons ghee or butter and heat until warm and combined.
11. Once the chicken has baked for about 15 minutes, remove chicken nuggets from the oven and carefully dip each one in the butter mixture until coated on all sides. Place each nugget back on the baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes.
12. Serve hot with celery sticks and dip of choice. (See following recipes for Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing and Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing.)

If you can eat dairy you might like to try our homemade blue cheese dressing recipe.

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

• 4 ounces good blue cheese
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste

Crumble the blue cheese into the remaining ingredients and stir until well-combined with a creamy texture (or as chunky as you like it) add salt to taste.

If you are dairy-free you could try a paleo ranch dressing.

Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing

• 1 cup paleo mayonnaise
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon chives
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Plain Paleo Chicken Nuggets

I’m a “Paleo” Nugget!

If you are making these chicken nuggets for smaller kids or simply do not love the “Buffalo” flavor I suggest the following:

• Leave out the 2 teaspoons of hot sauce in the meat mixture.
• Bake the coated nuggets as instructed and simply dip them in melted ghee (or butter) prior to cooking the last 5 minutes. (Without the ghee the nuggets will be too powdery)
• Alternatively, you could fry the coated nuggets in some ghee for about 3-4 minutes per side and finish in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

We’re curious – What are your favorite Super Bowl party snacks? Will you be trying to stick to a paleo menu?

Thanks for stopping by!

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