Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Fingers (AIP/paleo)
This is officially my first published recipe using the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) guidelines.
So what is the Autoimmune Protocol?
Find out more in my blog post all about it HERE.
This was a MUST for me; developing a gluten free, crispy, crunchy, satisfying chicken finger!
If you know me at all, you know this has been and still is one of my favorite foods. But quiet honestly, I haven't even developed a good Paleo/Primal version in the past, let alone and Autoimmune Protocol friendly one!
This recipe is soooo yummy but took a good amount of trial and error to get the right consistency in the "breading" and finding something besides an egg wash to hold the "breading" on well. My first couple of attempts, looked and tasted beautiful... however, the "breading" was a mess and would fall off all over you while you ate. Not to mention, the "breading" was so delicate that reheating it was a disasterous!
But I was persistent and refused to give up on this recipe! FINALLY, I figured it out and I am so excited to share it all with you! So here's my Gluten Free, Crispy Chicken Fingers Recipe!
This recipe is nutrient dense, Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) friendly, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, paleo, & primal.
What Makes this High-Vibing Food?
First and foremost, putting your own love, gratitude, time and energy into making foods at home will automatically raise the vibration of the foods/meal. This will also help to balance your sacral and heart chakras. Putting your love into the food you prepare will literally raise the vibrational frequency as love is the highest vibration out there!
You are what you eat and what your food eats. Using organic, GMO free, free/pasture raised, wild caught, minimally processed ingredients lead to an overall higher vibrational frequency. Basically, eating organic provides us extra energy currency!
This dish is rich in protein, which is grounding and protective. It also supports the root chakra.
This recipe is full of healthy fats and oils, which supports the sacral chakra.
Contains orange colored foods. Orange vibrates at about the same frequency as the sacral chakra. So, eating orange foods helps to maintain the proper root chakra frequency.
This recipe is higher in carbohydrates, providing the solar plexus chakra with both long-lasting sugar sources (like fiber) and quick acting sugars like glucose.
This recipe is loaded with starchy veggies, which is supportive to the solar plexus chakra in small quantities.
Contains yellow/tan/golden colored foods, which help raise the body’s frequency to that of the solar plexus, helping to balance it.
Equipment Needed to Create this Recipe:
parchment paper
sheet pan
mixing bowls
measuring cups/spoons
high-powered blender
Gluten Free Crispy Chicken Fingers
(AIP friendly & paleo)
Prep time: 15-20 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Yield: 4
Ingredients:
2 organic pasture raised chicken breasts
1 bag Jackson's Honest sweet potato chips
1, 4 oz. bag of Plantain chips (I use this kind)
4 tsp. garlic granules
3 tsp. onion granules
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt
½ -¾ cup full fat, unsweetened coconut milk
1 heaping tsp. tapioca starch/flour
How to Create this Recipe:
First, pre-heat your oven to 375 ° F.
Then, you'll need to make the "breading". To do this dump both bag of chips into a high powdered blender (I use my Vitamix) and turn on to a medium low setting. Using the tamper, push all the chips down into the moving blade. If you need to, stop the blade, open the lid and push down any intact chips. Place lid back on and turn on the blender again, blending until you have a "breading" like consistency.
Then, dump the "breading" into a large, shallow bowl. Add the garlic, onion, parsley, dill, and salt. Mix until incorporated. In another large, shallow bowl, add the coconut milk and tapioca starch. Stir to combine. Set both bowls to the side.
Take out your 2 chicken breasts. You are going to cut each in half length-wise. To do this, take a very sharp long knife and while holding the thickest part of the breast, run the knife down the length of the chicken (Kinda like you are butterflying the breast but you are going to cut all the way through with this cut). Once you have split each of your breasts in half, cut the halves into chicken finger shaped bits. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt.
Then, you're going to set up stations: 1) with raw chicken 2) with a coconut milk wash 3) with the chip "breading" 4) two parchment lined baking sheets. Going in rounds, take a raw chicken strip and place it into the coconut wash, flipping it so it is totally covered. Let excess liquid drip off of the chicken. Then, dredge the chicken finger in the chip "breading", flipping to make sure each side is covered in breading. Next, place the finger onto the lined baking sheet. Do this until you have no more chicken fingers left. You shouldn't run out of chips, but you may need to make more of the coconut milk wash as you go.
Place chicken fingers onto a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes at 375 ° F. Then, rotate your baking sheet 180 ° and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken strips are cook through (no pink) and are crispy!
Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. This will help the breading stick better.
Enjoy these with veggie sticks and my Garlicky Ranch Dressing or Tangy South Carolina Style BBQ Sauce!
* NOTES:
I tried making the "breading" several different ways and it doesn't work as well the other ways. If you crush them yourself in a zip bag, they will still be too big of chunks, and my KitchenAide food processor definitely didn't cut it. So I highly recommend using a high powered blender, like a Vitamix.
These chicken fingers also hold up well for left overs! Just heat them in the oven at 350-375 ° F until heated through. They will last in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
NUTRITION
Serving Size: 1 (based off of 4 servings total)
Calories: 415
Fats: 21 g
Carbs: 41 g
Proteins: 17 g
*All nutritional information are estimations and will vary.