Hot Honey Keto Chicken Tenders

Ingredients you need

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• 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.
• Pork rinds: Crushed pork rinds (aka pork panko) makes the best breading for keto recipes. However, you can use almond flour instead.
• Almond flour: I like adding some almond flour to my breading to help stretch it out, but you can use all pork rind crumbs if you prefer.
• Egg: You will need an egg wash to help the coating stick to the tenders.
• Allulose honey: A keto honey substitute is key to the delicious spicy sauce. I really like this Allulose Honey, but the ChocZero honey works well too. See the Expert Tips section for more sweetener options.
• Hot sauce: Look for a hot sauce that has 0 carbs per serving, like Tapatio. You can also use Buffalo sauce.
• Butter: Just like Buffalo wings, this sauce uses butter for a rich glaze.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

Step By Step Directions

1. Prepare the breading: In a shallow bowl, whisk together the pork rinds, almond flour, and spices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and water.

2. Bread the tenders: Dip each tender in the egg mixture and shake to remove the excess, then dip in the pork rind mixture, turning to coat completely. Shake off the excess crumbs. Lay on a waxed paper lined tray and repeat with the remaining tenders.

3. Arrange on racks: Preheat an air fryer to 400ºF and grease the air fryer rack(s). Arrange the tenders so that there is a little space between them. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.

4. Air fry the tenders: 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).

5. Make the sauce: While the chicken is cooking, combine the keto honey, butter, and hot sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook about 1 minute, keeping your eye on it and stirring frequently.

6. Drizzle the tenders: Drizzle the sauce over the chicken tenders and serve hot.

Oven Directions

1. Prepare the keto chicken tenders as directed.
2. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. If using convection or fan-forced, preheat to 400ºF.
3. 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.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking. The center of the tenders should reach 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.
5. Remove let cool a few minutes, then drizzle with hot honey sauce and serve.

Expert Tips:

I used a combination of almond flour and pork rinds for the breading, but you can easily do just one or the other. Pork rinds definitely end up a bit crispier. If you want the almond flour coating to be more crisp, try using ½ cup grated Parmesan with 1 cup almond flour.

I recommend not adding salt to your breading without tasting it first. Most pork rind crumbs have quite a bit of seasoning and salt already. So test it before you add any more.

Not a fan of spicy food? That’s okay! Leave out the cayenne in the coating and make the glaze with just butter and allulose honey. Yum!

Sweetener Options: If you don’t have honey substitutes, try using 2 tablespoons of water and 2 to 3 tablespoons of granular sweetener. Bring to a simmer and cook long enough to dissolve the sweetener.

It may be a bit thinner than my glaze, depending on what sweetener you use. Allulose sweeteners will thicken up more as you cook, whereas erythritol will not.

Air fryer recommendations

I recently purchased the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer, made by the Instant Pot brand. And I am absolutely thrilled with it. It’s large enough to fit this whole batch of keto chicken tenders easily in one go. It also has a rotisserie function and can be used for baking, broiling, or dehydrating.

There is a smaller 6 quart version with less functionality that may work for smaller kitchens. I also have the Air Fryer Lid for my Instant Pot. It works well but there is definitely less space. But it’s a great choice for people who already have an Instant Pot and don’t want to purchase another countertop appliance.

I know that there are many brands of air fryers out there, but these are the ones I’ve owned personally.