A healthy and gluten free spin on Buffalo Chicken Tenders! Breaded in coconut flour, egg wash, and then a mixture of ground cashews, shredded coconut, and spices and baked in the oven until crispy. Made with just 10 ingredients and take only 30 minutes to make – perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, meal prep, or football watching. Paleo, Whole30 approved, gluten free, and low carb.
Last updated on October 6, 2019.
Check out the video to see how easy they come together!
It’s football season and that means bring on all the football food! While I do enjoy watching football, the food is by far my favorite part! And what sounds better then some buffalo chicken tenders?!
Buffalo chicken is one of my favorite foods. I grew up eating chicken wings with my dad and its bring back such good memories. And love just about anything spicy and covered in buffalo sauce. We even make our own buffalo sauce since I use it so much and easy to whip up and so much better than store bought. I also ate a lot of chicken tenders growing up. So this recipe is like marrying some of my childhood favorites together.
These baked buffalo chicken tenders are based off these pistachio coconut chicken tenders that are one of my favorite older recipes. I changed up the recipe a little – added some spices to kick up the heat, mixed the egg wash with some hot sauce, and changed out the nuts to have a more neutral flavor.
They are baked and not fried making them a healthy option opposed to the typical ones you find at restaurants. And they are paleo and Whole30 approved! I’ve been eating them straight up dipped in ranch, chopped up in a salad, or in a collard wrap. They would be perfect to make ahead too! Whip up a batch over the weekend for meal prep or even a tailgate or for Sunday football action!
Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders (Paleo/Whole30)
Whole30 buffalo chicken tenders just require 10 ingredients and 30 minutes to make. They are double breaded with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand and then baked in the oven, making them a healthy alternative to your typical fried version. There are a few steps to make the breading and get everything set up, but once you have your assembly line set up, it is easy sailing and they come together quickly.
Here is what you need:
- chicken tenders
- coconut flour
- eggs
- hots sauce
- cashews
- shredded coconut
- chili powder
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
First start out by making your breading. In a high powdered blender, add your cashews and pulse until coarsely ground. You don’t want a fine flour, but still want some texture to the mixture – most will be ground, but you want some texture with small pieces of nuts in there. This will add crunch to your breading.
Mix together the ground cashews, shredded coconut, spices, and salt and pepper on a plate. Next make your egg wash. Whisk together your eggs and hot sauce until combined. Then step up all your assembly line – have your egg wash in one bowl, your coconut flour in another, and your breading on a plate.
Bread the chicken by rolling it in the coconut flour to fully cover. Then dip it in the egg wash mixture, fully coating. Finally roll in the cashew and coconut breading, making sure to fully coat. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. And then serve with your favorite dip! We love to serve them with blue cheese (if not on a Whole30) or ranch, carrot sticks, celery sticks, and some homemade buffalo sauce to get that extra kick!
Substitutions for Buffalo Chicken Tenders
This recipe is pretty straight forward and can be changed up to your liking. Here are a few suggestions I have:
- chicken – if you can’t find chicken tenders, you can also use chicken breast that you just cut into strips (I’ve done this plenty of times in the past).
- nuts – I likes using cashews since they are pretty neutral in flavor, but you can substitute any nuts you have on hand. Macadamia nuts would be delicious as they have a buttery flavor.
- flour – coconut flour is absorb and I like using it as the first breading, but you can substitute almond or cashew flour as well. You just might need a little more than the suggested amount.
- spices – you can omit the cayenne if you don’t want them too spicy
More Healthy Buffalo Chicken Recipes
Instant Buffalo Buffalo Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Burgers with Healthy Blue Cheese Dressing
Air Fryer Boneless Buffalo Wings – a staple in our house!
Paleo Buffalo Ranch Chicken Salad
More Easy Whole30 Recipes
Burger Salad with Special Sauce Dressing – just leave off the cheese
Healthy Chicken Pad Thai (made with sweet potato noodles!)
Whole30 Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Make sure to check out the video to see how easy this recipe comes together!
Buffalo Chicken Tenders (Paleo/Whole30)
Ingredients
- 1.75 pounds chicken tenders
- 3-4 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce*
- 2/3 cups raw cashews
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional for serving: carrots, celery, ranch, hot sauce...
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cashews to a Vitamix, high powered blender, or food processor. Pulse until nuts are coarsely ground, but still a little texture remains, about 30 seconds.
- Set up an assembly line. Mix together the ground cashews, coconut shreds, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper and place on a plate. Have the coconut flour in a separate shallow bowl or plate. Mix together the whisked eggs and hot sauce in a shallow bowl.
- Bread the chicken by putting it in the coconut flour. Roll around until fully covered. Then dip it in the egg mixture, fully coating. Last, roll in the cashew mixture, fully coating. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with ranch or sauce of choice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Sana
October 7, 2017 at 3:30 pmHi. I wanted to ask can we fry these as well in lard or ghee?
Kelly
October 7, 2017 at 5:13 pmHi Sana! I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say, but it sounds good! I would just be careful withe the breading and make sure it doesn’t come off. Let me know if you try it.
Taylor Hotchkiss
October 9, 2017 at 6:42 pmI made these tonight and they were delicious! How did you get yours to stay so even? My cashews mix was a big mix of chunks about half way through. It made most of mine just have chunks of flavor. Any suggestions?
Kelly
October 10, 2017 at 9:17 pmSo glad you liked them Taylor! I made sure the mixture was ground pretty well, you want a little bit of pieces, but not big chucks of nuts. Also, make sure you completely cover all over with the coconut flour, eggs, and then the mixture. The egg is important to make sure all the seasonings stick. I hope that helps some!
jackie
November 12, 2017 at 11:44 amoh my gosh this look incredible! Im on day 7 of my second whole 30 and am looking for some new recipes to switch it up, def making this!
Kelly
November 12, 2017 at 7:58 pmLet me know how you like them Jackie!!
Annie Rowell
November 26, 2017 at 4:37 pmThese look so tasty! Could you substitute almond flour for coconut flour?
Kelly
November 27, 2017 at 2:34 pmI think you could! Coconut flour is more absorbent than almond, so you might need more almond flour. Let me know if they turn out!
Jamie
December 30, 2018 at 10:32 pmMade these for dinner tonight and they were amazing! I dipped mine in Tressemaes habanero ranch!!! Love your recipes!!!
Kelly
December 31, 2018 at 11:59 amI haven’t tried that ranch yet, but I must find it now! Thanks for trying them and so glad you liked them!!
ERINN L
January 1, 2019 at 11:54 pmSo delish!! We’ve done 6 rounds of Whole30 and this is the best meal we’ve had!! It seems intimidating with the steps but it was super easy to do, especially with a good blender (we have a ninja). We will be making this again and again and again (after lunch for tomorrow 😋). Thanks for this awesome recipe!!
Kelly
January 2, 2019 at 9:50 amThis is the best comment ever!! So glad y’all liked them and thank you for trying them!!
Sara
January 3, 2019 at 9:13 amI made these last night and I have to say…these will be a Whole 30 staple! So delicious…you had me a Buffalo
Kelly
January 4, 2019 at 6:27 pmThank you Sara!
Sara Gebbie
January 3, 2019 at 9:15 amI made these last night and I have to say…these will be a Whole 30 staple! So delicious…you had me a Buffalo
Kelly
January 4, 2019 at 6:26 pmthank you Sara!
Sara Gebbie
January 3, 2019 at 10:00 amThis recipe is delicious! You had me at Buffalo but will totally become a Whole 30 staple in my house .
Kelly
January 4, 2019 at 6:15 pmBuffalo anything is legit my favorite! So glad you enjoyed them, thanks for trying Sara!
Gabrielle Garner
January 3, 2019 at 12:51 pmMade this for dinner last night.. my hubby and I were in love! The texture on the chicken was unreal!! So tasty. We’re participating in the January Whole30 right now, but this recipe will definitely stay in rotation long after!
Kelly
January 4, 2019 at 6:17 pmYAY! Always a bonus when the guys approve. Thanks so much Gabrielle!
Katherine Mott
January 12, 2019 at 6:45 pmMade these for dinner and they were AMAZING! I am like you and love anything spicy! We had a little trouble with the breading falling off while we ate them. Any tips to get the breading to stay on?
Kelly
January 14, 2019 at 9:35 amThanks for trying them Katherine! I would make sure you completely cover the chicken all over with the coconut flour, eggs, and then the mixture. The egg is important to make sure all the seasonings stick. You could also ground up the nuts a little more so it’s more fine to help it stick better. I hope that helps some!
Dad
January 24, 2019 at 3:43 pmWant these too
Kelly
January 24, 2019 at 7:43 pmYou would love these! I have another buffalo chicken recipe coming this weekend so stay tuned!
Aarika Glawson
February 26, 2019 at 7:38 pmMade these tonight! So easy and absolutely amazing!! Definitely cured my craving and a definite remake!!!
Kelly
February 28, 2019 at 5:14 pmYay! So glad to hear that Aarika! Thanks for trying them!
Candace
March 9, 2019 at 2:19 pmCould you use a different kind of nut? What’s the purpose of the cashews?
Kelly
March 11, 2019 at 7:45 amHi Candace! Grinding up the cashews while leaving them a little chunky helps give them a good crust and makes the breading “crunchy” per say. You could sub another nut flour (I think almond would work just fine), I just haven’t tried it. If you try that, let me know how it goes!
Merideth West
April 8, 2019 at 6:15 pmI would choose these over restaurant chicken tenders any day!! So delicious and very easy recipe to follow!
Kelly
April 15, 2019 at 9:38 amYAY!! That makes me so happy! Thanks for trying them Merideth and glad to hear you liked them 🙂
Liz
July 31, 2019 at 9:02 amThese are legit my FAVORITE chicken tenders. They’re so good, and so crispy! Perfect if you’re doing a whole30 or off a round – we make them all the time!
Kelly
July 31, 2019 at 9:06 amSo happy to hear that Liz and glad you enjoyed! Can’t go wrong with buffalo chicken right?! Thanks for trying them!!
Judith Taylor
September 3, 2019 at 1:00 pmAny thoughts on cooking these in an air fryer? Just got one today, and I’d love to give these a whirl!
Kelly
September 19, 2019 at 2:15 pmHi Judith! I haven’t tried it, but I think they would be great! I have one at home and have been meaning to try it. I think 15 minutes at 375, flipping once halfway through would work. Let me know if you try it!
Courtney
January 22, 2020 at 9:50 amOH EM YUM! Kelly has done it again! You have to try these chicken tenders. They’re so delicious and perfect for a Whole 30 or just a random Sunday!!
Kelly
January 26, 2020 at 2:38 pmYes, we love these!! So glad you liked them Courtney!
Ali
June 11, 2020 at 8:03 pmI’m confused on the nutrients section.
It says serving is 1g. What does that mean? One piece? Or the entire package of chicken?
Kelly
June 18, 2020 at 12:58 pmHey Ali! Sorry about that, the recipe plugin sometimes does that. I updated it to be 1/6 of the recipe. It depends on how many chicken tenders you have, but say if it makes 12, the nutrition is for 2 tenders.
lori
August 2, 2020 at 12:47 pmcan you leave out the coconut?
Kelly
August 17, 2020 at 10:06 amHey Lori! Apologies for the delay! You need the coconut to have enough breading for the chicken, but you can just use more cashews instead. Hope that helps!
Andrea
September 2, 2020 at 4:53 pmThese buffalo chicken tenders had perfect flavor and crunch. I even make extra and ate them all throughout the week and they were just as good reheated! Highly recommend this recipe and many other on this page!
Kelly
September 4, 2020 at 10:29 amSo glad they worked so well for easy meals for the week! Thank you so much Andrea!