A gluten-free shake ‘n bake chicken recipe, made with almond flour and a homemade spice mix. Tastes just like the original, but much healthier! Grain-free, Paleo, low-carb, ketogenic, dairy-free!
I have to say, these were somewhat of a last minute recipe experiment. I had a vague idea that I wanted to try some breaded chicken, but I didn’t have an exact picture in my mind of what I wanted to create. I must say that these turned out to be one of the easiest and most delicious recipes that I’ve attempted.
They bring me back to the days of my childhood when my dad was tasked with making dinner. He had a small rotation of meals from which he chose, one of which was shake ‘n bake chicken or pork chops.
Back when I was a child, I’m sure I got tired of eating shake ‘n bake, but now I look back on it with fond memories. These gluten-free shake ‘n bake chicken wings are the perfect way to bring back that nostalgic feeling!
These gluten-free shake ‘n bake wings take just a few minutes to prepare, plus you get the added benefit of fresh, healthy ingredients with none of the junk. All you need is almond meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and olive oil.
You won’t find anything hydrogenated or artificial here! Plus they’re so easy to make that you won’t even miss the convenience of having a box of shake ‘n bake in your cupboard. Simply toss all of the dry ingredients into a ziploc bag or a tupperware container and shake to mix.
Add in your chicken pieces a few at a time, close the lid and shake! Repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
A quick note on the amount of salt: this recipe is a bit high in salt, as it resembles the taste of traditional shake ‘n bake. If you are trying to cut back on your salt consumption, you can cut the level of salt in half, and make up for it using additional garlic or onion powder.
Note that this will change the taste to make the wings more garlicky. Alternatively, you can simply cut the level of salt and not replace with anything else. You may need additional seasoning mix to make up for the lesser salt.
This recipe can be used on a whole variety of meats, but I find that bone-in ones work best because the meat stays juicier. If you only have boneless chicken breasts on hand, don’t fret though, as this gluten-free shake ‘n bake chicken is still definitely worth trying!
The flavor is very similar to how I remember growing up. Granted, it’s been years and years since I had anything close to shake ‘n bake, but it definitely brings back memories I had since forgotten.
Can I use coconut flour, or another type of flour instead of almond?
You certainly can, just know that the taste and texture will be different. I find for this recipe, that a course flour works best, so it mimics the breading in traditional shake ‘n bake. But if you experiment and find something that works, please let me know below!
That’s so much salt! How can I reduce it but keep the flavor?
Yes, I know. I usually don’t add this much salt to my meals, but this recipe tries to replicate shake ‘n bake from the box. You can cut the amount of salt in half (3/4 teaspoon), and increase the garlic powder a bit (to 1.5 teaspoons or so). That should be similar in taste, but not as heavy on the salt.
If you give these gluten-free shake ‘n bake chicken wings a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
You will also enjoy these other chicken recipes:
Free keto meal plan you will love:
Homemade Shake N Bake Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken bone-in works best
- 1/2 cup almond meal or flour (56 g), the course ground almond flour works best here for more texture
- 1-1/2 tsp Salt I love this Himalayan pink salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Add all ingredients except chicken and olive oil to a ziplock bag or container and shake to mix.
- Add chicken to bag several pieces at a time and shake to coat.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet and sprinkle olive oil over top.
- Put in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of the pieces. Be sure to check temperature before consuming.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
4 comments
The taste was good, but mine did not crisp up at all.
Sorry to hear that! You can broil them for a minute or two right at the end next time.
Loved it! Coming from a southern girl who loves fried chicken, but not the grease.
Thank you Linda! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it.