Keto Buffalo Chicken Tenders (Printable)

Tender chicken coated in spicy buffalo sauce with creamy dip and crunchy celery sticks.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken Coating

01 - 1 pound chicken tenders
02 - 1 large egg
03 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream
04 - 1 cup almond flour
05 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
11 - 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil for frying

→ Buffalo Sauce

12 - 1/3 cup hot sauce such as Frank's RedHot
13 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
14 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

→ Ranch Dip

15 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
16 - 1/4 cup sour cream
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
19 - 1 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
20 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
21 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
22 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
23 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Sides

24 - 4 large celery stalks cut into sticks

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and heavy cream until fully combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
04 - Dip each chicken tender into the egg mixture, then coat thoroughly in the almond flour mixture. Place coated tenders on a plate.
05 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken tenders in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
06 - Bake tenders in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through.
07 - While tenders bake, whisk together hot sauce, melted butter, and garlic powder in a bowl until well blended.
08 - In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
09 - Once chicken tenders are cooked, transfer to a bowl and toss with buffalo sauce until evenly coated.
10 - Arrange buffalo ranch chicken tenders on a serving platter with celery sticks and ranch dip on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The coating stays crunchy even when dipped in ranch, thanks to almond flour and Parmesan doing the heavy lifting.
  • Buffalo sauce and homemade ranch make this feel restaurant-quality but somehow taste better because you made them yourself.
  • It's one of those rare dishes where keto, gluten-free, and just plain delicious all happen at the same time.
02 -
  • Oil temperature is everything—too cool and you get greasy, soggy breading; too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks.
  • Don't skip the oven step even though it feels like extra work; that's literally the difference between rubbery chicken and tender chicken.
03 -
  • If your chicken tenders are thick and uneven, gently pound them to an even thickness before coating so they cook at the same rate and stay tender instead of drying out at the thickest parts.
  • Save a little uncoated almond flour mixture before you start breading—once it gets wet from the egg wash, it's harder to work with, and having fresh mix on hand means less mess and faster coating.
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