Almond Crusted Chicken Bites with Homemade Jalapeno Ranch
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These Almond Crusted Chicken Bites with Homemade Jalapeno Ranch are bursting with flavor in each bite!
They make for a great football Sunday snack, a zesty appetizer for hosting, or a delicious dinner or meal prep for the week, as they reheat great!
The chicken bites are perfectly crunchy on the outside, with a juicy center
Paired with the irrestisble dipping sauce!
Seriously- once I made this sauce I proceeded to use it as salad dressing, on my salmon patties, and for dipping steamed shrimp, too!
It’s so versatile!
Why You’ll Love These Almond Crusted Chicken Bites with Homemade Jalapeno Ranch
- They’re perfectly crispy yet juicy
- They’re sure to impress guests if you make them for football Sundays, or an anytime hosting appetizer
- They make for a great meal prep lunch, too
- The sauce itself is great for dipping most meats in, or as a salad dressing!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pasture-raised Chicken Breasts
- 1/2 cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Almonds
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs
- Jalapeno Ranch
- 3/4 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp Organic Garden Ranch Seasoning Mix – Primal Palate
- 2 – 3 whole Jalapeño Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 cup Cilantro
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Process
- Make buttermilk by adding lemon juice and milk to a small bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes
- Slice chicken into 1″ cubes
- Add flour to another small bowl
- Process your almonds- they don’t need to be finely crushed, as you do want some texture from larger chunks
- Add processed almonds, seasoning, and bread crumbs to another bowl, whisking to combine
- Warm a large skillet and add avocado oil once warm
- Take each chicken cube and coat in flour, then in buttermilk, then almond mixture
- Place on heated skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side
- Prepare sauce
- Slice jalapenos and remove some to most of the seeds depending how spicy you want it (more seeds = more spice)
- Process those for a few seconds to get into smaller chunks
- Add remaining sauce ingredients to the process and blend until smooth
- Your sauce is ready right away
- Store leftovers (you’ll have plenty) in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. Use as salad dressing or dipping sauce for many dishes
Variations for Dietary Preferences
- Egg – to keep egg free use buttermilk in place of the egg for dipping
- Gluten Free Flour – all purpose is also fine if not gluten free
- Breadcrumbs – can use ground up crackers or pork rind crumbs
- Greek yogurt – can sub sour cream or dairy free greek style yogurt
- Jalapeno – adjust to your spice level. I used 3 and left a few seeds in each
- Chicken – I haven’t tried, but I’m sure this recipe would also work with shrimp!
If you make these Key Lime Pie Cheesecakes I’d love to your thoughts! Or tag me on social media so I can see your creations!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pasture-raised Chicken Breasts
- 1/2 cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Almonds
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs
Jalapeno Ranch
- 3/4 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 cup Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp Organic Garden Ranch Seasoning Mix – Primal Palate
- 2 – 3 whole Jalapeño Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 cup Cilantro
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Make buttermilk by adding lemon juice and milk to a small bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes
- Slice chicken into 1″ cubes
- Add flour to another small bowl
- Process your almonds- they don’t need to be finely crushed, as you do want some texture from larger chunks
- Add processed almonds, seasoning, and bread crumbs to another bowl, whisking to combine
- Warm a large skillet and add avocado oil once warm
- Take each chicken cube and coat in flour, then in buttermilk, then almond mixture
- Place on heated skillet and cook 4-5 minutes per side
- Prepare sauce
- Slice jalapenos and remove some to most of the seeds depending how spicy you want it (more seeds = more spice)
- Process those for a few seconds to get into smaller chunks
- Add remaining sauce ingredients to the process and blend until smooth
- Your sauce is ready right away
- Store leftovers (you’ll have plenty) in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. Use as salad dressing or dipping sauce for many dishes