Baked Grain-Free Chicken Strips

These are so delicious and really easy to make.  I started making these specifically for Little Love and realized I really enjoy them too.  They are great on top of a salad, mixed into gluten free pasta, or simply as is with your favorite dipping sauce.  Little Love has never been a fan of sauces, but she loves to dip these in raw creamed clover honey.

Enjoy!

Baked Grain-Free Chicken Strips

Equipment: 2 Medium Size Bowls or 2 Large Plates, Unbleached Parchment Paper, Large Baking Sheet (I use a Stoneware Large Bar Pan), Cutting Board, Sharp Knife

·      3 pastured or organic chicken breasts – boneless, skinless

·      ½ coconut flour

·      ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      ½ teaspoon dried thyme

·      ¼ teaspoon cumin

·      ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

·      ¼ teaspoon coriander

·      ¼ teaspoon kelp granules (See Resources)

·      ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional, remove for no spice/heat

·      Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

·      1 pastured or organic egg

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare baking sheet - if you’re not using a Stoneware baking pan, line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.   In a medium size shallow bowl or large plate, combine coconut flour, sea salt, thyme, cumin, garlic powder, coriander, kelp granules, black pepper and optional cayenne pepper.  Mix ingredients with your hands, make sure all of the ingredients are combined.  Set aside.

3.   In a separate medium size bowl or large plate with raised sides, crack an egg, whisk with a fork.  Set aside.

Beautiful Orange Yolk from a local pastured egg.

4.   On a cutting board, use a sharp knife to cut chicken into strips.

5.    One at a time, coat chicken strips in the egg mixture first, then coat in the coconut flour mixture.  Place on baking sheet and repeat until all chicken strips are coated. 

6.   Bake for about 10 minutes, flip each chicken strip, continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. 

7.   Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Yield: Makes about 12-15 chicken strips

Note: If you are avoiding baking right now due to summer heat, you could easily cook these on the stovetop.  I have done this many times too.  In a large saucepan, melt about 1 tablespoon fat of choice (I use pasture butter) and cook over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes on each side or until chicken is browned and cooked all the way through.  


This post is part of Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods,  Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks, Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Whole Foods Wednesday @ This Chick Cooks, and Allergy-Free Wednesdays Blog Hop @ Gluten Free Pantry.

Grain-Free Carrot Cake Pancakes

My oven stopped working the night before Easter, so that meant the grain-free Carrot Cake that I had planned to make was not in the cards for us.  Little Love was SO looking forward to that Carrot Cake, so I had to come up with something else.  We decided to make pancakes instead, Carrot Cake Pancakes!  They were a huge hit. 

Enjoy!

Grain-Free Carrot Cake Pancakes

Advance preparation is required, the dates need to be soaked at least an hour (or soak them overnight, that’s what I do). 

Equipment: Small Bowl, Food Processor or Blender, Medium Size Mixing Bowl, Peeler, Standing Grater, Microplane Zester/Grater, Hand Mixer or Wisk, Large Skillet or Griddle, Flipper Spatula

Soaked Dates/Pureed Date Mixture

·      8 dates

·      Filtered water, enough to cover the dates

Carrot Cake Pancakes

·      4 pastured or organic eggs (See Resources)

·      1 medium size carrot, peeled and finely grated

·      ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated/minced

·      ¼ cup coconut flour

·      ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·      ¼ teaspoon baking soda

·      1 tablespoons organic maple syrup grade B

·      ½ pureed date mixture

·      2 tablespoons date soak water

·      2 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil or pasture butter (See Resources)

Cream Cheese Topping

·      7 ounces homemade or organic cream cheese, room temperature

·      2 tablespoons organic maple syrup grade B

·      ½ pureed date mixture

·      2 tablespoons date soak water

·      ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated/minced

1.    1 hour prior to making pancakes (or the night before, my preference), place dates in a small bowl and cover with filtered water, about ½ cup of filtered water or enough to completely cover the dates.  Place dates in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

2.   Break dates in half and remove pit.  Add date flesh to food processor fitted with “s-shape” metal blade.  Add a couple of tablespoons of the date soak water to the food processor.  SAVE the date soak water, set aside.  Pulse until dates become pureed.  Add more date soak water if necessary to combine.  Leave in the food processor and set aside (you will use the food processor again, so make sure to leave it as is and set aside).

3.   Start preheating skillet or griddle, melt ghee, coconut oil or pasture butter over medium-low heat.

4.   Pancake Batter: In a medium size mixing bowl add eggs, grated carrot, grated ginger, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, maple syrup, ½ of the pureed date mixture, and 2 tablespoons date soak water.  Using a hand mixer, mix on low speed until all ingredients are combined.

5.    When skillet/griddle is ready, pour about 1/8 cup batter onto skillet/griddle.  Cook for about 2 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes, repeat until all pancake batter is used. 

6.   Cream Cheese Topping: Using food processor with ½ of the pureed date mixture already in it, add cream cheese, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons date soak water and grated ginger.  Pulse until combined and smooth.  Set aside.

7.   To Assemble: Serve pancakes layered, top each pancake with a layer of Cream Cheese Topping, or to make dairy-free, serve pancakes with organic maple syrup grade B.  [Note: You can use a frosting bag or small reclosable plastic bag (cut a small opening in one corner of the bag to make the frosting tip), add topping into frosting bag, pipe topping onto pancakes.]

Yield: Makes about 11 small pancakes.

Storage: If you have extra pancakes leftover, the keep well in the refrigerator and can be reheated over low heat on the stovetop or on a warming temperature in the oven.  Cream Cheese Topping can be stored in the refrigerator for extra use too.  


This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks, Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health, Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade, Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Make Your Own! Monday link-up @ Nourishing Treasures, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, Whole Foods Wednesday Recipe Swap @ This Chick Cooks, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, and Allergy-Free Wednesdays Blog Hop @ Gluten Free Pantry.