Whole30 sweet potato chicken poppers are a healthy “chicken nuggets” recipe alternative that are quick and easy to make. A few simple ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes this is the perfect Whole30, Paleo, or gluten-free family friendly meal for during the week. Double the batch and toss these chicken poppers in the fridge or freezer to make meal prepping a breeze!
Sweet Potato Chicken Nugget Ingredients
I know I talk about how easy all Whole Kitchen Sink recipes are but this one has bumped up to first place. All it calls for is ground chicken, sweet potatoes, almond flour and a handful of spices and a trusty sheet pan. If your local grocery store doesn’t have ground chicken, ground turkey is a great substitute. Almond flour and the spices are widely available nowadays, and can be bought at all major grocery stores, even online at Amazon or a discount with Thrive Market.
Related: Whole30 Items at Target, Whole30 Items at Trader Joe’s & Whole30 Items at Walmart
How To Make Whole30 Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers
First you’ll preheat your oven, and lightly grease a large sheet pan with some oil or cooking spray oil. Then roll up your sleeves… using your hands is the best way to mix everything together. Start by putting your ground chicken, sweet potatoes (that have been peeled and shredded) into a large mixing bowl, add your seasonings and almond flour and use your hands to incorporate everything together!
Take small pieces and roll into a ball and slightly flatten forming poppers or nuggets, and place them evenly spaced out on a greased sheet pan. Pop them in the oven at 350 degrees and cook for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. How easy is that? The chicken nuggets should be about a quarter to half inch thick, and resemble a flat egg shape.
Choosing to make a small bite-sized popper was no mistake, this recipe is perfect for little kids to enjoy! The added veggies are a bonus! If you want them to be a bit more crisp, you can turn the oven onto the broiler at the end for just a few minutes, or crisp them up in a skillet after they’re done baking.
Serving & Freezing Instructions
These Whole30 chicken nuggets are best enjoyed with some ranch or BBQ sauce, so grab your favorite dipping sauce! I prefer Primal Kitchen’s Ranch, Ketchup or BBQ, all of which you can get as part of the Whole Kitchen Sink bundle! Or, make your own Whole30 ranch, southwest ranch or BBQ!
This Whole30 sweet potato chicken nugget recipe is also really great as leftovers and put over a salad! I really do recommend doubling it, being you’re already pulling out a sheet pan because not only will you want more, but they also freeze well.
To freeze, you’ll want to make sure they’re cooled completely first. Then, you can either put the whole sheet pan into the freezer for about 20 minutes, just until the poppers are solid enough to not stick together if they were stacked and frozen, and then transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container. Or, you can wrap them up individually with a wax or freezer paper so they don’t freeze together. I like to freeze them in sets of 4, which makes pulling out a quick lunch or dinner option really easy!
Other Whole30 Chicken Recipes That You’ll Love:
Homemade Chicken Apple Sausages
Instant Pot Chicken Meatballs in Marinara
PrintSweet Potato Chicken Nuggets: Whole30, Paleo, Gluten-Free Poppers
Whole30 sweet potato chicken poppers are a healthy “chicken nuggets” recipe alternative that are quick and easy to make. A few simple ingredients and ready in under 30 minutes this is the perfect Whole30, Paleo, or gluten-free family friendly meal for during the week. Double the batch and toss these chicken poppers in the fridge or freezer to make meal prepping a breeze!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cups shredded sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded)
- 3 tbsp almond flour
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried minced onion (or 1 tsp onion powder)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a baking sheet with a little bit of cooking oil, or lay down oven safe parchment/baking paper
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until the sweet potato and spices are incorporated well
- Using your hands, form them into the nuggets or “poppers”. They should be about 1/4 inch-1/2 inch thick, in the shape of an oval or “flat egg shape”
- Place each formed nugget directly onto the sheet pan, in even rows with space between each, and continue until all of the chicken mixture in the mixing bowl is gone
- Next, put the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through
- Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce
- If you want them to be a bit more crisp, put them under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or crisp them up on a fry pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side
Notes
- If the chicken is too sticky to form, you can place the mixing bowl into the fridge for 20-30 minutes. This will help to make it easier to work with when forming it into the nuggets.
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: Serves 4
- Calories: 289
- Fat: 16.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.9 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 22.5 g
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Emma says
Hands down my FAVORITE Whole30 recipe! These are perfect to make on a Sunday and eat throughout the week when I don’t feel like cooking. So so yummy! Now if only I could find pre-shredded sweet potatoes to make all my lazy girl dreams come true. ?
paleobailey says
Haha!! If you happen across those.. send them my way too 🙂 I’m so happy you love these! They’re definitely my favorite as well!! Thank you so much! <3 - B
MJ says
I found this recipe when I did my first Whole30 (7!rounds ago!) and haven’t looked back. They’re even good cold! I toss them into my lunch with whatever dipping sauce floats my boat at the moment. Delish and satisfying, even my non-SP-eating kiddos wolf them down. Thanks for a family staple, Bailey!
paleobailey says
Wow!! Congrats on your Whole30 journey! That’s so awesome! And I’m so glad to hear you love these, they are definitely one of my favorite go-to’s over here too!! Thank you!
Kayla Behrens says
So good! This is in our weekly rotation! With some spicy ranch. Air fry them a couple minutes after baking them and they are perfection! SO good!
paleobailey says
I’m so glad you enjoy these!! Love the spicy ranch idea, too! I’ll have to try that next 🙂 Thank you so much, Kayla!
Kylie says
These are amazing! I’ve made them so many times now. I use ground turkey because that’s what my store always has and it works perfectly 🙂 but
paleobailey says
I’m so glad you love them!! I enjoy them with turkey, too 🙂 Thank you so much, Kylie! <3 - B
Melanie says
Made these for my vegetable-despising toddlers and they inhaled them!! Honestly, my husband and I inhaled a few too lol bud they are delicious. Such a good texture and just really give that chicken tender satisfaction without being super unhealthy.
paleobailey says
Woo! A huge win! I’m so glad your family enjoys these 🙂 Thank you so much, Melanie! <3 - B
Melissa says
Love these! I’ve made them a few times. Great for breakfast, lunch , and a healthy snack. They are also good made with turkey
paleobailey says
I’m so happy you love these!! I enjoy them with turkey too 🙂 Thank you so much, Melissa! <3 - B
Katie R says
I LOVE these!!!! I plan to keep some frozen at all times for an easy meal. I put a little Cheyenne pepper in them to give them a little heat. Delicious!!!
Elizabeth says
Really love this recipe. Embarrassed that my oldest is 7 and I’ve never made my own chicken nuggets until now, but better late than never. This is totally in the rotation now! And OMG unless you’re only making for one DEFINITELY double the recipe. (Only change I made was used 1/2 the chili powder for my wimpy palated Minnesotan children.
paleobailey says
I’m so happy to hear this! And yes, I agree, I always double it, too 🙂 Thrilled your family enjoys these! <3 - B
Abigail Hillson says
These are the BEST! So simple, so easy to prep and SO good! I made a double batch this time so I can have extras and freeze some for later.
paleobailey says
Thank you, Abigail! I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know – it’s so appreciated 🙂
Caroline says
So good! They are so easy to make and even easier to eat! I made a double batch and froze some. They were a quick weeknight meal and tasted just as good as the first time around. I can’t wait to try the butternut squash ones!
paleobailey says
Hi Caroline! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know, it’s so appreciated! So glad you enjoyed them! <3 - B
Kamila says
I have made these with chicken, I have made them with turkey, I have made them in the oven, and I have made them in the air fryer – it does not matter the variation, they always turn out delicious!!!
paleobailey says
Thrilled to hear it, Kamila!! So happy you enjoy these as much as I do! <3 - B
Jillian says
Hi, has anyone tried these with Buffalo Sauce? I’m not sure how they would taste with the sweet potato but my family loves buffalo chicken nuggets, might have to try. If anyone has, how did they come out?
paleobailey says
Hi Jillian! Do you mean dipping them in buffalo sauce, or mixing buffalo into the mixture?
Arianna says
I just made these with ground turkey, and wow!! I’m so glad I decided to double these! They are DELISH!
paleobailey says
Thank you so much, Arianna! Happy to hear you love these as much as I do 🙂 – B
Brad says
Just made these and they are FANTASTIC! Your nugget game is strong Bailey… I’m here for it!
paleobailey says
Thank you so, so much Brad!! Appreciate you so very much <3 - B
Brad says
Just made these and they are FANTASTIC! Your nugget game is strong Bailey… I am here for it!
Anita Jose says
Made these awesome poppers and they were great even made extra to freeze for a quick and easy meal. But would you cook them from frozen or defrost I’m guessing from frozen as they were cooked before freezing tia xx
paleobailey says
Yes I cook them from frozen, about 4 minutes in the microwave for 10 in the oven!
Cathy says
I’ve been wanting to try these for weeks. I finally had all the ingredients and thought, time to do it. Mixed them up and watched the timer because I was so excited. They are SO, SO good. Meatball kind of consistency, but I’m here for it. Will be adding these in the weekly routine meal prep FOR SURE!
paleobailey says
SO happy to hear this!! Thank you so much, Cathy! (PS- so sorry for the late reply!) <3 - B
Kellie L. says
I have some of the pickiest eaters and yet these were a hit! Even after using too much sweet potato! Definitely going in the rotation, thanks Bailey!
Sarah says
These are delicious! I used ground turkey instead of ground chicken because that’s what I had on hand. Even my 1 year old daughter loved them! This recipe is delicious, and I’ll definitely be making them again!
Johanna says
Made these for myself and friends and omg they were so yummy! Next time I will be doubling the batch for meal prep!