Chicken finger and French fry meal prep is a classic fast food meal made into a healthy meal prep by making it at home!
Meal prep fam, we're doing our best. But it can't be all kale and green juices and oat cakes around here. Sometimes you just want a soul-warming nostalgic meal, but maybe without going full crazy-town and undoing all the great work you've done at the gym this week, right?
We made a chicken finger meal prep, complete with sweet potato oven fries and a dairy-free ranch-style dip. YES, it's an easy meal prep version of the delicious kid-friendly classic that adults will love, too. (See nostalgia factor, right?) This chicken finger meal prep is still gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo. Yes, you read that correctly: paleo chicken fingers.
Chicken Finger & French Fry Meal Prep Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 ½ lbs chicken breasts, cut into 12 thin strips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- Pinch of cayenne, optional
For the Sweet Potato Fries
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into fry shape
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Better-than-Ranch-Dressing
¼ cup Primal Kitchens Avocado Mayo
2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon dill
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Pinch of sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Chicken Finger & French Fry Meal Prep Nutrition
At only 600 calories and 46 grams of protein per serving, this easy meal prep is an insanely delicious and satisfying option for the kids, for a chilly winter week, or just because you feel like having chicken fingers! We're not judging you, we're joining you. We swapped traditional Russet potato fries for oven-baked sweet potato fries, and they're such a perfect complement to these crunchy chicken fingers, we bet you won't even miss the other kind.
How to Make Chicken Finger and French Fry Meal Prep
The secret to flavorful and moist chicken fingers is to let your chicken marinate in seasonings before adding a well-spiced breading. We used garlic, mustard, thyme, and cayenne, which makes for a super flavorful blend with just a touch of heat. This paleo chicken finger meal prep uses high-protein almond flour and coconut flakes for extra crunch.
And if you're a ranch lover, don't skip the dip; we've been told this dairy-free version is "better than ranch dressing." Make some extra to have on hand throughout the week for last-minute salads, sandwiches, or wraps. One taste and this easy meal prep is going to be a new favorite in your rotation! (The chicken will freeze great, too! There's something to be said for making double batches....)
How to Store and Serve Chicken Fingers and French Fry Meal Prep
Once this has been prepped and transferred to airtight containers, store these meals in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. Reheat in the microwave if desired or, better yet, in a 350 F oven on a baking sheet, tented loosely with foil so everything doesn't dry out!
Serve it just like this, with the ranch dressing on the side. We like this either some steamed broccoli or a big Caesar salad.
Freeze any chicken you want. Wrap it tightly and date and label it. The chicken will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and then reheat, or cook it right from frozen, in the oven, for about 20-25 minutes at 350F.
More Chicken and Sweet Potato Meal Preps
- Parmesan Chicken Tenders Meal Prep
- Freezer Friendly Hawaiian Chicken Tenders Meal Prep
- BBQ Pulled Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Thai Chicken Tenders with Creamy Almond Dipping Sauce
- Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders
- 1.5 pounds chicken tenders
- 1 tbs olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tbs unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tbs arrowroot
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- pinch cayenne pepper optional
Sweet Potato Fries
- 2 large sweet potatoes cut into fries
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Better-Than-Ranch Dressing
- ¼ cup Primal Kitchen Mayo or can sub Primal Kitchen pre-made ranch dressing
- 2 tbs full fat coconut milk
- 2 tbs Italian parsley chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon dill
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- pinch salt & pepper
Instructions
- Add chicken to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and then add sea salt, mustard powder, and thyme. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or longer. This step isn't a requirement, but the longer, the more tender the chicken will be.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Add an egg to a bowl, and beat the egg.
- Add almond flour, coconut flakes, arrowroot powder, and the rest of the seasonings to another bowl, and mix well.
- Coat each piece of chicken first in egg, and then coat well with the almond flour mixture. Place on a cookie sheet, and then repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- On another cookie sheet, lay out cut sweet potato fries, sprinkle or spray with olive oil, and season to taste with sea salt and vinegar. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove chicken fingers and flip each one carefully. The coating will seem soft at this stage, but as it continues to cook, it will firm up and brown.
- Return the chicken to the oven, and continue cooking another 15 minutes.
- Prepare the ranch dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Serve chicken fingers and fries with ranch dressing or other favorite paleo dip.
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