These za'atar seasoned Grain-Free Chicken Tenders are the perfect option for a low histamine weeknight meal. They bring together Middle Eastern spices with a nut-based breading for those who can't tolerate grains or eggs. Coming together in less than half an hour, these flavorful low histamine chicken tenders are the ideal dinner this evening.
For those who enjoy easy chicken dishes, check out my air fryer chicken legs or simple chicken curry.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
Antihistamine Spices. between the thyme, the oregano, and the garlic, these tenders are packed with strongly antihistamine foods, meaning that they contain plant chemicals which inherently help your body calm histamine production.
High Fiber & Protein. Thanks to the nut meals and flax seeds, these tenders are packed with protein as well as a moderate amount of fiber and fat.
Grain-Free Chicken Dish. It can be hard to find low histamine chicken dishes without grains, but especially ones which satisfy a comfort food craving. These tenders check all the boxes, using nuts & seeds in place of the more typical rice or potato flours.
🍗 Ingredients
Chicken Tenders or Breasts: the white meat of the chicken, and often the most kid-friendly, these are the base of the tenders and one of my favorite to use in low histamine chicken recipes.
Flax Meal (Flax Egg): after about 5 minutes, the flax meal will combine with the water and form a gel-like egg substitute known as a 'flax egg.' I use this a lot in recipes so I've gotten used to making them, but the general rule is that 1 Tablespoon of flax meal + 2.5 Tablespoons of water is equal to one egg.
Nut Milk Pulp (Nut Meal): similar to nut meal, nut milk pulp is the stuff leftover after making homemade nut milk. You can make it from any number of different nuts or seeds, but I recommend one that's higher in carbs, to better-mimic the breading of chicken tenders.
Za'atar Seasoning: this Middle Eastern spice blend forms the core of the flavoring for the tenders breading. It consists of thyme, sesame seeds, coriander, sumac, and cumin, which offer a balanced flavor profile without affecting histamine production.
Baking Powder: this one weird ingredient is the secret to crispy air-fryer chicken. It allegedly helps to pull moisture to the surface in the breading (though this may not be as applicable with nut-based chicken breading, it does help to balance the flavor a bit).
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🥘 How to Make Grain-Free Chicken Tenders (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C), then put together your flax egg by combining your flaxseed meal & water and stirring well, then set aside (images 1 & 2).
Step 2) Cut your chicken into 7-8 strips, if not using tenders (image 3). Then put the almond flour, nut meal, za'atar, garlic, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and combine well (images 4 & 5).
Step 3) Your flax egg should be done now, so stir the flax mixture until it's more egg-like in texture, about 10 seconds (images 6 & 7). Before "breading" your tenders, carefully crumple a strip of aluminum foil and then uncrumple it so that it can lay mostly flat on your baking sheet.
Step 4) Dredge your tenders in the flax egg, and then coat well in the nut meal mixture (image 8). Lay your tenders at least one inch apart on the crumpled aluminum foil, or spray a baking sheet with avocado oil and lay your tenders directly on the sheet (image 9).
Step 5) Turn on your convection function and bake the tenders for 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through to ensure even baking (images 10 & 11), then serve and enjoy. If you're not sure how to tell when chicken tenders are done, just make sure the largest part of the thickest tender has reached 165°F (75°C) at the center.
🥥 Variations
- Herb-Crusted Version: Replace part of the za’atar with chopped fresh parsley, thyme, or rosemary for a milder, herb-forward low histamine flavor.
- Sesame-Free Option: Use a simple blend of dried thyme, oregano, and sumac (or a pinch of camu camu) instead of traditional za’atar if avoiding sesame seeds.
- Nut-Free Coating: Substitute almond flour with finely ground pumpkin seeds or sunflower seed meal for a nut-free, low histamine alternative.
- Extra Crispy Tenders: Add 1–2 tablespoons arrowroot starch to the coating mixture for a lighter, crispier texture without gluten.
- Mild Spice Blend: Swap garlic powder for ground coriander seed and a pinch of turmeric for a gentler, digestion-friendly seasoning option.
- Coconut-Coated Tenders: Mix unsweetened shredded coconut into the breading for added crunch and subtle sweetness while remaining low histamine.
🔥 Freezing and Reheating
If you want to freeze these tenders, I recommend cooking them fully beforehand. They'll stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months; to reheat them simply place in the oven or air fryer at 400°F (205°C) for 5-7 minutes and enjoy with your favorite sauce or side.
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Swapping Nut Meals. You can basically use one cup of any type of nut meal to make these tenders, but the texture of almond meal is quite nice, so I recommend a lower-fat nut (i.e. stay away from macadamias and pili nuts)
Seasonings. If you know you don’t tolerate one or more of the spices, you can swap them for other low histamine herbs and spices you think would go well. You can use any type of seasoning, but only add them when you’d normally otherwise add the original spices, otherwise they may not taste right.
❓ What to Serve With Chicken Tenders
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if tolerated, you can substitute the flax mixture with 2 eggs for a slightly firmer coating.
Yes. Replace the almond flour with sunflower seed flour or finely ground pumpkin seeds for a nut-free alternative.
Lightly spray the tenders with avocado oil before cooking and avoid overcrowding the pan or air fryer basket.
Yes, when prepared with fresh chicken and tolerated spices, these tenders fit well within a low histamine diet.
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📖 Recipe
Grain-Free Chicken Tenders (Egg-Free)
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb. organic chicken cut into tenders
- 2 Tablespoons flax meal + 5 Tablespoons water alt. 2 eggs
- ⅔ Cup nut milk pulp alt. other nut meal or more almond flour
- ⅓ Cup extra-fine almond flour
- 1 Tablespoon za'atar seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder alt. 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- avocado oil cooking spray if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C), and then put together your flax egg by combining your flaxseed meal and water and stirring well, then set aside.
- Cut your chicken into 7-8 strips, if not using tenders.
- Put the almond flour, nut meal, za'atar, garlic, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and combine well.
- Your flax egg should be done now, so stir the flax mixture until it's more egg-like in texture, about 10 seconds. Before "breading" your tenders, carefully crumple a strip of aluminum foil and then uncrumple it so that it can lay mostly flat on your baking sheet.
- Dredge your tenders in the flax egg, and then coat well in the nut meal mixture.
- Lay your tenders on the crumpled aluminum foil or spray a baking sheet with avocado oil and lay your tenders directly on the sheet.
- Turn on your convection function, and bake for 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through to ensure even baking. Once you tenders are done, serve them immediately (any 'sweating' from the coating will disappear in about 10 minutes— if they last that long!).
Notes
Nutrition
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Kat says
Thanks for this, if i dont have time to make make nut milk pulp what else could i use?
Max says
Sure! You could use any coarsely-ground nut meal or non-finely ground nut or seed flour.