Honey-Glazed Chicken Dippers with Pineapple Dip

Finger food has its own particular pleasure, tender strips of chicken in a light golden crust, a little honey, a sweet pineapple dip to drag them through. This plate brings all of that to the table, made entirely from real ingredients.

The crust is coconut flour and arrowroot instead of wheat, and the chicken itself is a source of protein and glycine, an amino acid involved in the body's repair work. The honey is real and used in a modest amount, just enough to caramelize and please without much sugar at all.

Take one breath of thanks for the bird before you cook it. A real animal made this meal possible. When the kitchen fills with that sweet, golden smell, you will be glad you gave it that moment.

Ingredients

Dippers:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch (in place of any wheat or grain flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• coconut oil for cooking, instead of any seed oil
• no black pepper and no paprika; the salt, garlic, and onion carry the seasoning so nothing nightshade or seed-spice goes in

Pineapple dip:

• one 14 oz can pineapple chunks in juice, 2 tablespoons of the juice reserved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
• 1 teaspoon clean-label fish sauce

Method

• Pat the tenders dry and toss them in the honey so each one is lightly coated.
• Stir the coconut flour, arrowroot, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a shallow dish. Roll each honey-coated tender through the mix until it is dressed all over.
• Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment, brush it with melted coconut oil, lay the tenders out with space between them, and brush their tops with a little more coconut oil. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, turn, and bake another 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden and cooked through. Watch the last minutes so the honey browns but does not scorch. (Times are an estimate and want a test bake.)
• For the dip, drain the pineapple and blend it with the reserved juice, honey, molasses, and fish sauce until smooth.
• Serve the dippers warm with the dip alongside.

Air fryer variation

Arrange the coated tenders in a single layer in the basket, brush with coconut oil, and air-fry at about 380 F for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. The honey browns fast in an air fryer, so check early. (Untested time, flag for a trial run.)

*Adapted from grazed-and-enthused*

*Lower-sugar note: most of the sweetness here is the honey. We have already trimmed it, and you can cut it back further to taste, starting with half and adding only if you need it.*