Make chicken tenders with a shredded coconut breading for a sweet, gold brown dinner that’s baked and not fried.
Chicken tenders and nuggets are one of the finer foods in life. They’re incredibly simple but somehow always hit the spot (especially with the right dipping sauce). I like to mess around with different types of breading when I make chicken tenders from scratch, and there’s always one I come back to: a coconut-breadcrumb crust.
I’ve always been a big fan of coconut shrimp, so this is just…the chicken version—which I’m much more prone to making on a regular basis. Matt always loves when I make these because they satisfy the chicken tender craving but have a unique twist thanks to the coconut.
I just really like how they’re a healthier spin on the usual oil-covered fried chicken tenders. I will say, though, I don’t think coconut-crusted chicken tenders are the same without the sweet chili sauce we always use to dip them in. SO. GOOD. (We just use a sauce from our grocery store, located near the BBQ sauce.)
The most labor-intensive part of this recipe is the breading. I’ve always found that the best chicken breading happens when you do a three-part process: coat it in a flour mixture, then scrambled egg, then a breadcrumb mixture. But with this one, that last breadcrumb mixture involves COCONUT, so it’s extra exciting.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- Splash of water
- 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs (or store-bought, like Panko)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch wide strips
- 2 Tbs melted butter
- Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a Ziploc bag, mix the flour, garlic powder, paprika, and salt/pepper. Set aside.
- In two bowls, combine the ingredients as follows: Bowl #1: Scramble the egg with the water. Bowl #2: Mix the breadcrumbs, coconut, and parsley. Set aside.
- Add the chicken strips to the Ziplog bag; close and shake until the chicken is well-coated. Remove the chicken, shaking off any excess flour (dispose of the extra).
- Take each chicken strip and dip it into the egg mixture, coating it thoroughly. Then transfer it to the coconut-breadcrumbs mixture, coating it and pressing the mixture into it to make sure it adheres.
- Place each breaded chicken strip onto an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining strips.
- Once all chicken has been breaded, drizzle half of the butter across the tops. Bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on thickness). Flip each strip over, drizzle the rest of the butter across the tops, and bake for another 6-8* minutes. Broil for a final 1-2 min to finish browning the coconut.
- Sprinkle fresh parsley over the tops, and serve with sweet chili sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes:
*If coconut begins to brown too fast, cover the chicken with a sheet of aluminum foil and skip the broiling process.
Do you ever make homemade chicken tenders or nuggets?
What’s your favorite dipping sauce for chicken?
