Sweet, salty and a little bit spicy! These Coconut Chicken Fingers are true perfection!
Sweet, salty, and a little bit spicy. These coconut chicken fingers are a great dinner for any age! A kicked up childhood favorite, that’s baked not fried! It’s the perfect weeknight meal and can be paired with my favorite honey mustard dipping sauce.
Hello delicious, chicken. It’s such a fabulous ingredient to work with. Chicken is the perfect blank canvas for a wide range of flavor profiles. Boil it up for chicken salad, throw it into some soup, grill it with tons of fresh veggies, or turn it into the best coconut chicken fingers you’ve ever had.
When I think of coconut, my mind doesn’t scream chicken. My first thought, actually, is my mom’s famous magic bars (we call them Ugly Duckling bars). Coconut is a dessert ingredient; it’s not meant for savory dishes.
Right? Wrong.
I thought coconut was only for sweet things, until I came upon this mouth watering coconut chicken finger recipe. Holy cow was I missing out. The coconut pairs perfectly with the mild chicken, panko crumbs, spicy cayenne, and savory garlic powder. And this recipe comes in the convenient and tasty chicken finger form.
Do I have your attention yet?!?!
Sometimes I sit and wonder if anyone else loves chicken fingers as much as I do? They’re crunchy on the outside, tender and steamy hot on the inside, you can douse them in your favorite dipping sauce of choice, and, BONUS, you can eat them with your fingers, that’s a +1 for any food in my book. They also cook up faster than whole chicken breasts, which is always welcome in my household, since Trevor and I can both get a teeny tiny…ok fine, a lot, hangry on occasion.
You guys get hangry too, I know we’re not the only ones.
Thankfully this recipe is quick to bake and the prep time isn’t too shabby either.
Cut your chicken breasts into tenders, making sure that they’re all about the same thickness so they can cook evenly. Place flour in a shallow dish or bowl, make an egg wash in another, and combine coconut, panko, and spices in one more. Dip your tenders into flour, then egg wash, and then coconut mixture using one hand for dipping the dry ingredients, and the other for dipping into the egg wash. The tri-dipping process ensures really juicy chicken that’s nice and crisp on the outside.
That’s it, you’re done! Now just bake them up until the outside is golden and the inside is no longer pink, yet nice and juicy.
Now, stop being hangry and hurry up and make these coconut chicken fingers! You’re going to go cocoNUTS over them. Get it?
– Jennifer
What’s your favorite sauce pairing with chicken tenders? Show me the yummy!
Coconut Chicken Fingers
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and prep your baking sheet with a silpat mat.
- Prep your chicken breast, by cutting into evenly sized tenders.
- Get three shallow bowls or dishes and in one, place flour. In another, place cracked eggs and whisk until egg and yolk have combined. In the last, combine coconut, panko and spices, mix well.
- Using one hand for dry ingredients, and one hand for the egg wash, dip each tender into the flour, then egg wash, and finally the coconut/panko mixture. Make sure during each step, each tender is well coated. You may need to press lightly to adhere the coconut/panko coating.
- Arrange on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-30 minutes, or until the tenders are no longer pink the the middle. Serve immediately with my favorite honey mustard dipping sauce!
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Notes
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
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