You know what I secretly love? Those cheesy commercials for places like Red Lobster or Sizzler. You know the ones I’m talking about? Where they pour butter over lobster in slow motion and then you see the fried coconut shrimp bouncing onto the plate in crispy perfection? Well they make me hungry. I’ve always been intriged by the shrimp in particular thinking that fried coconut breading would be super good. The fact that it’s covering shrimp is the only thing that shatters my 5 second daydream because my kids won’t eat shrimp. So this little chicken number is my solution. It doesn’t come with steak and an all-you-can-eat salad bar for $6.95, but it’s dang good! And it’s super family friendly too. The coconut adds a subtle sweetness, and you can just tell the kids they’re giant chicken nuggets 🙂
If you’re not familiar with Panko, it’s a Japanese style bread crumb. I started using it in place of regular bread crumbs a few years ago and I just can’t go back now. Panko makes everything SO light and crispy, you’ll be amazed. Up until now I’ve always bought Panko in the Asian section of the grocery store. But I just found out that Progresso now makes Panko! I was so happy to see that because now you can find it next to the Progresso bread crumbs in the pasta isle. I tried the Progresso brand out with this batch and they worked beautifully. They’re just as great as the Asian brand I had been using previously, and they even make an Italian seasoned one as well.
Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
Recipe by Our Best Bites
12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less…)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)
preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Give coconut a rough chop so it’s about the same size as the panko pieces
Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.
Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.
Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour…
And then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.
Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it’s optional.
Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they’re big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.
My kiddos think these are giant chicken nuggets so they dip them in ranch dressing (of course! What don’t they dip in ranch?) or ketchup. My hubby and I like them in sweet and sour sauce. At some point I’ll add a dipping sauce to this recipe, but I haven’t perfected it yet!
Every time I make these I fantasize about putting them on this salad, in place of the Spicy Honey Chicken. I’m thinking that might be a great combo. Let me know if any of you try it. But they also make great appetizers or party food. Gotta love crunchy breaded chicken you can eat with your hands!
Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
Recipe by Our Best Bites
12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less…)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)
preheat oven to 450 degrees. Give coconut a rough chop so it’s about the same size as the panko pieces. Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices. Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating. Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour and then dip in egg, and then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.
Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it’s optional.
Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they’re big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.
Freezer Instructions: Prepare chicken fingers through coating them in the panko/coconut mixture. Place in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze for several hours. Remove from freezer and transfer to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or a freezer safe container. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear.
My son declared these were on the menu tonight. My daughter added that they must be served with fries because it’s Friday. 🙂 We love them here!
I used this coating on Tilapia Fillets and we thought it turned out great!
Excellent post! We are linking to this great article on our
website. Keep up the good writing.
I think this is very similar to the Green Mill sauce that’s served with their Coconut Chicken Fingers:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/saucerecipes/r/bl61226d.htm
I just made these for my two kids and they LOVED them! I definetely plan on making these again.
It would be great with peanut sauce for dipping.
You mentioned a dipping sauce for this recipe and I think this is worth a try. If you have left over sweet chili sauce from your thai cocunut something noodles, dip your chicken in that. I love using that sauce as a dip, and walmart sells it (at least in Nebraska it does)
Hello. This recipe looks awesome, I worked at red lobster and let me tell you, they just thaw out some frozen shrimp and batter and fry it(as with most of their dishes if its not microwaved). Anyways, I was wondering if there would be a good way to throw this in a stir fry? That’s originally what I was googling and I don’t want to ruin the chicken if I just throw it in there. Any ideas?
These look yummy! At a Mcgraff’s fishhouse here they have the coconut shrimp served with an orange marmalade sauce that is perfect!! going to have to try that with it!
Tiffany –
I make a plum sauce whenever I make lumpia, (filipino eggrolls). I’m not sure of the exact measurements, (because I always just go by taste), but here’s a simple plum sauce recipe.
-Plum jelly
-Crushed pineapple
-Apple cider vinegar
Mix them together while heating on the stove. Very delicious!
We can’t get enough of these at our house! Thank you for sharing the ‘coconuty’ goodness! I shared these on my blog (with a link back to you, of course.) Thanks so much! http://www.craftymischiefbybrittany.com/2012/07/crispy-coconut-chicken-fingers.html