One of my husbands go to appetizers at a few of our favorite restaurants is coconut crusted shrimp. There is something about a crispy, slightly sweet coconut crust that everyone seems to love and even if you usually aren’t a huge fan of coconut, for some reason, a coconut crusted piece of fish or jumbo shrimp is something you’ll order and enjoy again and again.
Now just because you’ll usually find a coconut crust on seafood does not mean that it can’t be used on something else… like maybe some chicken tenders? Yes!! These crispy coconut crusted chicken tenders are delicious!
They are baked to crunchy perfection, so no baby sitting or big skillets of oil required, and you can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes in the breading depending on what you have on hand or your preferred amount of sweetness. Pair them with some of my creamy sweet Thai chili sauce and you’ll be in heaven.
Let’s get started…
Make the coconut panko breading by combining 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt with 2 cups of shredded coconut. Unsweetened coconut is most commonly used, especially in savory recipes, but I have made these tenders with both sweetened and unsweetened coconut and loved them both ways, so feel free to use what you have in your pantry.
Pulse this mixture in a food processor to both combine everything and break the coconut shreds down into smaller pieces. Transfer the mixture into a shallow bowl and set it aside for now.
In a separate bowl, whisk 2 large eggs with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoons of black pepper until the eggs are completely beaten.
Add about 2 pounds of chicken tenders into the egg mixture and mix until all of the tenders are coated. I usually have a little of both the egg mixture and the breading left over, so feel free to grab a 2 1/2 or even 3 pound package of tenders if you’d like to make a bigger batch.
Once the tenders are fully coated in the egg mixture, transfer them one at a time into the coconut panko breading. Be sure that each tender is generously coated with breading and set them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Once all of the tenders are coated, drizzle them lightly with olive oil. This will help the coating to become crisp as the tenders bake…
Bake the chicken tenders in a 425 degree oven for 18-25 minutes, depending on how thick your tenders are. Once the breading is golden brown and crisp and your chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees and no pink inside, transfer the tenders onto a cooling rack until you are ready to enjoy them.
I suggest transferring these (and all other baked or fried chicken and fish) onto a cooling rack as soon as you pull them out of the oven to prevent the breading on the underside from getting soggy.
I also suggest sprinkling these tenders with some sea salt while they are hot.
If you are looking for the perfect dipping sauce for these tenders then I would highly suggest whipping up some of my creamy sweet Thai chili sauce. It is so easy and absolutely delicious.
Simply combine 2/3 cup of mayo with 1/4 cup of sweet Thai chili sauce, 1 clove of grated garlic, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of lime juice in a small dish and whisk until everything is creamy and fully combined.
The breading on these tenders are crisp, buttery and full of wonderful tropical coconut flavors. Today, I used sweetened coconut, so some of the shreds on the very top of the tenders get a little extra brown and I love them! They shatter when you take a bite into the tenders and it just makes you want to go back for another bite.
Garnish the tenders with some lime wedges and a big bowl of that creamy sweet Thai chili sauce and enjoy!
Crispy Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of chicken tenders
- 2 cups of shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- a big pinch of salt and black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon of hot sauce
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Creamy Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
- 2/3 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine 2 cups of shredded coconut with 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pulse until the coconut shreds are broken down and everything is evenly distributed.
- Transfer the coconut panko breading into a shallow bowl and set aside for now.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 2 large eggs with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoons of black pepper.
- Add 2 pounds of chicken tenders into the egg mixture and toss until all of the tenders are coated.
- Transfer the egg coated tenders one at a time into the coconut panko breading and once they are generously coated on all sides, transfer the tenders onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the coconut panko coated tenders lightly with olive oil.
- Bake the tenders in a 425 degree oven for 18-25 minutes or until the tenders are cooked through and the breading is crisp and golden brown
- Transfer the tenders onto a cooling rack until ready to serve to avoid the underside from becoming soggy as they cool
- Enjoy with lime wedges and some creamy sweet Thai chili sauce
