Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers

You almost never see coconut chicken fingers on a restaurant menu and I can't understand why. They are off-the-hook delicious. The only reason I knew they existed was I bought a frozen version by Bell & Evans years ago. I couldn't believe how awesome they were considering they were frozen. So tender and juicy, but they did lack that crunchiness I want on the outside. Well, problem solved! I now know how to make my very own crunchy coconut chicken fingers. Yay!

Taking action about the lack of crunchy coconut chicken fingers in my life

Chicken fingers tend to be one of those appetizers I only order when I go out to eat. So when the pandemic hit - no more chicken fingers for me. For two years now. The Bell & Evans version is still delicious, but a bit expensive. Also, they're not always available. I decided it was time to take action. Yes, action. Action about chicken fingers that have been missing from my life for 730 days.

Look, I cook a lot so I realize all you have to do is set up a dredging station, bread the chicken tenders and fry them. Easy peasy! And that is precisely what I did. I breaded those delicate, little tenders and covered them in coconut.

Dipping sauce is crucial for crunchy coconut chicken fingers

When it comes to the dipping sauce there are several options. There are some great sweet and sour sauces at the grocery store. Also, a sweet chili sauce works too. However, I do love my honey mustard which you might not think matches with coconut, but it does. I don't know about you, but I always have honey on hand, and I always have mustard on hand. Why spend the extra money on that jarred stuff when you can whip up your own in about 1 minute?

These Chicken Fingers are Easy Peasy to Make

Looking for More Snacky Foods? I Gotcha Covered:

• Honey Butter Bourbon Shrimp
• Cute Little Mac & Cheese Mini Muffins
• Potato Bacon Croquettes w/Gorgonzola Bechamel
• Apple Brie Crostini w/Toasted Pecans & Drizzled Honey
• Brown Sugar Bacon Sticks Brushed w/Maple Syrup
• The Best Pan Fried Mozzarella
• Garlic Shrimp Crostini w/Romesco & Shaved Parm

Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers

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• Author: Stacey
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 7 portions of 2 each 1x

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Description

Looking for an awesome appetizer or snack? These crunchy coconut chicken fingers with homemade honey mustard should do the trick.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 14 chicken tenderloins
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Canola oil for frying

For dredging station

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

For honey mustard sauce

• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon warm water (more if needed to thin out)

Additional Dipping sauce (optional)

• ¼ cup jarred sweet and sour sauce

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Instructions

1. Don’t forget to watch my video for all the step-by-step instructions. 
2. Get your dredging station ready (see note#2 below) – you’ll need three plates or wide bowls for this. One bowl for the flour and salt, one bowl for the beaten eggs and last bowl for the coconut flakes and plain panko bread crumbs (mix together with your fingers). 
3. The chicken tenderloins. I like to cut the white, tubey tendon that sticks out of the top. My video shows this well. After you cut those off, spread out the tenders on a plate and season with salt. Flip them over and lightly salt the other side as well. I used about ½ teaspoon of salt total for this. 
4. Get your dipping sauces ready. For this recipe I bought a jar of sweet and sour sauce, but I also made a quick honey mustard sauce too. Mix together the honey, Dijon mustard (spicy brown is fine too) and a splash of warm water. Whisk together until well combined. Add a splash more water if needed to thin it out. 
5. Breading the cutlets.  Dip each chicken tenderloin in the egg to fully coat, then the flour to fully coat on both sides, then BACK into the egg and lastly, the coconut and breadcrumbs to fully coat. Repeat the process for all the chicken tenderloins. Transfer breaded pieces to a plate or sheet pan. 
6. While you’re breading the chicken you should have your oil heating on medium heat. You’ll know the oil is ready when you flick a little egg into it and it sizzles. This is a shallow fry so ¼” of oil or so in your pan should work.
7.  Cook the chicken in two batches. Place the tenders gently into the oil and cook for about 3 minutes until they are golden brown. Then turn the pieces and cook on the other side for 3 minutes until golden brown. When you remove from pan, transfer to a paper towel lined sheet pan. 
8. Serve with dipping sauces and enjoy!

Notes

1. I prefer canola oil for frying but you can use vegetable oil too. 
2. The measurements for the coconut & panko were EXACTLY enough to cover 14 tenderloins. If there were 15 tenderloins I wouldn’t have had enough. Basically, you may need to add a bit more coconut and bread crumbs depending on the size of your chicken tenderloins. 
3. These freeze well too. I always double wrap food in plastic wrap then put them inside a Ziplock bag. Take out of the freezer the night before reheating and let defrost in the refrigerator. Heat in toaster oven at 350 degrees with a piece of foil resting on top of the chicken so the outside doesn’t burn. Don’t wrap them in foil. When they are cooked through you can remove the foil from the top and crisp up the outside the last couple of minutes of cooking.