Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders

My grandmother loves using coconut in almost all her food. And its not just limited to using it for her cooking, she uses coconut even as a garnish in most of her foods. She makes khopra par (a dessert consisting of coconut, mava and sweet syrup),which is my ultimate favorite. Having spent a lot of time with her, growing up, I really found a liking towards using coconut flavors in my food. This was one of the inspirations for using desiccated coconut/coconut flakes in my chicken tenders. #makinggrandmaproud

Chicken tenders is something that has been done over and over again, so using coconut instead of traditional breadcrumbs was an inviting variation. This is a simple and light dinner recipe, can be used as a side or a snack too.. It might seem like there are many parts to it. There is definitely more prep work required for this, but its quick once all the prep is done.

You can pair it well with a salad, or guacamole or any other dip really. You can make it spicy by adding more cayenne pepper to your coconut flakes or keep it mild by reducing the amount. I paired my crispy tenders with glazed carrots to amp up our dinner. But this could easily be served as a finger food during game night. Another variation to this recipe would be to bake it. I am making the most of my summer frying days. Saving my baked tenders for winter nights. ;)

But yes, a recipe with many variations that can suit everyones needs.. Light, crunchy and summery. You can also replace the chicken in the recipe, with fish or shrimp for another fun variation. Hope you enjoy it!

Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, chopped into 3" cubes
• 2 cups coconut flakes
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• handful of fresh cilantro (can be substituted with parsley), chopped
• 2 tbsp Mrs Dash seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Season chicken evenly with salt and pepper
2. Add 1/2 cup flour, eggs, cilantro and Mrs Dash seasoning in a bowl and whisk together. If the batter feels too thick, add a little water to make the batter thinner, until right consistency is achieved
3. In a separate shallow dish, mix together coconut flakes and cayenne pepper
4. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour, in a plate or a shallow dish for dusting the chicken 



Shallow fry / Panfry chicken

5. Heat oil in a shallow pan on medium heat
6. Dust each chicken in the dry flour and take off excess. Next, dunk the chicken into the egg mixture. Then coat the piece in coconut flakes to make sure it is even coated.
7. Shallow fry chicken pieces in the pan for about 2-3 mins on each side, until light golden brown. 
8. Drain off excess oil and serve hot!

Like I mentioned earlier, I paired my crispy coconut chicken tenders with glazed carrots and sweet chili sambal sauce. Recipe for the glazed carrots is also added below.

To make Glazed Carrots:

• Carrots, 3
• Butter, 1 tbsp
• Brown sugar, 1 heaped tbsp
• chopped Dill (optional)
• Salt and pepper - a pinch

1. Boil carrots in hot water for about 8-10 minutes making sure they are dipped in the water. 
2. Drain and let them cool in a strainer
3. Add butter to the same pan, stir brown sugar, salt and pepper powder into the button until the sugar has melted.
4. Add carrots and the chopped dill leaves to the pan and cook for another 5 mins

Crispy Coconut Chicken Tender with glazed carrots

I hope you try this recipe soon, and enjoy it with your loved ones like I did. Feel free to comment with questions and suggestions. Until then, Live, Love, Laugh and Eat.. Oh yes, EAT!