Crispy Coconut Chicken With Spicy Honey Orange Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Roughly chop the coconut 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 eggs in another. Give the eggs 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 that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a tiny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely.
• 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.
• To make the dipping sauce, combine the preserves, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until blended.

Steps:

• If using chicken breasts, pound down and cut into strips. If using boneless, skinless chicken tenders (chicken tenders are the lean strips of meat found attached to the underside of chicken breasts - they can also be purchased separately.) - cut in half lengthwise. 2.Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. 3.Pulse the shredded coconut in a food processor or blender to break it down into smaller pieces. Alternatively, you can chop it up. Mix it with the Panko in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a second medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and pepper together. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs together. 4.Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 5.Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking off any excess. Then, dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then generously roll in the coconut mixture, shaking off any excess. Add more Panko to the dish if you are running low. 6.Fry 4-6 chicken strips at a time in the coconut oil-- only about 2 minutes per side until the crust is golden brown. Once each is done, place strips onto prepared baking pan. 7.Bake for 6-10 minutes or until chicken is completely baked through. 8.Make the sauce: Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together except for the salt. Taste. Add salt as needed. 9.Serve chicken warm with the dipping sauce. Add an optional garnish like a little chopped cilantro or parsley. Store any leftover chicken in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes or until warmed through. 10.Make ahead tip: Baked coconut chicken freezes well up to 2-3 months. Bake frozen chicken in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through. Additional Notes: 1.I prefer sweetened coconut for a slightly sweet crust. You can use unsweetened coconut if you'd prefer it, though we didn't like the unsweetened crust as much compared to sweetened coconut. I also find that the sweetened coconut browns easier and was a little crispier. 2.Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for fried or baked foods. It's available in major grocery stores near the stuffing. Panko is heavily preferred opposed to regular bread crumbs because they tend to stay crispier longer. You may buy seasoned or unseasoned and then add more/less seasonings to your breading if preferred. I use unseasoned. 3.Instead of flash frying in coconut oil in steps 4 and 6, you can simply bake the coconut chicken for around 20 minutes (flipping halfway through) and skip those two steps. However, we much preferred the taste of the chicken after being pan fried in coconut oil for that brief amount of time. It adds another layer of coconut flavor as well as ensures a crispy golden brown crust.