I have one favorite thing about this chicken.
Once I made these chicken fingers for lunch and packed the leftovers in the fridge. The next day my husband opened the fridge, grabbed them and took them to work for his lunch.
He hates coconut.
Not the casual dislike he has for some cheeses—he truly can’t stand coconut’s texture. He’ll enjoy coconut-flavored things, like rum or gelato, but the fibrous, slightly chewy mouthfeel is a dealbreaker for him.
I had no idea he’d taken the chicken until I asked what he’d eaten for lunch and he answered, “those chicken fingers that were in the fridge?”
Oh. I stopped in my tracks.
Full disclosure: reheated, microwaved baked chicken that was meant to be crispy ranks low on my list of things I’ll eat. If something is supposed to be crisp, I want it crisp, and a quick zap in the microwave rarely delivers that. My husband, however, could not care less about reheating method — which, honestly, is convenient for me.
I asked him if they were good. He said they tasted “odd” or “different” compared to our usual chicken fingers, but he still ate them. I had planned to tell him they were coated in coconut and he might want to avoid them, but I’d forgotten to warn him. I couldn’t stop laughing inwardly at the situation.
Speaking of photography: portraying chicken fingers well is harder than it seems. My photos often look too similar and arranging the pieces in an appealing way can be a struggle. I’ve even shelved recipes in the past simply because the photos didn’t look right, even if the food tasted great.
These chicken fingers made a second appearance here because this version is crispier and better executed than earlier attempts. High oven heat, a wire rack, and a spritz of oil are key to achieving maximum crunch. Instead of soaking the chicken in buttermilk, I used full-fat coconut milk, which helps the shredded coconut and panko adhere and adds a subtle coconut flavor without making the texture off-putting.
Crunchy Coconut Chicken Fingers with Peach Honey Mustard
2
2 hrs
40 mins
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 ripe peach, peeled and chopped
Instructions
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Add the coconut milk to a blender and puree until completely smooth and creamy.
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Place chicken tenders in a baking dish, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and cover with coconut milk. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
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In a large bowl, combine coconut, flour, panko, salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Remove chicken from the fridge — it should have a thick coating of coconut milk. Dredge each strip through the coconut mixture, pressing gently to adhere, then place on the greased wire rack. Repeat until all pieces are coated.
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Spray all the chicken tenders with coconut oil spray or nonstick spray. Bake for 15 minutes, flip gently, spray the other side and bake 15 minutes more, until golden and crispy.
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While the chicken bakes, puree the peach chunks in a blender or food processor. In a bowl, whisk together the peach puree, honey and dijon mustard. Serve the chicken fingers with the peach honey mustard.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
I appreciate you so much!
The peach honey mustard is bright and summery — a perfect counterpart to the crunchy coconut coating. It’s inspired by a strawberry honey mustard I made previously and works beautifully here. Give it a try; it’s an easy, fresh sauce that complements the chicken without overpowering it.