The house lightly smelled of coconut as these came out of the oven. It was wonderful. Made me feel like I needed to be on a beach somewhere relaxing with a drink in hand. Ahhh. Okay back to reality. Anyway I really like coconut shrimp and I thought I would try it out on chicken. These baked coconut chicken strips are wonderful. They are crispy on the outside and the meat is tender and moist. It is not overpowering with coconut either, just a wonderful combination with the chicken. They are pretty easy to put together as well. Just cut the chicken breasts into four strips, dredge in the flour then egg then coconut mixture. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and drizzle with melted coconut oil. (You could also use melted butter but the coconut oil adds a little something extra) I also made a pineapple dipping sauce which turned out really well with the chicken strips. It made me float back off to the beach.
- CHICKEN STRIPS
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1/3 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 c plain panko bread crumbs
- 1 c finely shredded sweetened coconut
- 1/3 c melted coconut oil
- PINEAPPLE DIPPING SAUCE
- 1 c plain yogurt
- 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, don't drain
- 2 TBSP powdered sugar
- 1/2 c finely shredded sweetened coconut
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CHICKEN STRIPS
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Using three shallow dishes or pie plate combine flour and salt in one, beaten eggs in another, and combine the shredded coconut and panko in another. Be sure to combine the coconut and panko really well so there are no clumps of coconut.
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Slice each chicken breast into 4 even strips.
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Dredge each chicken strip in flour then egg then the coconut mixture.
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Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and drizzle with melted coconut oil (or butter).
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Bake for 25 minutes.
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PINEAPPLE DIPPING SAUCE
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In a small bowl combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use. Best if made at least 30 minutes in advance.
