Oven Fried Coconut Chicken Tenders
Try this Oven Fried Coconut Chicken Tenders recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Oven Fried Coconut Chicken Tenders recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 9.2905137985186 g
- Cholesterol 606.1253619 mg
- Fat 18.0702445276527 g
- Fiber 1.24434707336239 g
- Protein 165.325226456409 g
- Saturated Fat 7.74344567250751 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (751g)
- Sodium 515.987346881599 mg
- Sugar 8.04616672515621 g
- Trans Fat 3.37670988032218 g
- Calories 899 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium bowl, add chicken, garlic, 1 tsp salt and black pepper; mix and let marinate while you are getting other ingredients ready.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and using your hands rub large baking sheet with coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl lightly whisk the egg. In a large shallow dish, mix thoroughly coconut flakes, garlic powder and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Dip each chicken tender in egg wash and then dredge in coconut flakes on both sides. Place on a prepared baking sheet and repeat this step with remaining chicken. If you run out of egg wash, you can either use another egg or just dredge in coconut flakes (that's what I did).
- Bake for 17 minutes, flip and bake for 5 more minutes or until golden crust appears. Please note, ovens and baking sheets vary. These time guidelines are good for a light aluminum tray. I also baked tenders on a dark baking sheet for 10 minutes on one side, and only 5 minutes on another. So, watch closely for golden coconut flakes on the sides and bottom. Do not use parchment paper, it will take forever to cook.
- Serve hot, as an appetizer or with a salad. I tried these tenders with mango ginger sauce and ketchup, and prefer them on their own.
Baking at 425 degrees Fahrenheit requires careful sheet selection because dark metal pans absorb heat significantly faster than light aluminum, reducing cooking times by nearly half. Unsweetened coconut flakes brown quickly under dry heat, demanding constant visual monitoring to prevent bitterness.
- Grease the baking sheet directly with coconut oil instead of lining it with parchment paper, which insulates the surface and prevents the crust from crisping properly.
- Substitute regular table salt with fine sea salt at a one-to-one ratio when seasoning the meat marinade, ensuring the sodium dissolves evenly into the protein fibers.
- Store leftover tenders in an airtight glass container within the refrigerator for up to three days, then reheat them in a 350-degree oven rather than a microwave to restore the dry crunch.
Chilled cooked poultry loses moisture rapidly during reheating, so adding a light mist of neutral oil before the second round of baking restores exterior texture. Proper pan contact remains the single most reliable method for achieving consistent browning without burning the delicate sugars in the coconut solids.
