These Coconut Chicken Tenders with Spicy Mango Sauce are crunchy, flavorful, and absolutely addictive! They’re quick and easy to make, you’ll have a huge batch ready in no time. The perfect appetizer to feed a large crowd!
If you’re looking for delicious party food that’s sure to be a hit with the crowd or a tasty weeknight meal the whole family will love, look no further than these coconut chicken tenders with spicy mango sauce. They’re a delicious combination of sweet and savory, tender and crisp that will have your guests begging for more!
The good thing is, they’re not only a breeze to make, but they also freeze well for future use. You can easily double the batch and have them ready to fry when cravings hit.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken– the recipe calls for tenders, but feel to use breast and just slice into about 2-inch thick strips.
- Cornstarch and egg whites– use in place of flour and whole eggs for a light and thin texture instead of heavy and eggy. The mixture also helps keep the meat juicy even in hight heat cooking.
- Shredded sweetened coconut and Panko bread crumbs– use as coating for a extra crunch and a delicious medley of sweet and savory
- Oil– choose oil with a neutral taste and high smoke point like canola, corn, safflower, or grapeseed oil. Avocado oil is a healthier option but can be rather pricey.
Cooking tips
- Before dredging, pat the chicken dry with paper towels to get a nice, even coating of flour.
- To ensure the coat adheres well during frying, arrange the coated chicken tenders in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes or until firm. With a little wait time, you’ll have a lot fewer coconut flakes and crumbs floating in the oil and more on your tenders where they matter!
- Heat the oil to the optimal 350 F to 375 F range. Too hot and the breading will brown well before the inside is cooked through. Too low and the chicken tenders will absorb a lot more oil.
- To prevent the oil from plummeting, do not overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches as needed.
- Do not drain the fried chicken tenders on paper towels as the steam will make them soggy. Use a wire rack set over a baking sheet or pan to catch oil drips.
How to cook in the air fryer
If you want to skip the mess of splattering hot oil or just want a healthier treat, let the air fryer do the cooking!
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F.
- Prepare and bread the chicken according to the recipe below.
- Arrange in a single layer in air fryer. Do not overcrowd pan and cook in batches as needed to ensure heat circulation.
- Spray breaded tenders with cooking spray.
- Air fry for about 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through, turning halfway through.
Serving suggestions
Coconut chicken tenders are delicious as an appetizer or as a light meal. They’re great on their own, but my favorite way to enjoy them is dunked in spicy mango sauce!
If you’re looking for the mother of all dipping sauces, you’ve found it. This liquid gold is perfectly sweet, creamy, and spicy. Check out the recipe for the easy how-to.
How to store
- As with most fried foods, these crunchy tenders are best enjoyed freshly cooked as they tend to lose crispness over time. I suggest frying just enough for a meal and freezing them uncooked.
- Arrange breaded tenders on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and freeze until firm. When frozen, transfer to a resealable bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenders
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- canola oil or vegetable oil
For the Spicy Mango Sauce
- 1 medium mango
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken tenders and seasoning salt. Massage well and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes.
- In one shallow bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. In another shallow bowl, place cornstarch. In another shallow bowl, combine shredded coconut and Panko bread crumbs.
- Dredge chicken in cornstarch, dip in egg white and then dredge in coconut-bread crumb mixture to fully coat, pressing down to adhere well.
- Arrange prepared chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes or until firm.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat about 3 inches deep of oil to about 350 F to 375 F. Add chicken and deep-fry, turning as needed, for about 4 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches as needed.
- With a slotted spoon or tongs, remove chicken from pan and drain on a wire rack. Serve with spicy mango sauce.
For the Spicy Mango Sauce
- Slice mango and scoop flesh, discarding pit and skin.
- In a blender or food processor, process mango until blended (like the texture of applesauce).
- In a bowl. combine mango pulp, yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, Sriracha sauce, lime juice and salt. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Before dredging, pat the chicken dry with paper towels to get a nice, even coating of flour.
- To ensure the coat adheres well during frying, arrange the coated chicken tenders in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze for about 10 to 15 minutes or until firm. With a little wait time, you’ll have a lot fewer coconut flakes and crumbs floating in the oil and more on your tenders where they matter!
- Heat the oil to the optimal 350 F to 375 F range. Too hot and the breading will brown well before the inside is cooked through. Too low and the chicken tenders will absorb a lot more oil.
- To prevent the oil from plummeting, do not overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches as needed.
- The nutritional facts below do not include the spicy mango sauce which provides an additional 117 calories, 3.7 g protein, 3.4g fat, and 354mg sodium per serving.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Tiffany Cardenas says
Oh man, these look delicious. And the mango sauce sounds like the perfect accompaniment. Yum!
Manju | Cooking Curries says
Coconut and Mango! Now thats a combo you can never go wrong with!
Healing Tomato says
Those chicken tenders look amazing. What a clever idea to pair them with a Mango dipping sauce. Must try it.
Debra C. says
The perfect crispy chicken and that mango sauce is to die for, yum, yum!!!
christine says
Sounds delicious. I love a coconut coating. Great tip about the egg white and cornstarch.
linda spiker says
Those look perfectly crispy and that sauce! Amazing.
Kim Beaulieu says
I could eat this all day long, every single day and never get tired of it. Great recipe.
Nicole Hood says
I have been looking for a good coconut chicken recipe. So glad you shared this. Pinning to try!
Adriana Lopez-Martin says
I have always wanted to learn how to make this perfect coconut coating, thanks for sharing yoru tips with us =)
Debra C. says
Talk about the perfect meal! Love the mango & coconut combo, sounds so good. They look perfectly crunchy too!
tp keane says
yum, my kids love chicken nuggets or anything similar and my husband loves coconuts. Win, win here.
Joanna says
I never thought of making a batter for the chicken using coconut. What a great and healthy idea! Also the mango sauce would be perfect for a hot summer day, it sounds very refreshing.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
O I could eat these everyday! Love that mango sauce!