• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Keeping It Simple Blog

  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    You are here Home » Recipes » food

    By: Melissa

    Crispy Coconut Chicken with Hot Honey Sauce

    Crispy, delicious and so addictive, these crispy coconut chicken tenders with hot honey sauce will be your new favorite once you try it. The super crispy coating on the chicken is amazing and the homemade hot honey dipping sauce could not be tastier or easier to make.

    closeup of the coconut chicken
    Crispy coconut chicken.
    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 35 minutes

    About this crispy coconut chicken:

    This crispy coconut chicken is really easy to make and can be served as an appetizer or as a meal. The chicken is not deep fried but instead shallow pan fried so there is not a lot of oil mess.

    The coating to the chicken has some added corn starch to really crisp things up although if you do not have it on hand that is fine. The homemade hot honey is made up of just two ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.

    coconut chicken with hot honey

    Ingredients Needed

    • Chicken tenders (or chicken breasts cut into thin strips.)
    • Shredded coconut (I use unsweetened).
    • Flour
    • Panko Bread Crumbs. Panko is much more coarse than regular bread crumbs really helping with the crunchy outside of the coconut chicken.
    • Corn starch. Optional but recommended.
    • Cayenne pepper
    • Kosher salt
    • Garlic powder
    • Vegetable oil
    • Honey
    • Sriracha or whatever hot sauce you have on hand.
    crispy coconut chicken

    Notes about the ingredients

    To get the crispiest outside to those coconut chicken tenders, make sure to use the corn starch in the recipe. Not a lot is needed but the little bit does help.

    When cooking the coconut chicken, make sure you are using vegetable oil. It has a higher heating point and will not smoke up on you. Avoid olive oil.

    How to Make Shallow Fried Chicken:

    coconut chicken in pan
    Crispy coconut chicken cooking up in the pan.

    You are not going to be deep frying the coconut breaded chicken. Instead you are doing a light shallow fry. This makes the chicken crispy but not oily. It also really keeps down the mess and smell in your house too.

    coconut chicken

    Tips:

    • I really like to cook these crispy coconut chicken strips in cast iron. If you are working with cast iron when making these, let the pan pre-heat without any oil added for at least 5 minutes. After that, add the oil and let the oil heat for a few more minutes. If you do not have cast iron, any heavy bottom pan with high sides will do.
    • If you want lots of coconut flavor in your chicken, use virgin coconut oil to cook the chicken with. The shredded coconut will only give off a very light flavor when it is cooked in vegetable oil. Virgin coconut oil has the flavor of coconut and will really boost the coconut flavor.
    • Make sure you let your chicken rest for a minute on a drying rack to let any excess oil drip off. It will also help it retain its crunch.

    What to Serve with these Coconut Chicken Tenders:

    • Fluffy Homemade Yogurt Biscuits
    • Turmeric Potatoes
    • Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
    • Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower with Turmeric
    • Roasted Radicchio Salad with Arugula
    crispy coconut chicken tenders top view

    More like this

    • feature image oven baked bbq chicken
      Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
    • lemon chicken in skillet
      Lemon Butter Chicken
    • chicken with peanut sauce
      Chicken Satay (without the skewers)
    • chacarero sandwich
      Chacarero - Chilean Sandwich with Chicken
    closeup of the coconut chicken
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Crispy Coconut Chicken with Hot Honey Sauce

    Crispy, delicious and so addictive, this coconut chicken with hot honey will be your new favorite dish it is so good. The super crispy coating is amazing and the homemade hot honey dipping sauce could not be tastier or easier to make
    Prep Time25 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Servings: 4 people

    Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

    Author: Melissa

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb chicken tenders cut in half length wise or chicken breasts pounded out and cut into 1 inch strips.
    • 1 cup Vegetable oil

    Chicken Coating

    • 1 ½ cups shredded coconut unsweetened
    • 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
    • 1 cup All purpose flour
    • 2 eggs
    • ⅛ cup Corn starch
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for sprinkling over cooked chicken
    • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

    For the Hot Honey

    • ½ cup honey
    • ⅛ cup Sriracha Or whatever hot sauce you have on hand.
    Follow Keeping It Simple Blog On Pinterest

    Instructions

    • Make your hot honey by mixing your honey and hot sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
    • Prepare your chicken tenders by cutting them in half length wise.
    • Grab 3 large shallow bowls and a large plate (the plate is for the chicken after it is coated).
    • First bowl: Add your flour, corn starch, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and mix well.
      Second Bowl: Add your Eggs and mix well.
      Third Bowl: Add your Panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut and mix together.
    • Dip your chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
    • Now dip the chicken in the egg and then into the breadcrumb/coconut mixture.
    • Place the coated chicken on a plate and repeat these steps until all the chicken is coated.
    • Pre-heat your pan on medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
    • Once your pan is pre-heated, add your vegetable oil and let it heat for a few minutes.
    • Drop a piece of chicken into the pan. If it starts to sizzle right away the pan is ready.
    • Add your chicken in two batches to the pan.
    • Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes and then flip. The chicken should look brown and crispy when it is ready to flip.
    • Cook the other side of the chicken for another 3 minutes or until the chicken is nice and golden brown.
    • When ready, remove the chicken from the pan and place on to a cooling rack.
    • Sprinkle lightly with a little kosher salt while the chicken is still hot.
    • Finish cooking the remaining chicken by following the same steps.
    • Serve immediately with the hot honey on the side for dipping.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1143mg | Potassium: 651mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg

    Nutrition Values are estimates only.

    See full nutrition disclaimer here
    Course :Main Course

    More food

    • Mediterranean yellowfin tuna
      Mediterranean Grilled Tuna Steak
    • gin and lime gimlet
      Classic Gin Gimlet
    • elderflower gimlet
      French Gimlet
    • tuna ceviche
      Ahi Tuna Ceviche

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Bethany says

      November 02, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      5 stars
      I cannot wait to try this! It look amazing

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Keeping It Simple Blog!

    keeping it simple blog portrait

    I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website a few years ago to share recipes that I have been cooking for family and friends for years.

    More about me →

    Our Favorite Spring Recipes

    • Mexican barbacoa
      Mexican Barbacoa
      Cook Time3 Hours 20 Minutes
    • truffle cream sauce angle
      Pasta with Broccoli and Truffle Cream Sauce
      Cook Time30 Minutes
    • cooked salmon angle shot
      Sheet Pan Salmon and Vegetables
      Cook Time30 Minutes
    • kale and carrot salad in bowl
      Kale, Carrot and Parmesan Salad
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • asparagus with parmesan melted on top
      Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
      Cook Time20 Minutes
    • minestrone
      Italian Minestrone - Italian Vegetable Soup
      Cook Time35 Minutes
    • Italian Peas with garlic and parsley
      Italian Peas with Garlic and Parsley
      Cook Time15 Minutes
    • broken noodles closeup
      Broken Noodles with Sausage, Kale and Mushrooms
      Cook Time35 Minutes

    More recipes →

    Featured In:

    logos of publications that Keeping It Simple Blog has been featured in

    Footer

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Featured In

    logos of publications that Keeping It Simple Blog has been featured in

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy Policy

    Accessibility

    Newsletter

    Contact

    Copyright © KeepingItSimpleBlog