Tinhateats

Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders (Paleo)

Relive your childhood with these crave-worthy Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders! Forget ordinary chicken tenders – these are a game-changer! Coated in a crunchy coconut-almond flour blend and pan-fried to golden perfection, they're gluten-free, paleo, and dairy-free without sacrificing any flavor. Pair them with our homemade honey mustard sauce for a match made in taste bud heaven. Your family will be begging for seconds
Jump to recipe

These crispy chicken coconut tenders are little glimpses of your childhood joy wrapped up in a savory, crunchy and coconut coated chicken tender. My Crispy Chicken Coconut Tenders are a classic (kid and adult approved) dish everyone will love. Let me be honest, these aren’t your average panko crusted chicken tenders, they’re BETTER! Made gluten free, paleo and dairy free, these tenders use a combinations of arrowroot starch, almond flour, real coconut flakes, eggs and then pan fried in avocado oil to get a perfectly crispy exterior. Pair it with my easy homemade honey mustard dressing and your kids will think you ordered restaurant quality takeout for dinner!

What You're Going To Need

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch thick strips

  • Coconut flakes unsweetened (I like to use the flakes, not the shredded coconut)

  • Almond Flour

  • Arrowroot starch

  • Eggs

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Onion powder

  • Garlic powder

  • Avocado oil

How to Make Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders

  1. In a shallow pan or bowl combine your almond flour and coconut flakes. Set aside. 

  2. In another shallow pan or bowl combine your arrowroot starch, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Set aside. 

  3. In a medium bowl whisk 2 eggs together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. 

  4. Dip each chicken tender in the arrowroot mixture and shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg wash, then dip into the almond flour and coconut flakes, pressing down to ensure a nice coating. 

  5. Heat your skillet to medium high and add your avocado oil. Place chicken down into the oil and cook 3-5 minutes each side or until the thickest part of the tender reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

  6. Immediately season with a pinch of salt after they are out of the pan and serve with my honey mustard dipping sauce. 

Why I don't Use An Air-Fryer

I know a lot of people love their air fryers and I can understand why…They simply make life a whole lot easier and as a busy mom of two little ones who wouldn’t want that? I have to say when they first came out, I almost jumped on the air-fryer bandwagon, but I’m glad I held off. There are two reasons why I don’t use an air-fryer:

  1. Fat is flavor. It’s that simple. Fat adds an incredible amount of flavor to food and with air-fryers the entire concept is you don’t need or have to use oil to cook food in it. 

  2. Teflon material. I like the concept of air fryers, but I don’t love how they are made. Typically, almost every air-fryer on the market is made with Teflon material and once they are scratched (which happens very easily) it allows those chemicals to be leached into your food only to end up having “forever chemicals” ingested into your body. I will however get one, when they make a ceramic version which I know The Green Pan company has a version out, however it’s a combination style air fryer that is quite bulky, so for now I continue to cook how I always have, with my trusty skillet and some fat.

Recipe Tips and Notes

  • Make sure you season your arrowroot starch, otherwise the chicken will be very bland. The recommended amounts are listed in the recipe, and I also recommend you season with a pinch of salt immediately after they have been pan-fried. 

  • Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying.

  • The shredded coconut can burn easily so you want to make sure that your chicken breasts or tenders are thin and not too thick otherwise it will take too long for the thickest part of the chicken to reach 165 degrees internally, causing the outside to burn and the inside to be undercooked. I recommend 1-1.5-inch-thick tenders. 

  • If you notice your tenders starting to burn, frequently turn them, and toggle your burner to medium low temperature. You may also need to wipe the pan and remove any burnt coconut and almond flour that has fallen off during the cooking process before beginning your second batch.

  • Adding more avocado oil may be necessary after cooking the first batch, depending on the amount of chicken you’re cooking. 

Try These Other Delicious Savory Dishes!

Share This Recipe:

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below—your feedback helps others find it on Google and helps keep our recipes free!

Crispy Coconut Chicken Tenders

tinhateats
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs (About 2-3 breasts) Boneless skinless chicken Breasts cut into 1 inch thick strips.
  • 1 cup Almond flour
  • 1 cup Coconut flakes (unsweetened)- Not shredded
  • 1/2 cup Arrowroot starch
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Onion powder
  • 1 tsp Garlic powder
  • 2 eggs whisked
  • 1/4 cup Avocado oil or coconut oil for pan frying

Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 cup Avocado mayo
  • 1/3 cup Honey
  • 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a shallow pan or bowl combine your almond flour and coconut flakes. Set aside.
  • In another shallow pan or bowl combine your arrowroot starch, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl whisk 2 eggs together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. 
  • Dip each chicken tender in the arrowroot mixture and shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg wash, then dip into the almond flour and coconut flakes, pressing down and covering all areas to ensure a nice coating. Lay onto wire rack to rest while you heat your oil.
  • Heat your skillet to medium high and add your avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, place chicken down into the oil and cook 2-3 minutes each side or until the thickest part of the tender reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Immediately season with a pinch of salt . Serve with my optional honey mustard dipping sauce.

Honey Dijon Dipping Sauce

  • Combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Will stay good in the fridge in a airtight container for up to two weeks.
Keyword Chicken, coconut, dijon, glutenfree, honey, mustard, Paleo
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Tag @tinhateats on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Picture of tinhateats

tinhateats

2 Responses

  1. 5 stars
    I almost didn’t make just because I didn’t have almond flour and arrowroot, but decided to add panko bread crumbs with coconut as final coating and used Einkorn AP in place of arrowroot. Actually had the avocado mayo…dipping sauce was delish. Appreciate the recipes 🙂

    Reply
5 from 1 vote

Leave a Reply

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

Recipe Rating




Hi! I’m Jenn. Welcome to Tinhateats. Most my recipes are a mix of gluten free, paleo and whole30. I like to recreate recipes that are made healthier and I hope my recipes inspire you to try something new! Follow along for real food recipes!

 

Read More →

Latest Recipes

Looking for something?