Coconut Crusted Chicken

One of my guilty pleasures in life has always been fried chicken (I'm human, what can ya do). Every once in a while I just loved a good chicken finger, preferably smothered in buffalo sauce. We all have our things! Since I've had to go gluten free, the cravings have gotten a little harder to curb. I can't really just walk into a restaurant anymore and order a plate of chicken fingers, or snag a bite (or three) off of someone else's plate. Don't get me wrong, going gluten free hasn't been nearly as hard as I originally thought it would be, and I've found plenty of wonderful substitutes/alternatives for the things I used to eat regularly or crave sometimes. All it takes is a little creativity, and some one on one time with google or Pinterest to find some creative ways to curb those cravings.

I've been super open to new flavor combinations lately, and by this I mean combining 2+ flavors of different things I like. I've always been a huge coconut fan, and tend to be drawn to anything coconut flavored. I put coconut flakes on yogurt, ice cream, oatmeal, fruit, salads, you name it. I stumbled across this recipe by accident one day, and I was super intrigued. Coconut crusted chicken. I love chicken, I love coconut... hmmm... PERFECT!

The recipe included a spicy orange sauce that I didn't make. Not to say I wouldn't have loved it, because I know I would have, but this dinner was for my mom and I and she's not a spicy fan. I have a jar of hot pepper peach jam on hand from Stonewall Kitchen (amazing, try it), and figured that would be a good substitute for me to have with the chicken without trying to figure out how to halve the recipe since I knew my mom wouldn't eat it. Slightly different, but gave what I imagined would be the same sweet, spicy bite.

My ultimate review before I share the recipe: heavenly. They were crispy, browned, crunchy, sweet, savory... so many different flavors. Once I added the spicy peach sauce, I felt like I was on some tropical island eating local foods picked right off the tree (LOL, if only). It was actually pretty hard to control myself from inhaling the entire batch... but it made a ton. Not complaining, since I've been eating the leftovers for days! I will absolutely be making these again, anytime I'm having one of those "fried" chicken cravings!

gluten free // serves 4-6 // total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 package boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (you can use regular chicken breast and cut it yourself if you'd prefer)
1 cup Woodstock unsweetened coconut flakes (already finely shredded)
3/4 cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions: Cut chicken tenders in half length wise. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine coconut flakes and panko crumbs in a bowl. Whisk eggs, flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Heat coconut oil in large skillet. Coat each chicken strip in flour, shaking of extra, then in egg batter, letting excess drip off. Roll in coconut mixture, generously (the more the better!). Fry about 4-6 strips at a time in the coconut oil, about 2 minutes per side. You want the crust to be golden brown. Place strips onto prepared baking sheet once done. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com