Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

Um we just made our own chicken fingers....what what!!  I don't know why that always seemed so difficult, but it did -- haha!!  This was super easy (once we found the coconut flakes...hehe) - and it  tasted "restaurant worthy".  And the Sweet and Sour Sauce sauce - HELLO!!  It was so good!!  If you don't like the sweet and sour taste - good old Ranch / BBQ would be just as tasty!  We made this with these yummy Garlic Steak Fries.

Makes 12 tenders - OBB Cookbook

Ingredients:
12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less…)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (find these in baking section)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon  table salt
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8  teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Give coconut a rough chop so it’s about the same size as the Panko pieces.

Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices. Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating. Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour and then dip in egg, and then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.

Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it’s optional.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they’re big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.