aunt whitney’s crispy coconut chicken fingers

prep: 15 MINUTES | cook: 15 MINUTES | total: 30 MINUTES | serves 6

My sister-in-law Whitney is my food-loving soul sister. We love cooking, baking, and most importantly, eating together. Every time she comes to visit, our kitchen is full of laughter, good food, and lots of boys. Whitney and Josh’s brother, Ben, have four boys of their own, so when we get together, there are a half dozen little Lichty boys running around. That’s a lot of busy little bodies to feed! Luckily, whenever Whitney is in town, she always makes these chicken fingers, which feature her secret to a perfectly crispy crust with a tiny hint of sweetness: coconut. We put out a big plate with lots of sauces for dipping and watch as they’re gobbled up just about as quickly as it takes to make them.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon paprika

2 large eggs

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, roughly chopped

1 cup corn flakes, slightly crushed

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders

Nonstick cooking spray

Your choice of favorite dipping sauces, for serving: ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, Fry Sauce (here)

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange two wire racks on two large rimmed baking sheets. Set aside.

2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon water. In a pie plate or shallow dish, combine the coconut, corn flakes, and panko.

3 Dredge the chicken tenders in the seasoned flour, coating both sides. Next, dip in the egg mixture, and then transfer to the dish with the coconut mixture. Coat both sides of the chicken tenders with the mixture, pressing firmly so the crumbs stick. Arrange the chicken tenders on the wire racks, making sure they aren’t touching. Repeat the process until all of the chicken tenders are coated.

4 Spray the coated tenders with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how big and thick your tenders are. You want the outside to be golden brown and crispy and the center no longer be pink. Serve warm with your desired dipping sauces.

NOTE: If you can’t find chicken tenders, cut boneless chicken breasts into tender-sized pieces. And if you don’t have wire racks for baking the fingers, just use parchment-lined baking sheets. But I recommend the racks for getting them extra crispy.