Baked Cashew Crusted Chicken Tenders
These chicken tenders are crusted with an incredible cashew/coconut coating, and dipped in a simple, yet oh so delicious, fiery mango dipping sauce!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1061kcal
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders
- 2 lbs chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into strips
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar optional
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried minced onion
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp ancho chipotle chile powder can substitute with regular chili powder
Mango Dipping Sauce
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup mango chutney
- 2 - 3 tsp sriracha sauce
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Toast the cashews and coconut
- Spread out coconut and cashews on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 4-5 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
- Add cashews and coconut to a food processor and pulse until small crumbs form.
Coat the chicken
- Wipe off the baking sheet (to get rid of the crumbs) and top it with an oven-safe metal cooling rack. Spray rack lightly with nonstick cooking spray. **If you don't have an oven-safe cooling rack, you can bake the chicken right on the baking sheet.**
- Set up a breading station by lining up 3 shallow bowls next to the baking sheet. In the farthest bowl from the baking sheet, add the flour. In the next bowl, add eggs and lime juice and whisk to combine.
- In the last bowl, combine cashew/coconut crumbs, panko, brown sugar, garlic powder, dried onion, ground cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, and ancho chipotle chile powder. Stir with a fork or whisk to combine.
- Add one chicken tender to the flour, shaking off the excess.
- Next, add the chicken tender to the egg, turning to coat all sides, and letting the excess drip off.
- Next, add the chicken tender to the breadcrumb mixture, turning and patting to coat all sides.
- Finally, transfer the chicken tender to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining chicken tenders.
Bake
- Lightly spray chicken tenders with an oil spray (we love to use avocado oil), and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes if desired to brown chicken a bit more.
Make sauce
- While the chicken is baking, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk or stir to combine. If your chutney has a chunky texture, and you'd like it smooth, add the sauce to a blender or food processor and process until as smooth as you'd like.
Serve
- Serve chicken tenders hot, with the dipping sauce, and a lime wedge (if desired).
Notes
- If you enjoyed the old recipe, rest assured the chicken tender ingredients and process haven't changed. But I've listed how to make the original chipotle pineapple bbq sauce below.
Smoky Chipotle Pineapple BBQ Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
- 2 1/2 Tbsp molasses
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more or less, depending on heat tolerance)
- Heat oil in a saucepan over MED heat.
- Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring often, or until soft and tender.
- Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine thoroughly, then reduce heat a bit and simmer (uncovered) for about 15 minutes.
- Either leave as a chunky sauce, or add to a blender/food processor and process until desired consistency.
Nutrition
Calories: 1061kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 63g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 254mg | Sodium: 1410mg | Potassium: 1283mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 297IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 6mg
