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Switching up Monday night with my (oven-fried) Coconut Popcorn Chicken. This coconut “popcorn” chicken is breaded in sweet coconut, oven-baked, then dipped in a spicy, tangy Thai chili lime sauce. Add a creamy honey mustard sauce for an extra dip…you’ll be so glad you did! This is what I call at-home takeout. And yes, these popcorn chicken bites are even healthier than takeout because they’re baked, not fried…plus so much tastier. Serve with steamed rice or oven-baked french fries and veggies for an easy Thai inspired dinner that’s different, sweet, spicy, and full of flavor.
I’m always getting asked where I get inspiration from, and the truth is that my inspiration comes from various places. It can come from my family, the seasons, a simple photo, or even a flower. I can find inspiration for new recipes in almost anything, even the most random items.
This fun coconutty popcorn chicken however? Well, the inspiration for this one came from an overflowing stock of sweet Thai chili sauce. We accidentally ordered ten bottles of this sweet and spicy sauce. And while it’s a sauce I love, I don’t use it that often to warrant 10 whole bottles.
This got me thinking, what can I do with all that sauce? Which is when the idea came to me to make coconut chicken. Sure, I’ve heard of coconut shrimp, but coconut chicken wasn’t something I’ve personally seen (although I’m sure it’s out there). The thought of coconut-crusted chicken dipped in a sweet and tangy Thai chili sauce was way too enticing. I had to at least test out. With my oldest brother quarantined here with us in Colorado, I figured now is as good a time as any.
Creighton loves any kind of breaded chicken, especially popcorn chicken. Or chicken nuggets as he prefers to call them. And while I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about the coconut breading, Creighton said these were some of the best “chicken nuggets” he’s ever had.
He also said, it’s all about the sauces…you gotta have both the chili and the honey mustard.
The steps.
To start, mix up the creamy mustard and toss it with the trimmed chicken tenders. The creamy mustard is our “glue”, it helps adhere the shredded coconut onto the chicken.
Next, combine unsweetened coconut with Panko breadcrumbs. The shredded coconut is the KEY flavor here. As the chicken bakes in the oven, the coconut “fries” and becomes sweet, nutty, and extra crisp.
Tip? Pulse the coconut in the food processor to really break the shreds down into a fine crumb. If you don’t have a food processor, try to find this brand of shredded coconut, which comes very finely shredded. This step is not a must, but I did find the chicken to cook up nicer with a finely shredded coconut versus the small shreds of coconut that are much more common in the store-bought brands.
Next, bake the chicken in the oven until it crisps all over. My secret is to gently dab/brush the chicken with olive oil before it bakes. This helps the coating to really crisp up nicely in the oven. You can’t skip this step, it’s crucial.
On to the Thai and mustard sauces.
No popcorn chicken is complete without a dipping sauce…or two. As I said, I paired this coconut popcorn chicken with a sweet Thai chili sauce using this sauce as my base. I then added a couple tablespoons of ketchup, garlic, and plenty of fresh lime zest and juice. It takes seconds to put together and is truly what I call, an addicting sauce. Think sweet, tangy, and just a touch spicy.
And then, because I felt like we also needed a creamy sauce, I did a simple honey mustard. It’s sweet and creamy, which balances out the heat from the chili sauce. You can skip this sauce if you don’t care for it, but I’d highly recommend using both sauces together. You then get a little sticky sweet and spicy sauce mixed in with a little creamy honey mustard.
It is SO GOOD!
Bake the chicken, then serve it up along with the Thai and mustard sauces. Add steamed rice and broccoli to complete the meal. Dinner equals done.
To sum things up, the chicken is crispy, coconutty, and very addicting. The sauce is spicy, yet sweet and tangy. Put everything together and you’ll have tangy, salty, sweet, coconutty, and spicy popcorn chicken. The most delicious flavors.
Added bonus? Many of these ingredients can easily be found in your pantry and your freezer. With such a large family, I always try to keep chicken tenders in the freezer at all times. They thaw much quicker than chicken breasts, and they make for a great last-minute popcorn chicken. The rest of the ingredients are all taken from the pantry shelves…unsweetened coconut, Panko breadcrumbs, seasonings, and spices.
Just add fresh limes and cilantro.
And with that, who’s ready for a fun, different, and delicious Monday night dinner?
Lastly, if you make this coconut popcorn chicken with sweet Thai chili lime sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the Video:
Coconut Popcorn Chicken with Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 581 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or olive oil mayo
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce
- 1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- zest and juice from 1 lime, plus more for serving
- creamy honey mustard, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard and yogurt. Add the chicken and toss well to coat.2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.3. Add the coconut, Panko, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine.4. Remove each piece of chicken from the mustard mix, and dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets. Lightly brush/drizzle the chicken with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.5. Meanwhile, make the chili sauce. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 6. Serve the chicken topped with flaky salt, fresh cilantro, limes, and the Sweet Thai Chili Lime Sauce for dipping. Add creamy honey mustard for a little double-dip. Enjoy!
Notes
Creamy Honey Mustard: Combine 1/4 dijon mustard, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek Yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a bowl until smooth. Season with salt.
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: this is my favorite brand of sweet Thai chili sauce.
This post was originally published on May 4, 2020
Sooooo good & sooooo easy! Much less mess than flour & egg dunks. I didn’t have coconut, but used parmesan cheese. Chicken was so tender! Thank you!
Thank you so much Colleen! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Can you use sweetened coconut?
Hi Jaime,
Yes that is fine, your chicken will just be slightly sweeter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this recipe for my family and it was fabulous! The sauces are worth the effort.
Thank you!! xTieghan
5 stars for being super easy and really tasty. I was too lazy to make your dipping sauce, so I only used a Ginger Sweet Thai Chili dipping sauce I already had on hand. I did find towards the end of baking time that my chicken wasn’t browning/crisping up as much as I would like (maybe I put too much oil on top?) Either way, I switched the oven to broil for the last few minutes and it did the trick. Husband really enjoyed these, as I imagine kids would as well.
Hi Sher! So happy to hear that this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it!! xTieghan
This was so good! Love that it was oven fried. Only thing I would do differently is add a bit more salt to the crumb mix, I was too conservative with it. The sauces were fabulous! My favorite was the the creamy honey mustard. Thank you, great recipe!
Thank you so much Jenny! xTieghan
I made these and they were tasty but they definitely didn’t get crispy or golden, they were pretty much white, with some crispy golden parts. For the most part they were pretty mushy on the outside which was a bummer. I had the same problem with the mustard pretzel chicken recipe, I don’t think that the mayo-mustard combo works for me if I want to get crispy/browned chicken.
Thank you Becca! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Made these tonight and HUGE hit. Absolutely delicious, loved by my toddlers and husband. Thank you so much!!
Thank you for trying this Beth! xTieghan
For the creamy honey mustard sauce it says 1/4 Dijon. What is the measurement for this (cup, tbsp, tsp, etc?).
The chicken was moist, but I found it very one dimensional flavor wise: it just tasted like coconut. I would have preferred more mustard or something.
Hi D! I am sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can help you with? xTieghan
I definitely overcooked this and it was a big ol burnt/dried out fail. Alas, I will have to try again. The coconut doesn’t get as golden as I’d expected. Warning y’all, don’t look for crispy brown tops.
Hi Shelby! I am really sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
These are so delicious! The flavor was great and I will definitely be making again. Do you think that it would be okay to make these a few hours ahead of time and just pop them in the oven again to heat before eating?
Hi Sophia,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes I think that would be totally fine to do! xTieghan
What is the measurement on mustard for the creamy mustard dipping sauce?? Above just says 1/4…
Hi Sheryl,
It is 1/4 cup of honey mustard. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I didn’t really cook much before quarantine (I’m a baker), but after eating tons of comfort foods, I started looking for some healthier recipes and this one popped up in my IG feed. I tried it two weeks ago and LOVED it! Just made it again. I did run out of breadcrumbs each time, so I might up the amount of coconut + panko by half, but I might just be laying the breadcrumbs on thick! This recipe is SO GOOD. And it’s really fast. And, even if you pretty new to home cooking, it’s totally worth it. (I didn’t use the dipping sauce.) Also, even if you *do* run out of breadcrumbs, the yogurt + mustard combo makes the chicken super moist. So, either way, you’re golden. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi Rebecca! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and it turned out amazing for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This was delicious! I would add more seasoning to the chicken, the sour cream/dijon mixture, and the breading next time! Great recipe!
That is amazing to hear! Thank you so much Crissy! xTieghan
Honey mustard saucensays 1/2 Dijon mustard. 1/2 tsp or T or what? Thanks!
Hi Annette,
Sorry it is 1/4 cup of dijon mustard. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan