Coconut lovers, I have just the savory take on tropical chicken for you! This Baked Coconut Chicken with an Apricot Dipping Sauce is so good! The chicken is dipped in an egg mixture, coated with flour and coconut and baked until golden brown. Dip that into apricot jam– and you’ve got a satisfying meal that everyone will love.
Yesterday, we had a busy day, and I was happy to arrive home by late afternoon so that I could catch up on reading magazines and new cookbooks. Before I knew it, my stomach was telling me that it was 6:00 and I needed to think about making something for dinner.
With some chicken breasts in the fridge, I looked for inspiration on Pinterest! If you haven’t come aboard on the Pinterest craze, be warned that it’s an addictive website. I have discovered all kinds of new blogs, and it’s fun to see what my other blogger friends are pinning– and that’s how I discovered this recipe.
The recipe had simple ingredients, that I had on hand– my chicken breasts were quite plump and large. So I cut them in half, because I didn’t want to wait 30-40 minutes for the chicken to be ready. NOTE: You could easily cut the chicken into bite-size bits, as appetizers
I had a bag of sweetened coconut, flour, salt & pepper and garlic powder.
I had one last jar of my homemade apricot-pineapple jam. The recipe listed apricot jam, but my absolute favorite jam is apricot-pineapple. (I must make more, this summer.) Anyway, I added two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, to 1/4 cup of jam. I felt that was just a little too much Dijon for my liking as it overpowered the delicious flavor of the jam. I simply added another 1/4 cup of jam, and all was good. Truthfully, I think just pure jam would have been just fine– more on that later. I set it in the fridge to chill.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Beat two eggs and then dip the chicken into the dry ingredients.
Baked Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (I used 1-1/2 cups because I love coconut
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- 2 tsps Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a Silpat Mat.
- NOTE: I had two large chicken breasts, so I butterflied them into thinner pieces.
- To prepare the apricot sauce, mix the apricot preserves and the Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- For the sauce: I used a homemade apricot-pineapple jam (1/4 cup) to 2 tsp of Dijon Mustard. I did not want to add any more mustard, because the jam was so delicious that I wanted to keep that sweeter sauce flavor, with just a hint of savory. Adjust the sauce to your preference.
- Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Mix the coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the bowl with the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture– lightly press the coating. Place on the baking sheet.
- Once all the chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter*.
- *NOTE: I used 1/4 cup unsalted butter, and 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, if you are using large chicken breasts. But, because I had thinner chicken breasts, I baked them for 20 minutes and flipped them over halfway through.
- I wanted a deeper golden color, with crispier coconut, so I removed the chicken and moved the rack to the highest position; then I broiled the chicken about 2-3 minutes per side. Watch very carefully, so that the coconut doesn’t burn! I had just a little bit of charred coconut, but I liked that rustic look. Overall the color was a deep golden and perfect!
Notes
Nutrition
Your photos look great! So glad you enjoyed this as much as we do in my home. 🙂 One of my favorite chicken dishes, for sure!
This sounds great and I love the sound of your pineapple apricot jam with it.
I love coconut anything. Will definitely give this one a shot.
I thought this recipe looked delicious when I saw it on Pinterest. I'm so happy to know that you liked it, Debby. I love coconut too and especially like that the chicken is baked and not fried. Thanks so much for the link, my friend.
What an incredible photo of a very colorful dish. Well done.
Sam
I do love coconut! Your photo is so great that I tried to reach out and take a piece…sadly, I will have to make my own.
Can't wait to try this!!!! I am drooling as I write. haha
I've made coconut chicken before and I remember it being such a nice change from regular breading! Sounds like you're having fun on your staycation! Sometimes, those are the best.
It's easy to have a fabulous staycation when you live in the most beautiful part of the U.S. The chicken looks pretty sensational too. I seem to always have a stale bag of coconut stashed in the freezer. This would be a great place to put it to use.Can you send me some of that wonderful apricot pineapple jam?
I love coconut chicken. This looks delicious!
Ha, we are having stay-cation here in Savannah while the children are off for their spring break! So much to do in our own backyards, right?
And this recipe with coconut looks fabulous, Debby. Not only your BFF but I just adore coconut with savory meats.
Have a wonderful Easter, celebrating our resurrected Lord! Hugs!
Pinterest is addictive, but if I have to be addicted what better way than to food and photography.As for the chicken this is a great find.
This looks amazing! Found your blog from Pinterest..now I'm a new follower!
Made this last night as a last minute dinner since I had all the ingredients on hand. Turned out wonderful and hubby loved it!!! Temporarily, I am living in Germany and found your website looking for German recipes. My next goal…to try and make your kasekuchen! It looks and sounds amazing! Thanks so much!!