A delicious, nutrient-dense twist on your weeknight baked chicken recipe! If you love coconut, this is a must-try. A balanced recipe like this makes it easy to track your macros and also adds a lot of flavor to those weeknight meals–without a ton of expensive ingredients!
This recipe makes 8 servings, and can easily be cut in half if you prefer not to have leftovers throughout the week. However, this dish is still delicious reheated, so if you are looking for helpful meal prep recipes, this is it!
This chicken can easily be served with a side of steamed veggies for dinner, or thrown on a salad for extra protein at lunch.
Free PDF
Snag a sample of our famous weekly macro meal plans!
Get a sneak peak of a members-only weekly macro meal plan!
3 Reasons Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It’s so quick! A great option for a weeknight meal, with one do-ahead component if you’d prefer to marinate your chicken. Prepared in less than 45 minutes.
- It’s satisfying! This recipe provides a good balance with healthy fats, protein, and whole grains to leave you feeling fuller, for longer.
- It’s different! It’s a fun take on your staple baked chicken recipe, without too many added ingredients or preparation time. Once you try it, I guarantee you will want to add it to your recipe rotation!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Cooking spray
- 1 Tbsp Minced garlic (I use pre-minced garlic in water as a shortcut–you can also use 3-4 fresh cloves)
- 1 Tbsp Lime juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 14-oz can Lite coconut milk
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes, divided
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup Lite mayonnaise
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 cup Sweetened coconut flakes
- ¾ cup Whole grain Panko breadcrumbs
- Optional: low-calorie or no-calorie sweetener, such as stevia
Kitchen Tools Required
You will need a large baking dish, three small bowls, a small skillet, measuring cups, a whisk, a plastic bag or container if you are marinating your chicken, and measuring spoons.
How to Make Healthy Whole Grain Toasted-Coconut Breaded Chicken
- Do ahead: if you prefer to marinate your chicken, prepare the marinade the day before. If you want to skip this step, you will still prepare the marinade to dip your chicken in before you dredge with flour and breading. To make the marinade: Reserve ½ cup of the coconut milk for the dipping sauce. Pour into saucepan. Then, add soy sauce, lime juice, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, garlic, and remaining coconut milk to a plastic bag or sealed container. Shake the bag lightly to combine.
- Cut your chicken breasts into tender-sized strips. You can cut them into other shapes if you prefer; tenders are the easiest to dredge.
- Add your chicken strips to the bag. It is optional to marinade overnight or for a few hours. The chicken will soak up the juices as you prepare your dredging station.
- Next, prepare your dredging station. To the first bowl, add the flour and remaining ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes. Mix to combine. In the second bowl, add the egg. In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs, coconut flakes, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper (more if you prefer). Mix to combine.
- Now, you will bread the chicken. Remove the chicken strips from the bag or container and discard the marinade. Roll each piece in the flour, then the egg, and finally the coconut breadcrumb mixture. Make sure all areas of each chicken tender are covered in the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat for all pieces of chicken.
- Place the chicken in the greased baking dish. Add a few more grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt on top of the chicken. Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- As the chicken is baking, prepare your dipping sauce. Add the ¼ cup of lite mayonnaise to the coconut milk in your saucepan. Whisk frequently over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture is heated and begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Optional: whisk in ½ to 1 tsp of low calorie sweetener if you prefer a sweeter dipping sauce. *Makes ¾ c dipping sauce
- Chicken should be crispy and coconut breading should be a golden brown color. Pour the dipping sauce into small dishes and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Swaps or Alternatives
- Swap the lite mayo for non-fat plain Greek yogurt for added protein!
- Use unsweetened coconut flakes if you want to cut out a few more calories, or don’t prefer the breading sweet.
- If you don’t have whole grain breadcrumbs, feel free to use plain!
- Feel free to use whole wheat flour if you prefer.
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce if you prefer a soy-free option.
Quick Tip(s)
Prepare your marinate and chicken strips the night before so they can soak overnight. That way, you are ready to go with your dredging and cooking the next day!
As the chicken is baking, use that time to prepare the sauce and clean up the kitchen. It’s a great way to save time while you’re waiting for your delicious meal!
Macros & Nutrition Information
Breaded Chicken – Serving Size: 4oz
| Macros | Nutrition |
|---|---|
| Calories | 245 |
| Protein | 28g |
| Carbs | 20g |
| Fat | 5g |
Dipping sauce (serving size 2 Tbsp)
| Macros | Nutrition |
|---|---|
| Calories | 19 |
| Protein | 0g |
| Carbs | 1g |
| Fat | 2g |
Healthy Whole Grain Toasted-Coconut Breaded Chicken
Equipment
- 1 large baking dish
- 3 small bowls
- 1 small skillet
- Measuring cups
- 1 whisk
- 1 plastic bag or container if you are marinating your chicken
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Cooking spray
- 1 tbsp Minced garlic (I use pre-minced garlic in water as a shortcut–you can also use 3-4 fresh cloves)
- 1 tbsp Lime juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 14oz can Lite coconut milk
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes, divided
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup Lite mayonnaise
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 cup Sweetened coconut flakes
- ¾ cup Whole grain Panko breadcrumbs
Optional
- low-calorie or no-calorie sweetener, such as stevia
Instructions
- Reserve ½ cup of the coconut milk for the dipping sauce. Pour into the saucepan. Then, add soy sauce, lime juice, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, garlic, and remaining coconut milk to a plastic bag or sealed container. Shake the bag lightly to combine.
- Cut chicken breasts into tender-sized strips.
- Add chicken to the bag. It is optional to marinade overnight or for a few hours.
- To the first bowl, add the flour and remaining ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes. Mix to combine. In the second bowl, add the egg. In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs, coconut flakes, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper (more if you prefer). Mix to combine.
- Remove the chicken strips from the bag or container and discard the marinade. Roll each piece in the flour, then the egg, and finally the coconut breadcrumb mixture. Repeat for remaining pieces of chicken.
- Place the chicken in the greased baking dish. Add a few more grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt on top of the chicken. Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- As the chicken is baking, prepare your dipping sauce. Add the ¼ cup of lite mayonnaise to the coconut milk in your saucepan. Whisk frequently over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until mixture is heated and begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Optional: whisk in ½ to 1 tsp of low calorie sweetener if you prefer a sweeter dipping sauce.
- Chicken should be crispy and coconut breading should be a golden brown color. Pour the dipping sauce into small dishes and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Prepare your marinate and chicken strips the night before so they can soak overnight.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 28gFat: 5g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
