Coconut Cashew Chicken Tenders – Whole30 and Paleo friendly! A great way to change up your chicken tenders game, and even better for meal prep!
We all know my love for chicken tenders. It’s like the picky eaters saving grace at any restaurant. Since my taste buds have evolved, I figured I’d evolve some chicken tender recipes as well. This coconut cashew chicken tenders recipe was inspired by Wildway Grain-Free Granola: Coconut Cashew.
It’s sweet and savory, and reminds me of being on a tropical beach sipping on a fancy cocktail. Okay, maybe not to that extent, but the flavors are great! They’re bright and fresh, and a nice twist if you’re getting bored of chicken.
Since a lot of you ask about making recipes ahead of time, I experimented with these chicken tenders and they freeze like a dream! You are going to do every step the recipe calls for, but you’re not going to bake the chicken tenders. Place them on a baking sheet, plate or something that will fit in your freezer. Let the chicken tenders freeze individually and then transfer to a freezer bag or container.
When you’re ready to make the chicken tenders, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes at 375F flipping halfway through. You’ll have to bake them a bit longer than what the recipe calls for since they are frozen.
I love to have these chopped up on top of a salad with a citrus based dressing. They’re great alone with ranch dressing as the dipping sauce. Also awesome with mashed avocado mixed with lime juice, cilantro, and salt. I’ve been on a lettuce wrap kick and put these in my lettuce wrap with sliced mango, avocado, micro greens, red bell peppers and cilantro lime mayo (mayo mixed with chopped cilantro and lime juice).
These coconut cashew chicken tenders are super versatile, and will become a family favorite. I’m sure of it!
Coconut Cashew Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts cut into strips
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lime zested
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tbsp arrowroot flour/starch
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Avocado oil or avocado oil spray
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease with avocado oil. Set aside.
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Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add coconut flakes and toast for about 5-7 minutes or until most of the flakes start to brown.
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In a food processor, add in the toasted coconut flakes and raw cashews. Pulse until cashews are broken down and coconut flakes are shredded. Don’t pulse for too long. You don’t want to turn it into a flour and still want bits and pieces of cashew.
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Place coconut flakes and cashew mix into a shallow bowl. Mix in lime zest, arrowroot flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin powder, about a teaspoon of kosher salt and a pinch if black pepper. Mix until well combined.
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In another shallow bowl, whisk eggs with lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.
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Dredge chicken tenderloins into the egg, then place in coconut cashew mix making sure to pat in the mixture.
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Place chicken on baking sheet. Lightly spray or brush chicken tenders with avocado oil (this is optional but will help brown and crisp up the chicken).
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Bake chicken tenders for 15 minutes then flip over and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
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