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–+ servings
Crispy beer-battered coconut chicken on a plate next to orange-horseradish sauce

Beer-Battered Coconut Chicken with Orange-Horseradish Sauce

This crispy coconut chicken is absolutely delicious. A simple beer batter tenderizes chicken breast strips, then they're rolled in coconut and pan-fried to crispy perfection. Dipped in an orange marmalade-horseradish sauce that's loaded with flavor, this is one of our all-time favorite recipes!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Chill Time (For Sauce) 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield:4

Equipment

  • Oven & stove
  • Small bowl
  • Medium bowls (3)
  • Large skillet
  • Tongs
  • baking sheet

Ingredients

For the Orange-Horseradish Sauce

  • ¾ cup orange marmalade
  • 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard
  • 1 ⅓ teaspoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 big pinch salt

For the Coconut Chicken Strips

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour divided, see Notes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup cold beer of choice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 5-ounce bag flaked coconut about 2 ½ cups
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
  • neutral oil for frying

Instructions

For the Orange-Horseradish Sauce

  • Add all sauce ingredients to small bowl and stir until combined. Chill at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
    Orange-horseradish sauce in a small bowl with a spoon on a wooden table

For the Coconut Chicken Strips

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
  • In one medium bowl, place ½ cup plain flour. In second medium bowl, combine egg, ½ cup flour, salt, beer, and baking powder. Place flaked coconut in third medium bowl.
    Bowls with layers for coconut chicken strips
  • Dredge chicken strips first in plain flour. Shake off excess flour into bowl. Dipped floured chicken strips in beer batter. Hold strips over bowl to let excess batter drip off, then roll strips in coconut flakes. Set aside and repeat until all chicken strips have been battered.
    Battered coconut chicken strips on baking sheet
  • Heat layer of oil in large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add chicken strips to skillet in batches, being careful not to overcrowd.
  • Fry 2 minutes, then turn over and fry another 2 minutes, until crust is golden brown but chicken is not cooked through. Transfer pan-fried chicken to baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken strips have been pan-fried.
    Fried chicken strips in large skillet
  • Place baking sheet in preheated oven and bake at 375° Fahrenheit for 7 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with orange-horseradish sauce.

Notes

  • Beer: Use any type of beer you like best. For a beer-free batter, try replacing it with apple cider vinegar or club soda. The flavors will be different but you should still get a really nice batter. 
  • Make it Gluten Free: Use an equal amount gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of all-purpose flour, and use a gluten-free beer.
  • Make it Paleo: Use an equal amount cassava flour instead of all-purpose flour. Replace the beer with apple cider vinegar or club soda. Use a compliant orange marmalade in the sauce if you're able to find one, or use a different dipping sauce altogether.
 
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings of coconut chicken strips and sauce. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving of chicken strips with sauce | Calories: 496cal | Protein: 41g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 1138mg | Potassium: 724mg | Total Carbs: 66g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Net Carbs: 65g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 3mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik