Hands down, this one is an all around winner. Semi-picky daughter took seconds. Super-healthy husband wants to pack and sell the mixture. Over-indulgent me licked the crumbs off the baking pan. Most of all? It was ridiculously easy and fast.
Healthy and Yummy Baked Coconut Encrusted Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
6 boneless chicken thighs, sliced into pieces small enough for little fingers*
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (found in baking section)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon nigella seeds (optional)
1/2 cup crushed natural sliced/slivered almonds
1 tablespoon flax seeds (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
pinch of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
* The smaller you cut the pieces, the less time it will take to cook
1. Preheat oven to 400° F
2. Mix coconut flakes, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, crushed almonds, flax seeds, salt, pepper, and sugar in a bowl and set aside
3. In another bowl, beat two eggs and sesame oil together and set aside
4. Place a grill rack (I pulled the one from my toaster oven) over an aluminum foiled lined baking sheet
5. Dredge each chicken piece into egg batter, then coconut mixture, then place on rack
6. Bake chicken fingers in oven for 15 minutes, flip over, then cook for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked (if you use bigger fingers).
Honey Mustard Sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1. Mix honey and mustard together. Lick the spoon when no one is looking
Note: While the nigella is totally optional, there's something about nigella and coconut flakes together that makes an average dish really pop.
Enjoy!
