This Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce comes together in a SNAP! The chicken is simply coated in a crispy coconut crust, then served with a 2-ingredient sweet and sour apricot sauce. A perfect QUICK weeknight dinner!
A few months ago a friend of mine started an email recipe exchange with several of her friends. Although I'm not exactly hurting to find new recipes, I was excited to join the group and see what everyone would share each month.
I'm embarrassed to say that since I have so many recipes already bookmarked from cookbooks and food blogs, I haven't had a chance to try hardly any of the new recipes from the email exchange. However, a couple of weeks ago I decided to sit down and print them out, then chose a few to make that week. I'm so glad I did this because we discovered one of our favorite dinners, this coconut chicken.
Quick Weeknight Dinner
You know I'm always overjoyed with finding recipes that can be put together in a snap. The longest step for making these besides the baking time is preheating the oven. 🙂 After dipping the chicken breasts in the beaten egg and then the coconut mixture, just bake them for a little over a half an hour. Meanwhile, preparing the apricot sauce is even easier. Don't share the secret, but that delicious dip is simply a concoction of apricot preserves and Dijon mustard. That's it!
2-Ingredient Sweet and Sour Apricot Sauce
Can you believe you can make a DELICIOUS sweet and sour sauce for this chicken with only TWO ingredients? Just combine apricot preserves with Dijon mustard for this tasty condiment. Adding the sauce to the chicken makes it reminiscent to a sweet and sour chicken plate you may order at a Chinese restaurant. But, the crispy coconut coating takes it many more levels above.
What to serve with Coconut Chicken
In addition to serving this coconut chicken with the apricot sauce, I always place it on top of a bed of rice. Try my Garlic Rice Pilaf for extra flavor.
Recipe Card
Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup apricot preserves
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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. Place on the baking sheet. Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once halfway.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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kelly wilson says
What kind of rice did you use
Kelly says
I know you can use any type of rice but am curious about what kind did you use?
Nikki Gladd says
I typically use a long grain rice.
renemarie says
way too sweet, won't be making again
AnneOpinion says
My family has really enjoyed this coconut chicken and I love the apricot sauce! Thx!!
Leware says
If you make this into a freezer meal, should the reheating instructions say to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or do you reheat it from frozen? Also, should it be slightly undercooked if it is going to be a freezer meal? It sounds so scrumptious that I certainly don't want to ruin it by reheating it improperly!
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Leware,
It's been a long time since I've frozen these, but when I did, I re-baked them directly from the freezer. The timing depends on how thick/large the chicken breasts are. I didn't slightly undercook them. Hope this helps!
Nicole says
We tried your recipe last night and it was a huge hit with my picky teens even! I cut the chicken into strips in an effort to have it speed up the process during the baking process. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious new family favorite!
Katie says
Can I just use all purpose flour instead of rice flour?
Nikki Gladd says
Hi Katie,
This recipe does call for all-purpose flour. Do you mean to ask if you can use rice flour instead of the all purpose? I'm not experienced with rice flour, but my guess is that you can.
Shannon says
Found this recipe via Pinterest and made it tonight, absolutely delish!!! Me and my boyfriend both loved it. I paired it with some white rice and sautéed broccoli. I will definitely be making this on a regular basis. Only changes I would make would be to omit the butter and make sure if you're using grey poupon for the Dijon that you add 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp at most! GP is quite potent so less is more.
Stacy says
This was absolutely DELICIOUS! I love how easy it was to prepare, also. I will be making this chicken frequently! 😀
Holly says
My husband has renamed your recipe to Hairy Chicken. We loved it and will serve it again under the new name. He says it is more exciting to say to our dinner guests that we are having HAIRY CHICKEN, hoping to spark dinner convo.
Nikki says
HAHA!! That is too funny!! Thanks for sharing that title! 🙂
Caitlin Northern says
This recipe is amazing! I made it for my flatmates a few weeks ago and am planning to make it again for my parents tomorrow night. The coconut coating on the chicken goes so beautifully crispy... I even ended up scavenging for crumbs in the baking tin afterwards! I used desiccated coconut for the coating and apricot sauce instead of preserve (I'm from New Zealand and didn't realise preserves = jam... But the sauce is really sweet so it's probably similar anyway. Hey, it worked!)
Also I think if you were trying to make it a bit lighter you could easily use only half as much butter (I do love butter though.. Mmm)
Anonymous says
How do u prepare the sauce? I am assuming u don't serve it cold???
Nikki says
Hi Anonymous,
The directions for preparing the sauce are included in the recipe. Yes, I serve it either cold or room temperature.
Karen Weber says
Hi, Thanks for sharing this quick and scrumptious recipe! Made it this week and hubby and I loved it! The apricot sauce was a big hit!
Elana says
I just want to confirm. Is Apricot preserve what we call Jam in Australia or is it apricots preserved in a jar or tin?
Nikki says
It's probably what you call jam. 🙂 I also use it to spread on my peanut butter sandwiches, if that helps. 😉
Elana says
Yep that would be what we call jam.
Nikki says
So I made this tonight. It was really awesome and really easy to deal with! My family loved it and my mom is asking for the recipe, so I guess I'll be making it again.
Madeline says
I'm 20 years old, trying to find good, easy recipes for living on my own. This is absolutely perfect! I made it for my family last night and they would not shut up about how good it was, even after dinner was over! 🙂 Thank you so much! Can't wait to try the other ingredients that others have suggested!
Nikki says
I love hearing this, Madeline! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Caitlin says
This recipe is simply amazing. I cannot put into words how wonderful it is! The only thing I can say is the whole time we were eating my 2 year old was doing his happy dance and saying "yum yum yum!!" I think when kids are loving it, that's about as good a review you can ever have!
Nikki says
haha! Yes, the best reviews are when kids give it the thumbs up, too! (Or, in this case, the happy dance.) 🙂 Thanks, Caitlin!
Winona says
I try new meals every week and this will be my Tuesday meal to try next week 🙂 My mother and sister usually come eat with us on Tuesdays (test dummies they call themselves) so what better way to seek rave reviews!
Joyce says
Made this tonight! It was wonderful!! Will definitely make it again!!
Jen says
I made this and used coconut flour in place of all purpose- it was so good! I hadn't thought of pairing coconut with chicken before, so thanks so much for the suggestion!
Anonymous says
Is dessicated coconut the same as sweetened coconut flakes?
Nikki says
I actually never heard of dessicated coconut, but after a quick Google search, it appears it is a little different than coconut flakes. It sounds like dessicated coconut is finer and drier. You might be able to use it in this recipe, though.
Laura says
I love coconut , and on the chicken it sounds yummy. And to top it off with an apricot sauce , a must to try .
Sue says
I made this last night...it rocks! Thanks to whomever posted it on pinterest!
Bianca says
I have mine in the oven right now. I substituted ground almonds for flour, olive oil for butter & egg whites. I hope it turns out okay. It smells good, but we'll see. Your's looks amazing!
marcy says
This recipe is to die for. It's going in my "favorites" recipe box. Followed the recipe exact. 5 stars,seriously,so good!
Rebecca says
I've been making this for months. The whole family loves it! Thanks for a great recipe. We use unsweetened coconut, by the way, and it's great.
Nikki says
Great to hear unsweetened works as well! 🙂 Thanks, Rebecca!
Jade says
Made this for my flat mates last night with parsnip fries and they loved it! (as did I). Such a cheap easy meal.
Nikki says
Thanks, Jade! I literally just read this right after our family had it for dinner again tonight! 🙂
Marci says
Going to make coconut shrimp tomorrow night, think the apricot sauce would go well with that?!
Nikki says
Yes! 🙂 Enjoy!
Kate says
Made this tonight. SO good! Do you have any recommendations for a veggie side?
Nikki says
Hi Kate,
Just a quickly steamed broccoli side would be good! 🙂
Kristin says
I could kick myself for waiting over a year before trying this from my bookmarked recipes. We had it last night for dinner and it was SO good! And easy! Love it.
Foodiewife says
Thanks to Pinterest, I found this recipe. I had a jar of homemade apricot-pineapple jam that was perfect with this. We loved it, and the simplicity of making it. I blogged it, and linked back to you, and used my own photographs. Thank you, and I love your blog. I'm a new fan!
Nikki says
Thanks, Foodiewife! I love the idea of using an apricot-pineapple jam, and homemade at that! 🙂
Alexis (The Exhausted Mom) says
Trying this one tonight!
Nikki says
We love it. Hope you do, too! 🙂
Nadia Hickerson says
Hi there, I'm itching to try this. Can you tell me if you're supposed to have the chicken covered in the oven? Thanks!
Nikki says
Hi Nadia. It should be uncovered.
Nicole @Ruffles and Fringe says
We loved this! Even my pickiest of eaters really liked this. Thanks so much!
Austria says
Hmmm I'm planning on making this for my boyfriend tomorrow night. I'm going to do rice as a side...but what vegetable side do you think would go well with this dish? I don't want to make anything that would clash w/ the sweetness of the apricot or the coconut.
Nikki says
Roasted asparagus would be good, to cut the sweetness a little. 🙂
Austria says
Yeah, that is what I was kind of thinking...that or a medley of roasted veggies. Thanks!!
Ginger says
I found this pinned by a friend on Pinterest. I made this for dinner tonight! It was awesome. The family loved it,even the child who doesn't normally eat coconut.
I didn't have enough apricot since this was doubled. I added orange marmalade, ginger, mai phan chili sauce. along with the dijon! It had major wow factor. My husband loved the combination coconut with the apricot sauce. This was a hit out of the ball park! Thank you!!
Raychel says
Added hot red pepper flakes to the apricot sauce...OMG! Turned out amazing! Thanks Pinterest 🙂
Kristina says
The chicken breasts I have are fairly thick. Should I slice them in half? Will I need more coconut mixture if I do?
Nikki says
I think you would be fine slicing them in half and wouldn't need more of the mixture. It's up to you, though, as they are fine not halved as well. I have used very thick ones with fine results. 🙂
Weezie says
First time I made this I used mango preserves instead of apricot, because that's what I had - delicious. Second time I tried strawberry preserves instead, because I'd read on another recipe site that some reviewers like that better, but I didn't care so much for the strawberry. Tonight I will finally try it with apricot preserves.
Nikki says
Thanks, Weezie. I bet I would like the mango preserves on this, too! But, strawberry preserves? Probably not. lol! Hope you liked it with the apricot!
Melanie says
I'm trying to keep dinner on the light side - has anyone tried spraying the chicken w/ a "butter" spray instead of pouring butter on top?
Weezie says
When I first made this I just forgot to drizzle it with butter, and it was still delicious. I've made it twice since, and since I know it doesn't need the extra butter, I just skip that step.
Beth says
I've made this several times now and my family devours it!! I now always have coconut and the sauce on hand. a true winner of a recipe here!!!
Genna Yarkin says
Made it with tofu and it was deeeeeeeeelicious!!!
Baked it for about 25 minutes, though, the tofu really didn't need any more than that.
Great dish for vegetarians!
Beth says
Made this tonight for dinner...HUGE success. I only used 1tb of Dijon to keep it less spicy (grey poupon). So awesome. adding it to our rotation!! Thank you.
Nikki says
That's great, Beth! It's always a good feeling to have a new meal to add to the rotation! 🙂
Karina b says
I made this tonight... I think it has a great potential! We weren't a fan of the Dijon- it was a bit overpowering! I think next time we will try it with mango chutney and curry! Thanks!
Ashton says
I make this atleast once a month! Do you have any estimation of nutritional facts?
Nikki says
Hi Ashton, I do not. Sorry!
Hilliary@HappilyEverHealthy says
My friend just passed along this recipe for me to try! I am so glad that she did, this recipe sounds amazing!
Becca says
I made this last night and my husband couldn't quit saying how good it was! I added a teaspoon of curry powder to the coconut mixture, and didn't have any apricot preserves, so I pureed the dijon with dried apricots, honey, and a little water. It was sort of like a chutney and was pretty good with it. I still want to try it your way, though.
Ashley says
This Was Amazing!! The sauce complimented the coconut fabulously! Thanks for the recipe!
Jodi says
Tried it with mango instead of apricot because that's what I had on hand. Deeelish! Who would have thought mango and dijon would be so good together?
Encore says
I knocked this recipe out the other night and the flavors were fantastic together! Had to post and link back to you! Thanks for the recipe!
Yen says
I made this tonight but used it on pork chops. They turned out amazing!!
ThatgalJill says
I made this for tonight's dinner and it was very very good! Thanks!
ntm76 says
Made it tonight but instead of Apricot Preserve I used peach preserve and it was so delicious!!!
Morgan @ Happy, Healthy & Me says
This looks delicious! I can't wait to try it!
Quick question- is "coconut flakes" the same as shredded coconut?
Nikki says
Hi Morgan,
Yup! Same thing. 🙂
Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen says
Ok...I am seriously drooling right now!! I LOVE coconut and that apricot sauce looks incredible too! I am making this next week...I can't wait! 🙂
Kim says
Chicken and coconut are a great combo. And I've been searching for a new way to prepare chicken. I'm definitely going to give this a try!
Cookbook Queen says
This looks and sounds SO good!! And your picture is just gorgeous.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about having so many recipes to try...I keep getting sidetracked by other ideas so my list gets longer and longer!!
Anonymous says
sounds like me, my list just keeps getting longer, and longer.
Blog is the New Black says
I would LOVE this! Except, my bf doesn't do coconut... I'll have to make it when he's not home!
Katt says
My husband claimed to dislike coconut years ago- AND the same with mustard! I made this before he had told me of his intense dislike, and he loved this dish! Give it a shot.. just have a pizza back-up 😉
Susan Tuma says
Hi there! Just curious on the Apricot Sauce - how much of each? Thanks, going to make this on Thursday for the family - sounds yummy!
Nikki says
Hi Susan,
I forgot to add the ingredient measurements for the apricot sauce, but updated the post so you now have it. Sorry about that! -Nikki
notyet100 says
must hve been delicious