Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips
with Scallion Rice, Pickled Cuke & Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
- Wheat
- Milk
- Tree Nuts
We did it! We made the perfect chicken tenders for grown-ups! You’ll coat chicken breast strips in a panko-coconut mixture, then fry to a crispy, deep golden brown. Serve alongside buttery scallion rice, sweet-hot Thai chili sauce for dipping, and crunchy homemade cucumber pickles for bright, tangy contrast. And they said adulting was hard…
Ingredients
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
2 unit
Scallions
½ cup
White Rice
5 teaspoon
Rice Wine Vinegar
½ cup
Flour
(Contains: Wheat)
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
¼ cup
Shredded Coconut
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
2 ounce
Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
½ teaspoon
Sugar
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Trim and thinly slice cucumber. Trim and thinly slice scallions. • In a small pot, combine rice, 3⁄4 cup water (11⁄2 cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to use in Step 6.
• In a small bowl, combine cucumber, vinegar, 1⁄2 tsp sugar, and 1⁄2 tsp salt (1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt for 4 servings). Set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally.
• Place flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. • In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream and 2 TBSP water (4 TBSP for 4 servings). • In a separate shallow dish, combine panko and coconut.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; slice lengthwise into 1-inch-thick strips (we ended up with 3-4 strips per cutlet). Season all over with salt and pepper. • Working one piece at a time, coat chicken in seasoned flour. Gently shake off excess, then dip both sides into sour cream mixture until fully coated. Let excess drip off, then press into panko mixture until fully coated. TIP: For less mess, use tongs to dip and transfer.
• Heat a 1⁄2-inch layer of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium- high heat. Once oil is hot enough that a pinch of seasoned flour sizzles immediately when added to the pan, add coated chicken (you may need to work in batches). Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. TIP: Lower heat if chicken begins to brown too quickly. • Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in scallions and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings). Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. • Divide rice, chicken strips, and pickled cucumber (draining first) between plates. Serve with chili sauce on the side for dipping.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The coconut-panko crust and sweet chili dipping sauce were crowd-pleasers, though many wished the coconut flavor came through more strongly in the breading. The pickled cucumbers were a standout hit, adding a bright, refreshing contrast to the rich chicken.
- Ease of prep: Dredging and pan-frying the chicken takes more time and creates more mess than the recipe suggests — budget extra time and expect some stovetop splatter.
- Suggestions: Many reviewers ran short on panko, coconut, and sour cream before finishing all the chicken strips — have a little extra on hand. Try the air fryer for a less messy, healthier result; several reviewers reported great crispiness with that method. Lower the heat if the coconut coating browns too fast before the chicken cooks through, and season the chicken itself generously for more flavor.
- Leftovers: Leftovers reheat well, and some reviewers noted the strips stayed crispy even hours later 🎉.
- Sides: The rice was considered bland by some — stir in extra butter or try a flavored rice mix to liven it up; a few preferred fries or a warm vegetable over the pickled cucumbers as a side.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was super easy and delicious. I would never have thought to bread chicken strips with coconut but that with the chili sauce and pickled cucumbers was a great combo of flavors!
Wow! This chicken was delicious! The hint of coconut flavor to the strip was delightful. I was amazed at how easy they were to make. The cucumbers were also quite tasty.
I LOVED this recipe!!! The coconut chicken strips were delicious, and the sweet chili sauce was the perfect dipping sauce! I would DEFINITELY get these again!! Definitely in my top 10 favorite recipes!! YUM!
This meal caught me by surprise. I wasn't particularly excited about it and when I tasted the chicken plain it was pretty mid. However when dipped in the Thai chili sauce and paired with the pickled cucumbers and seasoned rice - everything just hit so well together.
My family enjoyed these crispy coconut chicken strips. We used the Thai chili sauce for us and honey mustard for the kids. Very good!
Chicken was crispy outside and tender and moist inside, cucumber salad was refreshing, rice was a bit blah could have used a spicier kick.
This was one of our favorite meals we have received. My 5yo is usually very picky but LOVED this meal. It was easy and delicious. We decided to air fry the chicken strips instead of pan frying them in oil and I believe it made them 100 times better and also a lot healthier then frying them in oil.
I am new to pickling and wow is it quick/easy and delicious! The rice was simple and fab. I think that's my favorite thing about Hello Fresh- is that you don't need a lot of ingredients to make a fabulous meal- Just the right recipe! Thank you!
Scallion rice and coconut chicken strips were delicious. Not a fan of the quick pickled cucumbers could have been better with broccoli or green beans. Not enough panko for the chicken luckily I had some extra at home to add in
The cutlets aren't the best chicken to make these with as they are kind of tough. Coating is tasty especially with the Thai chili sauce and pickles on the side. I did find it time consuming to do the dipping process and then 10-12 minutes to cook each batch. Short on the sour cream wash.
