It has been absolutely freezing in Utah lately. I mean it. Like in the negatives. That is just way too much for me. I wish I was in Hawaii. These panko chicken strips have a crunchy coating of Panko Bread Crumbs from Progresso, and are paired with a teriyaki pina colada sauce that totally reminds me of Hawaii. My family went on a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, and while the scenery was beautiful, the food delicious, the weather was crappy. In fact, it was hardly sunny, mostly overcast and we were all itching for a tan.
We had all traveled to Hawaii to see my little sister compete in an Internation Soccer Tournament, and it was so fun to see all of those teams speaking different languages and competing against one another. My sister is such an awesome athlete, but not very awesome with sunscreen. We did slather her up before the game, and she tans really easily, but she still managed to get fried through her jersey. Seriously fried. Like, blisters everywhere. Here we were, a pasty family from Vancouver, Washington dying for a tan, but not getting anything at all and she gets scorched through her shirt! It was craziness and the poor dear was in quite a lot of pain.
If you truly know me you know that I adore Panko for my breading (and if you follow the link you can read my post about it). In fact, Panko is what helped me win a cooking contest and partnership with Knorr, Panko Crusted Chicken with a Lemon Cream Sauce. I need to photograph that baby again, but it’s still super delicious.
Anyway, this recipe is really easy and your kids will love it, which is a pretty big deal in my opinion. You’ll start out with an easy breading. Just salt and pepper the chicken and roll them in the bread crumbs followed by a light drizzle of olive oil. I figure that since the panko sticks to the chicken just fine on it’s own, why worry about doing a proper dredge with flour and egg. No need to add the extra calories.
Then, dump almost all of the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, bring to a boil, add the rest, boil again, and eat up!
Crunchy chicken strips with a teriyaki pina colada dipping sauce that will have you aching for Hawaii.
Ingredients
- 9 Chicken Tenders, trimmed
- 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Crushed Pineapple, juice included
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced fine
- 1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger, grated
- 1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 Cup Cream of Coconut
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Cold Water
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place an oven safe cooling rack on a baking sheet.
- Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and roll in the bread crumbs. Drizzle with a little olive oil and set on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes
- Heat a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and whisk in the cream of coconut.
- Meanwhile, stir together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Once the teriyaki sauce is boiling, slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Allow the sauce to return to a boil and continue to whisk until thickened.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with teriyaki pina colada sauce
Notes
Cooking the chicken on a cooling rack will allow the chicken to crisp all the way around.
Other great recipes
Weight Watchers Buffalo Chicken Strips-laaloosh.com
Crispy BBQ Chicken Fingers-How Sweet It Is
*This was a sponsored post on behalf of Progresso Panko Bread Crumbs, but the opinions and recipe are my own.
I'm Carrian, and my family and I love to cook, bake, and enjoy time together. We believe that with a little help and a point in the right direction everyone can be successful in the kitchen. At our house everyone is family, and we hope you'll join ours. Click 
Great recipe thanks for sharing. I think I added too much cream of coconut cause the flavor started taking over, and I left out the ginger just cause I didn’t have any. It was super easy to make!
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Your chicken strips look delicious. And you certainly aren’t missing much. I’m in Hawaii and we are having some awful weather. It feels like Seattle (where I used to live)!
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Panko chicken fingers are the best…I love the dipping sauce! Sounds very yummy.
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 25th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
don’t you just love panko?!
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I have got to try that sauce – it sounds awesome!
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I love homemade chicken strips! Yum!
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Where would you find cream of coconut for the sauce?
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 5:16 pm
It’s in a can in the margarita/mixed drink section.
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I freaking love how crispy Panko makes everything!
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I love how simple and delicious these look! And much healthier for you than the store bought chicken strips
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Totally, plus panko is amazing
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The other day I was craving for some chicken strips. I happened to be in the Atlanta airport and finally caved into order some – and they were out. I was so disappointed. I will just have to use this recipe instead.
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Don’t you hate that?! You finally cave and it totally wasn’t worth it!
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Panko is my favorite too! Super crunchy and light. My grocery store even sells whole wheat panko bread crumbs! Perfect healthy coating!!
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
No way!! I wish ours did!
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yum! my bags are packed. when do we leave for Hawaii?
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Sweet Basil Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Don’t tempt me. My feet feel even colder all of a sudden
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yum– i’m ready for a trip to the tropics too!
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Looks great… and that sauce … mmmm yum!
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Cooking breaded meat on a cooling rack! You. are. a. genious! Thanks for the great tip and yummy-looking recipe.
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These homemade chicken strips look perfect-I love making these kinds of things!
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This looks like some amazing comfort food for this horrible winter weather! hurry up summer!
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