This Sheet Pan Crispy Coconut Chicken with mango salsa and sweet potato fries is the perfect dinner idea for busy weeknights.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken cutlets – you can also make this recipe with shrimp following the same steps, just make sure to remove the shrimp shells.
- Flour – use any gluten-free variety of your choice to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Eggs – you can also use a flax egg by mixing together 1 tbsp. flax seed and 3 tbsp. water.
- Sweetened shredded coconut – panko breadcrumbs will also give your chicken a nice crunch, although you’ll lose the coconut flavour.
- Bell pepper – feel free to swap out for another veggie like broccoli, cauliflower or zucchini.
- Sweet potato fries – you can also use regular frozen fries or substitute for another kind of vegetable.
- Salt – to taste.
- Sweet chili Thai sauce – this is optional, I just love dipping the chicken in it.
Mango salsa
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- Mango – this salsa would also be delicious with peach or pineapple.
- Red pepper – or any colour bell pepper of your choice.
- Red onion – white or yellow onion would also work but will have a milder flavour.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed lime juice is best but the bottled variety will work in a pinch.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make coconut chicken
- Coat the chicken.
- Add the peppers and fries to the pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Make the mango salsa.
- Top the cooked chicken with the salsa.
- Serve with sauce and enjoy!
Making the mango salsa
This mango salsa is so good! It will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can use it with other foods if you'd like as well. I find it especially tasty with chicken and salmon. It’s really easy to make – all you need to do is mix everything together in a bowl and let it sit for about 30 minutes to bring out the flavours.
Here's what you need:
- 1 diced mango
- ½ diced red pepper
- ½ diced red onion
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- ½ tsp. salt
Frequently Asked Questions
This coconut chicken is so delicious – it’s nice and juice with a crispy coating and, of course, the yummy taste of coconut. Add some of my homemade mango salsa over top to complete the tropical vibes!
The great thing about this sheet recipe is that it’s an entire meal in one. Your coconut chicken, bell peppers and sweet potato fries will all cook on the same pan then you can serve them with the mango salsa and sweet chili Thai sauce for dipping. If you want, you can swap out the sweet potato fries for regular fries or go for another veggie entirely.
This coconut chicken has 412 calories per serving. It’s the perfect healthy meal!
Storing and reheating
You can store this coconut chicken in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to maintain that nice crispy finish, the best way to reheat it is in a pan on the stovetop for 3-4 minutes or in the oven for 10 minutes at 375° Fahrenheit. You can also microwave it if you’re in a hurry, just keep in mind it won’t be as crispy.
Can you freeze coconut chicken?
Yes, you can! I would not recommend freezing the bell peppers or frozen sweet potato fries, but the chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it’s completely cooled, store it in glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. When you’re ready to enjoy, let it defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as directed above.
More chicken sheet pan recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for your leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box.
Sheet Pan Crispy Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets or 2 chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 each red, yellow and green pepper, chopped
- 1 cup frozen sweet potato fries (as much as you can fit onto the pan)
- Salt to taste
- Sweet chili Thai sauce (to serve)
Mango Salsa
- 1 mango, diced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Add flour, eggs and coconut to three separate bowls. Toss chicken in flour, then coat in egg. Finally, coat in coconut, covering well. Add each cutlet to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Add chopped bell peppers, then season with a bit of salt & pepper. Add sweet potato fries, fitting as many as you can on the pan while making sure they remain in one layer. Bake in oven for 20 min or until chicken is fully cooked.
- While everything is cooking in the oven, make the mango salsa. This step is optional as you may just want to use the sweet chili Thai dipping sauce – that's all the chicken really needs. But if you'd like the salsa, just mix all ingredients together and set aside until the meal is finished cooking.
- Remove everything from oven and serve with mango salsa on top and sweet chili sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Kimberly says
I am also a huge coconut fan and this recipe is delicious!! Perfect summer meal. Thank you!
Julie says
We made this tonight for the first time and loved it! I felt it didnt need the thai sauce since we did the mango salsa which was amazing! I burned the sweet potatoes and felt that we didnt really need the roasted peppers. I will definitely make the coconut chicken with mango salsa again—everybody loved it! Thank you!