Coconut and Cashew Crusted Chicken Tenders

Six-year anniversary. April 16, 2022. At home. My kitchen. Not Mama's kitchen three streets away — mine. Because Curtis can't make the trip. Because the ritual adapts. Because the kitchen is not the building. The kitchen is the stove and the can and the hands and the practice.

Jasmine and Isaiah and me. Curtis in his wheelchair at the table. The Folgers can on the counter. We cooked. The same recipe. The same ritual. Different building. Same everything else. Jasmine seasoned. Isaiah fried. I watched from the doorway. Curtis ate with one hand. The chicken was perfect. The anniversary was perfect. The perfection is not in the location. The perfection is in the showing up. Six years of showing up at a stove on the day my mother died, and the showing up is the prayer and the prayer is the cooking and the cooking is the love and the love is the line and the line runs through every kitchen where someone refuses to stop.

After dinner, I sat with Curtis in his apartment. Just the two of us. The way I sat with Mama in her hospital bed. The way I sit with the people I love: quietly, in the room, being there. He said, "Six years." I said, "Six years, Daddy." He said, "She would be mad about the wheelchair." I said, "She would." He said, "She would say, 'Curtis, get up.'" I said, "She would say, 'Curtis, your dinner is getting cold.'" He laughed. The laugh turned into a cough and the cough turned into sleep and I sat beside him while he slept and the apartment was quiet and the house above us was full of children doing homework and a husband washing dishes and the table was set for tomorrow and the table would hold us all and Mama — Mama in the chicken and the greens and the cornbread and the can — Mama holds us still.

The chicken has always been the center of it — the thing we gather around, the thing we make with our hands, the thing that holds her. This year it was Coconut and Cashew Crusted Chicken Tenders, because the crust is the part you press in yourself, the part that requires intention, the part that Jasmine can season and Isaiah can fry and I can watch from the doorway and it still comes out right. That’s the recipe I keep coming back to when I need a dish that asks something of everyone at the table — a little effort, a little patience, and a willingness to show up.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders (about 10–12 pieces)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup raw cashews, finely chopped
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 1/2 cups)

Instructions

Set up your dredging station. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Beat eggs in a second shallow bowl. In a third bowl, combine shredded coconut, chopped cashews, panko, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
Coat the chicken. Pat chicken tenders dry. Working one at a time, dredge each tender in flour and shake off the excess, then dip into the egg, then press firmly into the coconut-cashew mixture, turning to coat all sides. Set on a plate and repeat with remaining tenders.
Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a large skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until a small pinch of breadcrumbs sizzles immediately when dropped in, about 350°F.
Fry the tenders. Working in batches to avoid crowding, fry chicken tenders 3–4 minutes per side until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Adjust heat as needed to prevent the coconut from burning.
Drain and rest. Transfer cooked tenders to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let rest 3–5 minutes before serving so the crust sets and the juices redistribute.
Serve. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce — honey mustard, sweet chili, or just as they are.

Nutrition (per serving)

Coconut and Cashew Crusted Chicken Tenders — The Same Recipe, Every Single Year