Coconut Chicken Tropical Salad is coconut crusted chicken tenders with avocado, mango, pineapple, bell pepper, cucumber, and a creamy pineapple vinaigrette.
It’s a rare occasion that I ever eat out for lunch, but if I’m ever running errands and want to treat myself I absolutely love the awesome ready-made salads from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
The usually change depending on the season–one of my favorites is this Thai salad with edamame and a delicious peanut dressing. Every time I’m in either store I always browse the salads, even just for ideas to make them myself!
They saw a tropical salad at Whole Foods a little while ago and I’ve been craving it ever since. I knew I wanted to incorporate coconut somehow, so what better than some baked coconut chicken tenders?
The end result of this salad was fantastic. Fresh greens with pineapple, mango, peppers, and avocado, topped with crisp coconut chicken. And the simple pineapple coconut vinaigrette was the cherry on top!
Consider trying these popular salad recipes:
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Healthy Chicken Pasta Salad
- Creamy Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- Waldorf Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad
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Recipe
Coconut Chicken Tropical Salad with Creamy Pineapple Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 heads Romaine lettuces , chopped (about 6-8 cups)
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1 cucumber , peeled and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper , seeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapples , chopped
- 1 mango , peeled and chopped
- 1 avocado , peeled, seeded and chopped
For the chicken
- 6-8 small chicken tenders
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Creamy Pineapple Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup fresh pineapple , diced
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 Tablespoons Greek yogurts
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- dash salt and pepper
Instructions
For the chicken
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place a wire cooling rack on top of a 10x15'' pan (jelly roll pan) lined with tinfoil. Spray wire rack with cooking spray.
- Add flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and salt and pepper to a shallow bowl.
- Add eggs to another shallow bowl and beat well. Add coconut flakes to a third shallow bowl.
- Dredge chicken tenders in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, and then coat with coconut flakes, pressing them on so they stick.
- Lay chicken tenders on prepared wire rack. Spray the tops with cooking spray (to help them brown).
- Bake for 13-18 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Add salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Top with chicken and drizzle with dressing, as desired.
For the Dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add more honey, if needed, for sweetness. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is one of my favorite salads. Fresh and delicious!
The Creamy dressing is just like one that Zupa’s makes on my favorite salad. I made it last night and it was AMAZING! I will say this recipe has a lot of steps and I was too tired after work to make the whole thing. So, tonight it all comes together. Thanks for your recipe’s they are so Delicious!!!!
Thank you for another winner! I have made over 20 of your recipes so far and they never disappoint!!!
Thanks Heather, that makes me SO happy 🙂 Thanks for coming to comment!
This looks and sounds amazing! Just want to go make it now!! xo MK
This creamy vinaigrette looks so tasty!
Oh wow all of this look delicious! I miss cooking up meals like these but with 4 kids it is tough now. Thank you for stopping by my blog, I hope the tips for increasing bloglovin help you at some point.
Rachel xo
Garay Treasures
I’m officially starving after reading this! I love coconut anything. It’s been so long since I’ve had coconut chicken. I bet it’s amazing! =)
I just made some Paleo chicken tenders this past weekend with almond meal and coconut and I LOVED them. Coconut really adds some nice flavor and crunch.
Ohhh my goodness, this looks amazing! <3 I love tropical recipes, and this includes so many things that I love!! I'm gonna have to try making it for my friend one of these days! :D! Pinning for later!