This shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #ItsAMatch, #DietCoke #CollectiveBias
So I have a secret love affair with Diet Coke® in cans. Seriously, tell me about a better beverage in a can. I’ll wait. Now that I’ve waited, I expect you all to head to your nearest Kroger and pick up your favorite flavor of Diet Coke. You can find them on a cute little endcap display near the soda/beverage aisle! Bonus points because you can buy a single can OR an 8 pack to take home and enjoy all week.
Our friends over at Diet Coke have made me the happiest person because they’ve expanded their line. Not only do they have this zesty ginger lime flavor, they have FIVE varieties in these fancy new cans. You can now find varieties such as Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange, Fresh Ginger Lime, and Twisted Mango. Maybe it’s because I work in Marketing, but I’m a sucker for good packaging and they deliver. I’m focusing on the Ginger Lime variety today but you can take this quiz to see which one suits your style best.
So, Diet Coke can clearly be enjoyed with a straw and maybe a tall glass of ice. But, we are taking it up a notch by incorporating it into some delicious recipes! The Beard and I agree on a lot of things but condiments is not one of them. I’m a total sucker for mayo based dips and he’s on the soy sauce end of the spectrum. Lucky for you, we are sharing both recipes.
The flavor in this Diet Coke Ginger Lime is pretty delicious and adds awesome dimension to our dipping sauces. But, we really wanted to pull that flavor out so we both added fresh ginger and fresh lime zest and juice. I love using the Diet Coke in this because there isn’t any additional sugar and you don’t get a weirdly sweet dip. Also, don’t worry because they haven’t changed the Diet Coke recipe at all, just added some tasty new flavors!
Not going to lie, I totally drank a Diet Coke Ginger Lime while I was making these recipes. You only need a few teaspoons for the dipping sauce so I couldn’t waste the extra! That would be a travesty, really.
I wanted to choose something that would complement the Ginger Lime flavor in the Diet Coke so we chose fried coconut chicken tenders. They are magical and actually super easy to make! My number one tip here is to set out everything before you start the process. This means even having your frying station ready to warm up once you dip all your tenders.
We used sweetened coconut for the outside of our tenders because I think it makes it taste more coconutty. If you would prefer something a little less sweet, I would suggest using unsweetened coconut but I really just like this flavor better. 
Have you taken the quiz yet? I mean I won’t be upset if you don’t get the Diet Coke Ginger Lime … I guess.
So, I used to be super afraid of frying things at home. But, if you have the right utensils then you will be a-okay! You’ll need a deep pot with a wide mouth to make sure you don’t overfill it with oil or crowd the pot. It’s also imperative that you have a thermometer to temp your oil. One day, I’ll tell you about the time The Beard and I also burnt my apartment down trying to make chicken and waffles. Oops!
The Beard insists on using his hands to dip the tenders straight into the piping hot oil. His reason is that tongs knock off some of the breading. I won’t disagree there but I do get a little nervous every time he does it.
Then, after about 3-5 minutes, you have these gorgeous crispy coconut chicken tenders! Please use a tong when removing them. Be careful because oil can splatter! If you aren’t sure if they are fully cooked, remove them from the oil and make sure they have an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The oil can cool a bit when you add chicken tenders so be aware of that little possible change.
This is another setup you need to have ready before you start frying your tenders. A paper towel lined baking sheet with a cooling rack on top. It drains the oil so your tenders stay nice and crispy.
Okay, last time I remind you. Have you taken the quiz yet? I’m dying to know if you go Diet Coke Ginger Lime too!
Now it’s time to bust our your dipping sauces. Another pro tip, leave the mayo based one in the fridge while you’re frying your tenders. It will stay nice and firm and will be perfectly cool to enjoy with your hot coconut chicken tenders. Mmmm, I’m drooling. 
Keep going, going, going! Seriously, who knew that adding Diet Coke to a dipping sauce was probably the best decision you could ever make. I’m so in love with the Ginger Lime flavor but I’m thinking next I’ll try the Zesty Blood Orange. Which one are you going to try next?
If you aren’t a mayo fan (like The Beard), you can try his dipping sauce. I will admit that it is also super delicious but a little spicy. If you are making it for non-spicy lovers, I would omit a little bit of the red pepper. Okay, so really my last time – did you take the Diet Coke quiz?! Share your results in the comments below!
- 1 bottle vegetable oil
- 10 chicken tenders
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
- 2/3 cup mayo
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 4 teaspoons Diet Coke Ginger Lime
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 4 Tablespoons ketchup
- juice of 1 lime
- zest of 1 lime
- Mix 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a mixing bowl. Coat chicken tenders in mixture and set in fridge.
- Set up frying station. Add one bottle of vegetable oil to your big pot but do not turn on yet. Make sure it is only filled up halfway.
- Set up cooling station. Put paper towels on a baking sheet and cover with a cooling rack.
- Set up your dipping station. Put Flour, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk two eggs together. In another separate bowl, put shredded coconut.
- Remove chicken tenders from fridge. Using tongs, dip coated chicken tender in flour mixture then eggs, then the coconut. Set coated chicken tenders in fridge.
- Bring oil to temperature of 350 degrees F, slowly.
- Using tongs or fingers (carefully), gently add 4-5 chicken tenders to oil and fry 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Gently remove and lay on your drying rack until ready to eat.
- Serve with mayo or tangy dipping sauce and a Diet Coke Ginger Lime!
- Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat!
- Add all ingredients to a small pot. Bring to a boil stirring consistently.
- Then, simmer for at least 30 minutes. Let cool before enjoying!
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