Coconut Chicken

I’ve really been a huge fan of all things coconut this past year: coconut shampoo, coconut flavored Lara bars, Thai coconut recipes, etc. Last year I made a coconut crusted chicken dish that turned out really good and was relatively simple. I believe I first saw it in Cooking Light magazine so it’s safe to assume it isn’t too bad for you.

Coconut Chicken Fingers

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1 cup whole wheat flour- (I ended up using 1/2 cup wheat and 1/2 cup all purpose because I ran out of wheat).
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp canola oil

The hardest part about this recipe is setting up the stations, so it was pretty simple.

I cut the chicken in smaller strips so they’d cook faster. In the past when I’ve left them alone, they tend to burn on the outside but not be cooked on the inside. I’m still learning how not to burn things…it’s taking me a while apparently.

First, I dipped the chicken in the flour, then eggs, and finally the coconut. Then I cooked them in a pan until I thought they were done (usually I cut up every piece of chicken to make sure it’s done….but not this time! If it tasted extra good, it was probably still raw).

I always have a tough time finding the right temperature when cooking breaded dishes. I either burn them to death or they get no color at all. I can’t seem to find that perfect temperature that makes them look crispy and brown.

I have to admit, this time around I managed not to completely destroy each piece of chicken. Usually they’re burned or the coconut layer falls off…but this time they turned out pretty good!

I love eating this with Thai spicy chili sauce. It has the perfect amount of sweet and spicy! Marmalade would probably be good too.

This was great! Unfortunately we ate all of it so no leftovers today (4 chicken breasts…guess we were hungry). Chicken can be so boring but the coconut definitely gives it good flavor and crunch.

 

What’s your favorite way to spice up boring old chicken?