Coconut Chicken Strips

In a previous post, I mentioned that a friend of mine invited me to her house for a Demarle food demonstration. There she showcased the lovely products from Demarle and prepared for us some really delicious meals from appetizers to desserts. Not only was I impressed with the Demarle products but with the food that she made.

One of the yummy dishes she cooked for us was  Coconut Chicken. It was simple, very easy to do, looked quite elegant and was truly delicious! I thought to myself, I have to make it for my family. I learned this recipe from my friend but it was adapted from the recipe - Coconut Chicken from the Demarle Cookbook - Cooking Across America.

Now that I have my own Silpat, I decided to cook Coconut Chicken. Since my husband is on a grain-free (beyond just gluten-free!) diet, I had to think of an alternative to the bread crumbs used in the recipe (the original recipe actually called for "rice cereals" but my friend used panko bread crumbs instead which I thought was great!). I have found the almond meal (ground almonds) to be a good alternative so I thought I'd give it a try. My hubby loved it! Am so glad that he can enjoy this lovely chicken dish with us. I think that the panko bread crumbs give the dish more texture and crunch than the ground almonds but in taste, they are both wonderful, so I leave the choice to you. If you wish a gluten-free alternative, do use the almond meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients



3-4 whole chicken breasts

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup honey-mustard dressing

2 cups panko bread crumbs*

2 cups grated coconut (unsweetened)

*For a gluten-free alternative use ground almonds. (I used the Trader Joe's brand)

Procedure

Flatten the chicken breasts to an even thickness. Slice into strips. Combine mayonnaise and honey mustard dressing in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken breasts strips and marinate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Mix the coconut and the panko bread crumbs or ground almonds in a bowl. Coat the marinated chicken strips with the coconut mixture.

Remove the excess crumbs from the chicken strips by tapping it lightly on the bowl. Kitchen tongs are handy when doing this.

Place the chicken strips on a shallow baking pan. Grease the pan if it's not non-stick. You may line it with foil if you prefer. I used my Silpat for this so there was no need for any foil nor greasing. 

  

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and coconut is light brown and toasty. Serve with a dipping sauce on the side if you like. I like having it with chutney or a ketchup-mayo sauce. Perfect as appetizer or main dish with some salad on the side.

If you wish to print the recipe, there's a print-friendly icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images box" for easy printing.

 Oh so yummy!

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