Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce

Hey guys,

For tonight's meal we bring you something that Ma picked out of my pin board over at pinterest. As mentioned in the last entry you definitely gotta check out pinterest. It's crazy how addicting it is. So while showing ma my awesome board she jumped for joy when she saw I had repinned a recipe for coconut chicken strips. Which leads to tonight's dish. Normally I'm not a fan of said coconut but I like chicken (especially when it has a sweetness to it) so I figured why not give it a whirl. Ha, who am I kidding? Even if I didn't want to "give it a whirl" I kinda have too because A: I participate in this blog and B: Nobody would fix me something separate.

Here's what you'll need:

Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

*2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*2 large eggs
*1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
*1/2 cup all purpose flour
*1 cup panko bread crumbs
*1 cup shredded coconut
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
*1 cup sweet chili sauce


Directions:
STEP 1: Cut off any extra fat globules from your chicken breasts. Cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short. See photos below.

STEP 2: Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

STEP 3: Place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. You can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. When it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.

STEP 4: While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

STEP 5: After breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. Place about 6 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch. After a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second 1/4 cup to the pan. Allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes).

Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. If you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.

STEP 6: When all of the strips are done frying, serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in. I garnished mine with a little bit of chopped cilantro.

WW Points: *2 per chicken strip


These were a bit a mess to make and we ended up finish the cooking process in the oven. I thought they were amazing in the taste department and I hate coconut.



Tid Bits:
*Get the chicken strips good and crispy in the skillet but finish the cooking process in the oven.


Ma's Spot: For years I've always done the same thing for my birthday. That is head over to Outback Steakhouse to munch on their coconut shrimp. I never made it at home because I didn't want to tarnish the most perfect meal in the world (well to me). I have to say after tonight's blog I'm going to give it a try. Tonight's meal was delicious. I love the crispiness of the panko and the shredded coconut. I didn't use any special chicken just your normal boneless skinless chicken breast and it was great. So if you want a nice trip down to the Caribbean then make this recipe.



*SNACK CORNER:* It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's pick:

WW Points: *2 per cookie


Dinah: Tonight we're reviewing the new little ditty's from Fiber One. New Fiber One chocolate chip cookies. Now the words Fiber One might scare you (they even scared your blog mistress a tad) because most fiber things on the market taste like cardboard. These are the exception though. The cookie itself is super soft and has the right amount of chocolate and chips to make these a satisfying treat. Oh and did I mention these are only 2 points per cookie? Pretty stellar, the cookies are on the bigger end so to me their worth it. Try these guys out you just might like this whole new craze of Fiber One. Scary name no more!



Ma: I love the moistness and softness of this cookie. Who knew a cookie could be good for you? After eating this cookie I only have two words for you, go fiber!





And that's all folks, well for this evening that is. We'll see you all here in 7 days for another recipe. Have a great week guys!





Spoons & Spatula's
`Dinah & Ma