If you are missing summer vacations to tropical islands try this recipe to incorporate those island fruits. With a juicy mango sauce and lots of coconut this will give you a little bit of that vacation flavor in your own home. More on that Later, BUT FIRST THE RECIPE! Photo recipe after the actual recipe!
I've been wanting
Coconut Crusted Chicken Ingredients:
1 Pound Chicken Breast
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flake
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Coconut Milk
1 Cup Flour
3 Cups Shredded Coconut
1 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil for Frying
Coconut Lime Rice:
1 Cup White Rice
3/4 Cup Lite Coconut Milk
1 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
Salt to Taste
Mango Sauce:
1 Ripe Mango
1/4 Red Onion
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/4 Cup Coconut Milk
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro
Bowl Toppings:
2 Red Peppers
1 Avocado
Preparing the Coconut Crusted Chicken:
Just like you would prepare regular fried chicken you want to marinate the chicken. Thinly slice your the chicken and then slice the chicken into strips. You can buy strips or thin sliced chicken ahead at the grocery store to make this step easier for yourself but those cuts are usually marked up so I like to cut them myself. Add the strips of chicken to a large plastic bag or large sealable mixing bowl and add 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Seal and mix the bag with your hands and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or unto the day before.
When you are ready to start cooking dinner heat 1 cup of oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high. To test if the oil is hot enough add pinch of flour to the oil. If it sizzles then the oil is hot and ready to use.
Prepare 3 wide shallow bowls to dip your chicken in. Fill the first bowl with regular flour, about 1 cup. Fill the second bowl with cracked 2 eggs, 3 Tablespoons coconut milk and 1 teaspoon sriracha Whisk this mixture with a fork until well combined. In the final bowl add 3 cups of shredded unsweetened coconut. If it does not all fit thats fine just refill as needed.
Dredge each chicken strip first in the flour, then coat in the egg mixture. Let any excess egg mixture drip off and then finally coat in the shredded coconut. Drop the chicken in the hot oil and let cook about 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Flip the chicken and cook an additional 6-8 minutes until chicken is brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and let it cool on a paper towel lined taste to soak up excess oil.
I like to cook this in batches of about 4-5 pieces of chicken at a time in the pan to avoid overcrowding in the pan and to make it easier to flip and prevent burning.
Preparing the Coconut Lime Rice:
I like the rice for these bowls to be a little bit sticky so I do not like to rinse the rice before cooking. Add 1 cup of plain white rice, 3/4 Cup light coconut milk, and 1 1/4 Cup Water to a sauce pan. Give the rice a quick stir. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the rice cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid has absorbed. I recommend using a clear lid as you do not want to let any of the steam out during this step.
Let the rice sit with the heat off for atleast 10 minutes. During this time do not remove the lid. By letting the rice steam for the additional 10 minutes this will pretty much guarantee that you will have perfectly cooked rice with minimal to no rice stuck to your pan.
Finally add the juice of half a lime or about 1 tablespoon of lime juice to the rice and stir to mix. You can add salt to taste as well during this step and your rice is ready for the bowls!
Preparing the Mango Sauce:
This mango sauce is super easy to make and is made really smooth and creamy with a blender.
Cut your mango and vegetables into small chunks that will fit into your blender. In order to cut the mango find the top of the mango. The wide sides of the mango indicate where the pit is. The seed should be about 1 inch wide so make your cut about 1/2 inch from the middle on each side. You can use a glass to easily remove the rind from the meat of the fruit.
Add the mango, 1/4 of a red onion, 1 teaspoon of sriracha, 1/4 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro to a blender and pulse until the sauce runs smooth.
Preparing the Bowls:
Prep your toppings by cutting the tops and bottoms off the red peppers. Remove the seeds and slice the peppers into thin strips. Slice halves of an avocado into thin slices.
Assemble the bowls by giving each bowl 1/2 cup of rice. Add your desired amount of chicken, bell pepper and avocado. Drizzle the whole bowl with the mango sauce and garnish with extra sriracha and cilantro.
I love this recipe and it reminds me of my days in Boston. The flavors are reminiscent of my favorite burrito shop that I lived above for 3 years.
Hope you enjoy another recipe! Please post photos of your #coconutcrustedchickenbowls to instagram and tag @Butfirsttherecipe_ to be featured in our highlights!
xoxo Emily
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