Coconut Almond Chicken

I wasn't sure about this recipe.  It was certainly unique, but I was worried it wouldn't taste very coco-nutty (is that even a word?), and I thought there was no way on earth that the breading would stick.  Was I happily surprised to find out that this is an amazing recipe that came together almost perfectly.  The taste was so different, but crunchy and delicious that I wish I'd made more.  I will say that my big flub with the dish is that I forgot to serve it with the mango puree when I made it and took the pictures...  Which is funny, because when I was eating it I thought that the crust was a little dry and would have done really well with a fruit sauce or squeeze of lemon...  I did have the puree with the leftovers, however, and while it certainly wasn't photogenic, it did bump up the level of tastiness a lot and resolved any issues of dryness in the crust.  Truthfully, I felt kind of dumb forgetting it the first time.  This is my week for dumb mistakes, apparently.

Other then the accidental omission above, I did do everything exactly according to the recipe and the tips and tricks to this are fairly simple.  I used sliced almonds and crushed them, giving me both a fine powder, and some rather large bits.  Had it to do over, I may have crushed the almonds a bit more, though the crunchiness that the larger pieces definitely added a wonderful touch to the dish.  I just found that the larger bits of almond didn't stick as well and tended to fall off during the pan frying.  They also tended to brown faster, though even the ones that looked a tad, well, burned on my sample chicken didn't taste burned in the slightest (though it did make a little less photogenic).  As for the coconut, doing the recipe over, I'd chop them a bit finer then I did for the same burning reason as the almonds.  I also used the thin-cut chicken available at my grocery store as opposed to pounding out a breast.  That allowed me to really have complete control of how long I needed to cook everything without having to worry about the chicken being unable to hold up to a heavy bread coating, a fry, then a bake.  And since we're on the subject of frying, I found that frying it until it was just slightly golden, enough to make sure the coating was really stuck to the chicken, then putting it in the oven yielded the most wonderful results.

I have to say, though, that this will go down as one of my favorite chicken dishes.  I just love the crunchiness and the unique flavor.  The pop of the mango chutney really set it all apart...  Just make sure you don't forget to use it.

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Coconut Almond Chicken

As is served at Kona,Polynesian Resort

 

°o°  4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
°o°  mango puree (one mango pureed with sugar to taste), for garnish
°o°  Coco Lopez, for garnish
°o°  lime wedge, for garnish

Coconut Marinade
°o°  1/2 cup eggs, very well beaten
°o°  1/2 cup coconut milk

°o°  1/2 cup curry paste (Pataks brand, if possible)

°o°  1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt


Almond Breading

°o°  1/2 cup flour

°o°  1 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped

°o°  1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

°o°  1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

If needed, trim and pound chicken breast halves, making sure the chicken is as close to uniform thickness as possible.

Mix all ingredients for the coconut marinade together.  Place chicken in the marinade, covering completely and allowing to marinate for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Combine all ingredients for almond coating.  Dredge marinated chicken through mixture, patting on additional coating if needed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a hot pan, place a small amount of canola oil.  Fry until lightly golden, turn and do the same on the opposite side, then place in warmed oven and cook until very golden and cooked through.  Chicken will be firm.  Season with additional salt, if needed.

Drizzle chicken with mango puree and Coco Lopez and garnish with a lime wedge.

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