Friday, June 26, 2009

Coconut-Crusted Chicken with Cashew-Curry Sauce



It was a bit of a gamble trying this dish out because I'm not a huge fan of curry. But after seeing other ingredients like panko, and coconut milk, I just had to give it a shot. I really liked this dish. The curry flavor was strong, but it combined well with the coconut sauce and the deliciously crusted chicken. My only regret for this dish is that I wasn't able to find fish sauce, which the sauce calls for. I really wonder how that would have changed the flavor. If I can get my hands on the stuff, I'll let you know how this works out.

Make sure you squeeze your fresh lime on this right before you eat it, it adds a wonderful brightness.

Coconut-Crusted Chicken with Cashew-Curry Sauce
Found in Cooking Light May 2009

Ingredients

CHICKEN:
4 (6 oz) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons canola oil
SAUCE:
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely minced shallots
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry roasted cashews
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4 lime wedges (optional)
4 cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. To prepare chicken, sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and red pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Combine panko and flaked coconut in a shallow dish. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Add chicken to bag; seal and shake well to coat evenly. Remove from bag; discard remaining cornstarch mixture. Dip 1 chicken breast half in egg white; dredge in panko mixture. Repeat process with the rest of chicken.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place skillet in oven. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes or until done.

4. To prepare sauce, combine coconut milk, sugar, curry paste, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, ginger, and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute stirring frequently. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil. Cook one minute, or just until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cashews, juice and fish sauce. Garnish each serving with one lime wedge and one cilantro sprig.

Serves 4: one serving is 1 chicken breast half and 3 tablespoons sauce

Per Serving: 376 calories, 15.4g fat, 43.8g prot, 15.4g carbs, 1.1g fiber, 99mg chol

Points per serving: 9

26 comments:

Justin said...

when I looked at the photo, I imagine this being fish, but either way, it looks really good

Wild Boar said...

Not a big fan of coconut but it sure looks good!

theUngourmet said...

Yum! I do love the curry and everything else in here!

Cori said...

This looks like a great recipe! I love love curry. Uh oh. I'm craving it now!

Cristine said...

Yum! I love curry and coconut milk. I'll have to try this soon!

Jenn said...

Mmm...coconut and curry. The fish looks really good. I've bee seeing a lot of coconut recipes lately. I think I need to get on that bandwagon!

Reeni said...

This looks amazing! I love all these flavors. I will definitely be trying this one!

Anonymous said...

Two ingredients I don't think I've ever used - coconut milk or curry!

This looks really good!

Have a great weekend Teresa!

Katy ~ said...

Teresa, well done!

Creative Classroom Core said...

I love the idea of the coconut coating - how mouth watering!

Trish said...

You know this is a dish I am going to like! Yum....I don't post enough curry recipes as they are 'regular' food in our household....but this looks very good...with a 'crisp' to it! Yum. And fish sauce with chicken is new to me. I do use fish sauce in my different Asian dishes so it is always handy. I find it in my Asian section at the grocers but we also have a lot of Asian markets here so it is easy to find.

Leslie said...

mmmm.I love to cook chicken like thin...minus the curry.Like you I am not a curry fan

Marta said...

Well I'm glad you did take the gamble and tried this, it looks delicious! I am a big fan of these tropical, coconutty, curries. They are just so vibrant, they sing in my mouth!
Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

chow and chatter said...

you did a fab job looks awesome, such fun to try new foods

Donna-FFW said...

Coconut and lime, cashews, wow, lotsa flavor going on here. I love it!

Anonymous said...

that sauce sounds awesome! Fish sauce does make quite a difference...you can usually easily find them in an Asian grocery store...

Anonymous said...

Loving this recipe and your entire blog. I don't eat chicken, but am thinking this would be fantastic on halibut....yummy!
Following your blog...really enjoying it! :-)

Barbara Bakes said...

I have been a bit afraid to cook with curry too. This looks so delicious I'll have to get brave.

Heather S-G said...

Drool!! What great flavors...and I bet fish sauce would push it even farther...I usually find it at the Asian Markets around here....but man, it looks tasty :)

foodcreate said...

"Fabulous Coconut milk and curry yum ~!I'm going to make this recipe soon!

Thanks for sharing your recipe:)

Welcome~~~
http://foodcreate.com


Have Wonderful Day

Karine said...

Cashew-curry sauce? It must be amazing!!!! I should try this recipe!

Kathy said...

This looks delish! I still haven't gotten around to making my coconut chicken yet!!!

I left you an award on my blog! :o)

Judy said...

This recipe looks good. Wal-Mart carries fish sauce in their oriental section. That's where you should find it in other grocery stores too. It's a very small bottle -- it has anchovies in it, and it's salty.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Hm, I've never had curry before and this is the third dish in the past two days or so that I've seen that used curry.

What does it taste like?
~ingrid

teresa said...

It's hard to describe, but this particular dish was sweet and pungeant with the curry paste. If you come across someone who has curry powder, take a whiff of it, that's probably the best way to get an idea of how it will taste.

test it comm said...

What a tasty way to serve chicken!