The coconut in the US is sweetened and shredded; the Israeli version is also shredded but not too sweet. Your chicken will therefore look and taste slightly different depending on where you live. I was never a lover of coconut until I met the Israeli kind! This recipe is a great twist on the typical breaded cutlets we all know.
6 chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), sliced in long, thin strips (about 8 pieces per breast)
½ cup flour
⅛ teaspoon curry powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups shredded coconut
Mustard Dipping Sauce
⅓ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 scallion, green parts only, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Grease a baking pan.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine spices with flour. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Place coconut in a third bowl.
3. Dredge chicken first in flour, then in the eggs, and finally in the coconut. Be sure to press the coconut into the chicken so that it sticks.
4. Place chicken in prepared pan and spray very generously with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until edges begin to turn brown. Turn chicken fingers over and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until edges are brown.
5. To prepare the dipping sauce, whisk all ingredients together. Serve alongside chicken. Garnish with scallions.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
For more great recipes, check out this weeks issue of Whisk by Ami
