Coconut-Crusted Chicken w/ Sweet Chili Avocado Dip

I LOVE coconut shrimp - but because it's deep fried plus it often has gluten in it, I've steered clear of it for some time now. Not anymore! I used up all of my shrimp last night, so today when I got a coconut craving I opted for chicken instead and voila! The recipe for Coconut Chicken was created. This is a fabulous and healthy alternative to deep fried coated chicken dishes - the coconut and almonds add great healthy fat to a protein rich meal - and the taste is amazing! This is also another dish I recommend making with your kids because it's a great time to get your hands messy in the kitchen.

The only thing to make this dish even better was a good dip! Sticking with the theme of healthy fats, I opted for a sweet and spicy avocado dip. It only takes a couple minutes to make and complements the chicken very well. The texture would also make it a great substitute for mayo on a sandwich or wrap!

Coconut Crusted Chicken
serves 3 (approx 4oz of chicken per serving)

Ingredients:
12oz of boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of almonds - (once ground will equal approximately 1/3-1/2 cup)
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 egg, beaten

1) Preheat oven of 350 degrees.

2) Slice chicken into long strips.

3) To make it easier to prep, I'd set up your counter like an assembly line with each item on a separate plate- starting with the chicken, then almonds, then egg, then coconut, then spare plate.

4) Dredge chicken strip through ground almonds so it is lightly coated on all sides.

5) Dip in beaten egg quickly.

6) Roll in coconut, coating all sides lightly. Repeat for all chicken strips.

7) Preheat frying pan to med-high/high heat. Once hot, add coconut oil.

8) Sear each chicken strip in the frying pan to brown it (this step is not required, but will give you the nice browned appearance that you'd normally get from deep frying). *To sear meat properly, ensure the pan is quite hot. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side of the chicken strip (until browned).

9) Place browned chicken strips on a roasting tray (you can use a cookie sheet, but then make sure to flip the strips halfway through cooking so you don't end up with one side being soggy and the other being crispy). Using a roasting tray allows the heat to get at the food from all sides and will enable the chicken coating to become crispy.

10) Bake in the centre of the oven for approx 15-20 minutes.

11) Serve! (and don't forget the dip! see below for what I did!)

Calories per serving: 265; fat 14g; carbs 9g; fibre 2g; protein 25g;

Sweet Chili Avocado Dip

Makes 3 Servings

3 tbsp of mashed avocado

2 tbsp of plain greek yogurt

1 tbsp of light coconut milk

1/2-1tsp of dried chili peppers

1 tsp of honey

1) Combine all wet ingredients into small bowl and stir until mixed well.

2) Add chili peppers to taste. Done!

Calories per serving: 41; fat 2.5g; carbs 3g; fibre 1g; protein 1g;