Coconut Chicken and Baked Broccoli

So this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE recipe.  I have made it countless times and I never get sick of it.  It is extremely versatile.  I have tried this breading on chicken tenders and breasts and even tilapia and it has all been delicious.  I got it from my most favorite food blog Our Best Bites from Sara and Kate!!  The Apricot glaze is a must, I can honestly eat it by the spoonful on its own!  I paired the chicken with baked broccoli because this to me, is the best way to prepare and eat it.  I also made these cute little pineapple stars which made the dish really fun and pretty to look at.    

Coconut Chicken:

1-2 packs of chicken tenders (It depends on the size of the tenders)
2 eggs for dipping
1/2 Cup of flour
1 Cup of finely chopped sweetened coconut flakes
1 Cup of Bread Crumbs (I used half plain and half gluten free)
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic  Powder
3/4 Tsp Salt
3/4 Tsp Curry Powder
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/8 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Doesn't add much heat so I would add it for great flavor)

Directions

-  Preheat oven to 450
-  Chop coconut so that its the size of the bread crumbs roughly
-  Combine bread crumbs, coconut and spices in one dish, the egg in another, and the flour in another shallow pan 
(I have a trifold prep pan that makes dipping very easy, I would highly recommend purchasing one)
-  Dip tenders in flour, then egg and then the coconut mixture and then place on greased lined baking sheet
(I used two packs of chicken tenders.  Mine were pretty small but I still didn't use all the coconut mixture, so before I started I put about 1/4 to 1/2 of the mixture aside so I can save it and use it for another round)
- Spray Pam on top so it gets nicely golden and crisp
- Cook about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the tenders (my small ones took about 18-20 minutes in my oven.  Watch them closely because they can easily dry out and that would be devastating)
- Serve with Apricot Glaze (Recipe Below)

* Note:  If you don't want to bake them all or if you want to make extra you can always put on baking sheet uncooked and toss them into the freezer until they could be stacked and save them for another day.  You can then defrost and cook them the same way at 450.  I love freezing them, they are so easy to grab when you are too lazy to cook anything after a long day.  


Apricot Glaze:

1 Cup of Apricot Preserves
1/4 Tsp Curry Powder
1/2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tsp of Soy Sauce

Directions

Just whisk all ingredients together and adjust if you need to.  Sometimes I find the mustard to be a bit powerful, so I cut it back to 1/4 Tsp sometimes


Baked Broccoli:

Take a bunch of broccoli and toss it in olive oil until its all coated.  Place on lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at same temperature as the chicken and put it in the oven at the same time because it should take 15-20 minutes also.  The broccoli should be a little brown on top, crisp and green; not soggy!

Pineapple:

I sliced the pineapple width wise into thin strips.  I took a cookie cutter and cut out the center where the core was.  I then took a knife around the outsize of the big star and made it into a 5 sided star to match.  They added an extra something special to the dish AND they matched my pineapple star shaped ice cubes I put in our drinks.  ADORABLE!!  

I hope you enjoy this one.  For dessert I made individual pineapple upside down cakes.  I'll post the recipe soon.  

Happy Sunday everyone.

"What we love determines what we seek.  What we seek determines what we think and do.  What we think and do determines who we are and who we will become" - President Uchtdorf -