Baked Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce

By Foodiewife

This is an easy and fast recipe that turns boring chicken into something spectacular! If you love coconut, then you'll love these chicken breasts that are baked until lightly golden, and then broiled for a golden color with extra crispiness. Dip these into apricot jam, and your family will want more. Recipe adapted from Pennies on a Platter.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (I used 1-1/2 cups because I love coconut
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless chicken breasts*
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter*, melted
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tsps Dijon mustard
• NOTE: You could use all butter, but I liked the butter and olive oil mixture

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a Silpat Mat.

NOTE: I had two large chicken breasts, so I butterflied them into thinner pieces.

To prepare the apricot sauce, mix the apricot preserves and the Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
For the sauce: I used a homemade apricot-pineapple jam (1/4 cup) to 2 tsp of Dijon Mustard. I did not want to add any more mustard, because the jam was so delicious that I wanted to keep that sweeter sauce flavor, with just a hint of savory. Adjust the sauce to your preference.


Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl; set aside.

Mix the coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.

Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the bowl with the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture-- lightly press the coating. Place on the baking sheet.

Once all the chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter*.

*NOTE: I used 1/4 cup unsalted butter, and 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, if you are using large chicken breasts. But, because I had thinner chicken breasts, I baked them for 20 minutes and flipped them over halfway through.

I wanted a deeper golden color, with crispier coconut, so I removed the chicken and moved the rack to the highest position; then I broiled the chicken about 2-3 minutes per side. Watch very carefully, so that the coconut doesn't burn! I had just a little bit of charred coconut, but I liked that rustic look. Overall the color was a deep golden and perfect!


You could cut the chicken into small bites, and serve these as appetizers.

We loved these! Keeper recipe.

Freezer Friendly: After baking the chicken, let cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, bake in a preheated oven at 400˚F for 20 minutes.