cooking for company.

Tonight we had my husband’s grandma over for dinner. Not only did we have a great time hanging out, but it was a great excuse for me to make something “guest worthy”. That’s not to say that I only cook crappy stuff for Craig, but to be quite honest we’ve been incredibly busy the last few weeks and I haven’t exactly been digging very deep into my arsenal of recipes. I’ve made this recipe a couple of times and it’s great for a special occasion/when company comes, or just when you have a bit of extra time. My only gripe is that it does dirty up quite a few pots and pans :(…but thankfully I have a wonderful husband who did all the dishes :).

I made Coconut Crusted Chicken with Cashew-Curry Sauce.

Here’s the recipe from Cooking Light (my favorite cooking inspiration) and I highly recommend it.

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

OK….

A couple of things to note.

*Don’t judge the fish sauce before you try it. It absolutely reeks and I was hesitant to even include it in the meal, but it works. Trust me.

*Also…I didn’t use red curry paste. They didn’t have it at the store (or at least I couldn’t seem to find it) so I used curry powder and a smidgen of chili garlic paste.

*Finally…This is optimal if cooked in a cast iron pan. I absolutely adore cast iron – don’t even get me started. BUT…aside from my obvious bias, cast iron pans work great for searing the chicken and then putting the pan directly into the oven. It’s a truly beautiful thing.

Let me know if you try this and like it. I’d love to hear what other people think!

cooking for company.

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