My wife had read about coconut flour here and found a recipe for coconut coated chicken at the same site. This is an excellent recipe that is quite easy and very tasty. If you're like me and you really enjoy fried chicken, this is an outstanding low-carb alternative to the deep fried, flour-coated stuff you might find at Publix, KFC, Bojangles, Mrs. Winners, Church's, Popeye's, Zaxby's, Guthrie's, or any self-respecting southern cooking establishment.
Ingredients
- 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1-2 lightly beaten eggs
- coconut flakes (e.g., Bob's Red Mill medium shredded unsweetened coconut)
- coconut oil
- salt & pepper
Cooking Instructions
Place the chicken breasts between saran wrap and beat the breasts flat. I typically use my fist or the palm of my hand, but, alternatively, you could use a mallet or a large spoon. Salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast. Lightly beat one egg for two breasts or two eggs for four breasts in a shallow bowl. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet (medium heat). Next, spread coconut flakes on a plate or flat surface and coat the chicken breasts in the coconut flakes. After coating the "dry" breasts, dip each breast in the egg and then dredge the egg coated chicken in the flour. Place the coated chicken breasts in the hot skillet.
Brown the chicken on both sides until the chicken is cooked throughout.
Comments
I was very impressed with this dish. To my surprise, the chicken is not overly sweet and not overpowered by coconut flavor. I have found that cooking certain things in coconut oil can leave the dish tasting like coconut. For example, cooking summer squash or onions in coconut oil is a bad idea unless you like coconut flavored squash/onions. This chicken, on the other hand, tastes a great deal like the fried chicken my mother would make. The coconut flakes are not sweet or overpowering. Unlike the coconut I was accustomed to: sweetened coconut like you'd find on a coconut cake or in Almond Joy candy, the coconut flakes are rather mild and complement, rather than dominate, the chicken. Similarly, the coconut oil allows you to nicely brown the chicken, but unlike the dominance it exerts over vegetables, it heightens the flavor of the chicken and almost replicates the juicy deliciousness of quality fried chicken.
I am a fried chicken fanatic and converting to a low carbohydrate diet just became much more palatable now that I have found what I believe to be a near replacement for traditional fried chicken.
Please note that Mark's Daily Apple suggests using coconut flour (a more finely ground version of coconut meat that resembles wheat flour in consistency) as the first coat. Because my wife and I were unable to locate coconut flour in our local Whole Foods grocery store, we just used the coconut flakes in both steps. Overall, the result was fantastic.
Links to Other Simple, Low Carbohydrate Dinner Recipes
Links to Simple, Low Carbohydrate Breakfast Recipes
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