coconut chicken w/ sweet chili dipping sauce

We all know pinterest is the BEST! I found this coconut chicken w/ sweet chili dipping sauce the other day and couldn't wait to make it! B and I have been pretty lazy in the kitchen lately so it was Friday night and we wanted to get back into the kitchen together. Insert coconut chicken. :)

This recipe is from Budget Bytes. Awesome website...she breaks everything out in price and shows you cost per serving. check it out here.

coconut chicken w/ sweet chili dipping sauce

what you need:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk (optional) (i didn't use)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 cup sweet chili sauce

what you do:

Trim and cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short. **Making the chicken strips thinner is the best**

Prepare 3 bowls. First bowl- combine the flour and salt. Second bowl- combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. Third bowl- stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

Place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. You can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. When it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.

While the oil is heating, prepare the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

After breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. Place about 6 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. (If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying.)

Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch. After a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second 1/4 cup to the pan. Allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes). Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed.

Serve with sweet chili sauce.

DELISH!!!!!!!!

xoxo.
manda