Crunchy Coconut Lime Chicken Strips

By MissiAnn

Ingredients

• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 chicken breasts (About 1 lb) cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 2/3 cup dessicated coconut shreds
• 3/4 cup flour
• salt and pepper to season flour
• 2 eggs, beaten with 4 tablespoons of coconut water (you can use coconut milk if you can’t find coconut water)
• Oil spray, doesn’t matter what kind
• Spicy Yogurt Dip
• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Asian chile-garlic sauce
• 1 small handful cilantro leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a bowl, stir together lime juice, zest, light olive oil, ginger, light soy sauce, garlic and salt. Add the chicken strips and stir until they’re completely coated with the marinade. You can also pour the marinade with the chicken strips, into a ziplock bag, which is what I did. Marinate for 4 to 5 hours at the most..stirring the strips in the bowl of marinade or squeezing around the bag every hour to an hour and a half to insure even marinating.
2. Line a large baking sheet with foil sprayed lightly with oil. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in one bowl, the beaten eggs and coconut water in a second bowl, and the panko and dessicated coconut in a third bowl. Remove the chicken strips from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Lift up each chicken strip and shake off some of the marinade so it isn’t overly-saturated (I just ran two impeccably clean fingers down each strip, sliding off the extra marinade). Coat each chicken strip in flour, knocking off the excess, then dip and coat well in the egg mixture and then dredge it in the panko – dessicated coconut mixture, pressing it onto each strip. Place each chicken strip on the oiled baking sheet and continue until all chicken has been coated.
4. Lightly spray some oil on the breaded chicken strips, then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. IMPORTANT – Do not let them sit on the baking sheet once out of the oven. Transfer them to a rack if not eating within a few minutes, or the bottoms will get soggy.
Spicy Yogurt Dip
1. Mix all the ingredients together, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors blend.