Recipe: Coconut Chicken Strips with Orange Pineapple Sauce :: MMM (Must Make Monday)

April 16, 2012 by Laureen Fox | 8 Comments

I have been a collector of recipes for as long as I can remember but I never manage to find enough time to try all the recipes I collect and that was the reason my MMM (Must-Make-Monday) series was born. The idea was to force myself to choose at least one recipe from my Must-Make-List each week. I would post the results here on my blog. Solid idea, or so I thought, but with my recipe collection growing faster than the speed of light, I could use a month of Mondays and still not get to all the recipes in my collections. That’s the other thing, since I started this series, my collection has become plural. It started with the Must-Make-Page on my blog site but now, I also have a Must-Make Board on Pinterest.

One of the things I like about my MMM (Must-Make-Monday) series, is that it forces me to follow through and use the recipes in my collections. I cross a recipe off my Must-Make-List after I have used it and add it to my Made-This (TAB). You can view archive postings from my MMM (Must-Make-Monday) series, by clicking on my Must-Make-List page and then clicking on the Made-This TAB.

Sorry I missed posting anything last Monday. We were away most of the week and spent Easter weekend with family in the Okanagan. I fell a bit behind.

To start things off this week, here are a few recipes, that I’ve come across recently. They are categorised but listed in no particular order. These are recipes that I would love to try but haven’t gotten around to yet. They are to become the newest additions to my Must-Make-List.

Sweet:

SCD Carrot Cake by Comfy Tummy. I’ve been working on my own version of a Carrot Cake. If I can make it grain free like this Recipe from SCD Breaking The Vicious Cycle, I’m sure my grumpy tummy would be happier.
Coconut Chocolate Cake by Civilized Caveman Cooking. Two of my favourite food groups…coconut and chocolate!
Vanilla White Chocolate Carrot Cheesecake With Pistachio Crust by Fragrant Vanilla Cake. The Pistachio Crust is what got my attention. Add Vanilla, White Chocolate, Carrot and Cheesecake, how can I resist?
Gluten Free Brownies by Gluten Free Girl and The Chef. I’m always game for trying new recipes for Brownies. Teff flour and hazelnuts make up some of the ingredients here.
Macaroons, GAPS, Paleo, Primal by Real Food Forager. I love macaroons! This recipe is slightly different and that’s why I would like to give it a try.

Breakfast:

Cinnamon Bun Muffins by Comfy Belly. I love Erica’s idea of using a “topping” on the top and in the middle to make these muffins more like an authentic cinnamon bun.

Lunch:

Smashed Chickpea Avocado Salad Sandwich by Two Peas and Their Pod. I think this filling would go perfectly with my Pepita (Pumpkin Seed) Bread.
Collard Wrap Tutorial by Choosing Raw. I have been craving fresh raw fruits and veggies lately. The leafy green wraps featured in this tutorial and these Sunny Green Wraps by Peas and Thank You have sent my craving into overdrive. As soon as I saw the pictures, I wanted to run out to my local Produce Store to stock up on leafy greens.

Savoury:

Honey Spiced Glazed Chicken by Nutmeg Nanny. A sweet and spicy glaze for chicken, I can do that.
Guilt Free Cauliflower Pizza Bites by DAMY Health. Looks like a good way to get more veggies in our diet. Baked in a mini muffin pan, uses pizza or pasta sauce for dipping.
GFV Peanut Noodles Three Ways by Free Food Freedom. This recipe reminds me of a Thai Noodle Salad I’ve always loved. I think I will try a chilled version.

Miscellaneous:

Gluten And Depression by Jane Anderson on Celiac Disease – About.com. A sensitive subject that most of us would rather avoid discussing. Articles like this give comfort in the knowledge that this is a shared experience within the gluten free community. I’m not crazy and I’m not alone.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. ~Helen Keller

Now, here’s what’s been cooking in the Fox Kitchen lately…

This Peanut Sauce is seriously good! You don’t have to take my word for it, my son’s girlfriend said “made this peanut coconut sauce that I could eat everyday for the rest of my life”. Gabi from Broke Ass Gourmet posted the recipe and said “this is one of those crazy-good, lick-the-bowl sauces”.

A word of caution tho…Broke Ass Gourmet is not a gluten free site. Make sure to check the labels on the ingredients you use. I used a Gluten Free Soy Sauce and a Peanut Butter that is natural without a bunch of additives.

We used the peanut sauce as a dip to go along with our fondue. I think it would also be great on Spring Rolls, an Asian Salad, Stir-Fried Veggies, Quinoa and any number of other dishes. The next time I make this sauce, I’m going to tuck some away in the freezer to see how freezer friendly it is.

I also made these Sesame Cookies from Elana’s Pantry. Her cookies are prettier than mine because I got carried away and mixed the sesame seeds right into the dough instead of rolling the dough in the sesame seeds. However, the cookies were very tasty…evidenced by the fact that I didn’t have time to snap any pictures of them.

Today, for my Must-Make-Monday series, I would like to share Coconut Chicken Strips (think Coconut Shrimp) with a Orange Pineapple Sauce for dipping.

I adjusted both the chicken and sauce recipes to make them gluten free. The chicken can either be cut into strips or bite sized nuggets. I’ve done them both ways. The bite sized nuggets (pictured) were very popular as appetisers at a Birthday Party and we had chicken strips as the main coarse for a large casual family supper (sorry, I was a bad blogger who didn’t get any picture of the chicken strips).

Recipe: Coconut Chicken Strips or Nuggets

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Summary: Tasty! The Coconut coating on the chicken is perfectly crunchy with a light tropical flavour that pairs beautifully with Orange Pineapple Sauce.

Gluten Free | Sugar Free | Dairy Free | Grain Free | Omnivore

Inspired by this recipe at Pennies On A Platter

Ingredients

1 egg
1 Cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 Cup GF flour, I used coconut flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite sized nuggets
1/4 Cup butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl; set aside.
In a shallow bowl, or if you prefer, you can do it ‘Shake and Bake’ style and use a large plastic bag, add the coconut flakes, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Dip the chicken nuggets in the egg and then coat with the coconut flour mixture.
Place the coated chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet.
Once all of the chicken bits are coated and on the baking sheet, evenly drizzle with the melted butter.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and nicely cooked on the inside. Flip the chicken pieces over after about 15 to 20 minutes.

Quick notes

These chicken nuggets freeze well. Allow to cool completely after cooking, place in a freezer safe zip-lock style bag. To reheat, bake from a frozen state in a 400˚F oven for about 20 minutes.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Diet tags: Gluten Free | Sugar Free | Dairy Free | Grain Free | Omnivore

Number of servings (yield): 4

Recipe by Laureen.

Recipe: Orange Pineapple Sauce

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Summary: This Orange Pineapple Sauce pairs beautifully with Coconut Chicken Strips or Nuggets.

Inspired by this recipe at Dole

Ingredients

1 can (14-ounce) crushed pineapple in juice
1 – 2 Tbsp cornstarch, or thickener of choice
1/2 Cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp tomato paste, optional (original recipe called for barbecue sauce)

Instructions

Pour the pineapple (undrained) into a blender and process until it’s a thick puree.
In a medium size saucepan, add pineapple puree and cornstarch. On medium heat, stir until well blended and sauce begins to thicken.
Add orange juice, zest, honey and tomato paste; stir until well blended.
Bring to a soft boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring for about 2-3 minutes. Sauce should be fairly thick.
Remove from heat, pour over warm Coconut Chicken and serve, or set aside to cool.

Quick notes

This sauce freezes well. Allow to cool completely after cooking, place in a freezer safe zip-lock style bag. When ready to use, allow to thaw and then warm in a microwave oven before serving.

Variations

Reserve 1/4 Cup crushed pineapple (drained) for garnish. Prepare sauce as directed above. Arrange cooked Coconut Chicken on a serving platter, drizzle with the Sauce and then sprinkle with the reserved crushed pineapple. Serve warm.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 2 Cups

Recipe by Laureen.

This posting is linked to the following events:

Melt In Your Mouth Monday hosted by Jane at Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

Make Your Own! Mondays hosted by Lea at Nourishing Treasures

Made From Scratch Tuesday hosted by Jen at Mess Hall To Bistro

Fat Tuesday hosted by Jill at Real Food Forager

Hearth and Soul Hop hosted by Alea at Premeditated Leftovers

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays hosted by Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Traditional Tuesdays hosted by Lea Harris at Nourishing Treasures