Coconut Crusted Chicken with Apricot Dijon Sauce

I have to admit, this was not a hit with the rest of the family. Aaron ate cereal last night for dinner and Bailey had a plateful of fruit and cheese. Aaron did say that he liked the sauce so it wasn't a total flop with him, but he said he would rather have it on plain fried chicken.



The good news is that even though no one else liked it very much, I am set for lunch for the rest of the week. And I must say, the plate that I prepared for the fridge last night looked even better than the plate I consumed.

If you like coconut you will like this chicken. The coconut adds a hint of sweetness and it crisps in the oven. The apricot dijon sauce is tangy with a bit of a bite from the dijon. It all went quite well with some plain steamed vegetables and rice. Overall I was quite pleased with it.

The chicken is easy to make and the sauce is even easier and because it bakes in the oven instead of frying you can relax while it cooks instead of hovering over it at the stove. You could lighten it up by using vegetable oil spray instead of melted butter and I probably will next time I make it. That was the only drawback of this meal, I felt like it was drowning in butter.

If you're looking for something a little different to add to your easy weeknight dinner rotation, consider this chicken.

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Apricot Dijon Sauce

Source: Seeded at the Table

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter (could substitute vegetable oil cooking spray)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 Tbsp dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Set aside.

Beat the egg in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl combine the coconut flakes, flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and mix with a fork.

Dip each chicken breast in the egg, then in the coconut mixture and press the mixture firmly onto the chicken so that it sticks.

Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the chicken. (You could also just spray the chicken with vegetable oil spray instead of the butter.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the coconut is slightly browned.

In a small bowl combine the apricot preserves and dijon mustard and stir. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once the chicken is cooked top with the sauce and serve warm.

I served it with steamed vegetables and rice but it would also go well with potatoes or pasta and vegetables.