Gluten-Free Baked Crispy Coconut Chicken

Gluten-Free Baked Crispy Coconut Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 egg
1/4 c coconut flour
1/4 c brown rice flour
3 cups Erewhon Gluten-Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
1/3 c shredded coconut
1 tsp salt
canola spray

Apricot/Peach Dipping Sauce

3 Tbsp apricot or peach jam or orange marmalade
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch dried red chili flakes
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp coconut aminos or wheat-free San-J tamari

Make the sauce
Combine all the sauce ingredients. Depending on the jam you use you may want to add more vinegar. Taste it and season it up to your taste. If you like it more or less spicy, adjust the amount of chili flakes. To make it more savory and less sweet, add a bit more coconut aminos or tamari. Don’t be afraid to play with the flavors, that’s what good cooks do! Just be sure add ingredients in small amounts and continually taste as you go.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

If you want chicken fingers, cut the chicken into strips trying to keep the sizes as even as possible. Otherwise, butterfly each breast and then cut in half.

Put the brown rice cereal in a food processor and process until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. These make a great substitute for panko bread crumbs. I like Erewhon’s cereal because it is not too sweet.

Clear some counter space. You will need 2 large plates, a wide bowl (not too big) and a sheet pan or cookie sheet fitted with an oven safe wire rack sprayed with canola oil spray.

Beat the egg in the wide bowl with 2 tsp water. Leave the fork with the bowl.

Put the coconut flour and brown rice flour on one of the plates, add 1/2 tsp of the salt and mix thoroughly. If you don’t have coconut flour, all brown rice is fine.

Place the rice crumbs, shredded coconut and 1/2 tsp salt on the other plate and mix well with your fingers.

Use only your left hand (the ”wet” hand”) to handle the chicken and use only your right (the “dry” hand) to touch the flour and crumbs.

Place the chicken on the flour plate and coat completely. Use your dry hand to sprinkle and press the flour into any crevices.

Use your wet hand to transfer the chicken to the egg bowl. Coat with egg, flip with the fork. Then pick it up with the fork or your wet hand, let the excess egg drip off into the bowl and lay it onto the rice crumbs plate.

Use your wet hand to flip. Then use your dry hand to press the chicken down. This will help the crumbs to adhere. Flip and press again. If there are any uncoated spots use your dry hand to sprinkle and press the crumbs onto the chicken.

Use your dry hand to transfer the coated breast to the wire rack.

Repeat until all the chicken is coated.

Bake for 10 minutes then flip. Bake another 15 minutes or so. Times will vary depending on the thickness and size of your chicken pieces.