Hot In Kitchen – Coconut Lime Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts. They are the darling of the grocery store chicken aisle. They get the biggest, most prominent display case, and people just can’t seem to get enough of them. But sometimes you can get into a boneless skinless chicken breast funk. You can only BBQ them so often, and if you don’t cook them exactly right, they are tougher than shoe leather.

Today’s recipe can be used with chicken breasts, but they are even better if you use thighs or drums. The dark meat. The part of the chicken with the most flavour! It’s a completely different take on chicken and I guarantee you that no BBQ sauce is required.

You’ll need:

About a dozen chicken thighs or drums

1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of bread crumbs (you can even use crushed saltines in this recipe for extra crunch)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

½ cup flour

2 eggs

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Start by removing the zest from your lime and save it for later. Put all of your chicken into a baking dish, and cover the pieces with lime juice. Get it in the fridge and let it bathe in the glorious lime juice for a good three hours or better.

When it is time to get rolling for supper, get your oven on and up to 400 F. In a big bowl, add the coconut, the crumbs, spices and lime zest and mix it up well. Put the flour into a second bowl and beat the eggs up into a third bowl. Coat each chicken piece in the flour first, then dip them into the egg, then coat it well with the coconut mixture.

If you can line your pan with parchment first, the chicken will turn out even better, but if you don’t have any parchment, just get the chicken back into the pan and cook them until the internal temperature of the chicken is about 175 F. It will take about 40 minutes in the oven to get it there. If you are not familiar with parchment or cooking with it, it looks a lot like waxed paper (but there is no wax). You find it in the section of the supermarket where the plastic wrap and aluminum foil is. It makes a great, non-stick surface for baking.

Don’t let the words lime, coconut and chicken scare you, especially all of the “meat and potatoes” people in your family. Cook these up nice and crispy, and they’ll be asking for more!

With the main TV in many households being taken over these days for the viewing of NHL playoff hockey, it’s only fitting that we all get into the FULL spirit of game watching. That means a comfy couch, game on TV, and some delicious snacks to enjoy while watching the game. Chicken wings are a main staple of the game watching snack family, and today, something a little different than the standard, deep fried breaded chicken wing that you can easily make in your own oven.

To make enough wings for 4 people, here is what you’ll need. Double or triple the recipe as needed.

The Sauce:

Start with 1 ¼ cups of warm water

1 ¼ cups of soya sauce

2 tbsp of minced garlic

1 tbsp ground ginger, or 1 ¼ tbsp. fresh chopped ginger

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp butter

½ cup honey (save until the end of cooking)

36 chicken wings – helpful if they are already split into the flat and drumette

1 green onion, chopped, for garnish

1 tbsp sesame seeds also for garnish

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl (minus the honey). Put all of your wings into a large bowl or pan and marinate them in 2/3 of the sauce for at least four hour, overnight is even better if you have the time! Reserve the other 1/ of the sauce in a clean container in the fridge for finishing later.

When you are ready to cook the wings, budget yourself about 40-45 minute for cooking. Pre-heat your oven to 375 F and make sure it is up to temperature before you begin. Line some baking sheets with parchment, or use a non-stick baking pan. There is so much sugar in these wings that if you try and use a glass or non-treated pan, half of your wings are liable to weld themselves to the baking pan! Parchment is a great thing to have in your kitchen, and you just need to tear it off the roll in sheets like waxed paper. Set the wings on the lined pans, and get them into the oven. About half way through, flip them over so that the other side has a chance to crisp up a bit. Keep your eye on things as you approach the 45 minute mark, again, sugar burns, and after 45 minutes, they may well have had enough.

In the final minutes of oven time, take out your reserved sauce, add in the honey, and bring to a low boil for 30 seconds in a pot on the stove. Remove the wings from the oven into a big bowl, coat them with the sauce, and plate them up on a nice platter. Garnish with the chopped green onion and sesame seeds. The wings will be extra tender, and an explosion of flavour in every bite! Be careful though, if you make these wings for too many people, they are going to want you to make them all the time.

Easter weekend is on our doorstep and aside from the ham, and the turkey, beans, and pie that we are going to overindulge in – one of the best treats that you can serve at your easter dinner is deviled eggs!

Some folks like to call deviled eggs “dressed eggs” to avoid the connection with satan, but deviled or dressed, it is a delicious, easy to make side dish!

You’ll need:

Eggs

Mayonnaise

Paprika

Optional: Finely diced onion

Sliced Olives

Deviled eggs start with a properly hard boiled egg. Make sure that you have lots of water in the pot to cover all of your eggs. Add 1tbsp of vinegar to the boil water. Bring the eggs to a full rolling boil for 90 seconds, then remove the pot from the heat, cover, and allow the eggs to finish cooking. It should take about 12-13 minutes using this method, but you will be guaranteed an egg that is not overcooked. Also, if you can use old eggs (ones that have been in the fridge for a few days) they will peel much easier than farm fresh eggs.

Once the eggs are done, add them to a pot or bowl of ice cold water. Peel the eggs and cut them in half. Remove the yolks and add 1 – 2 tbsp of mayonnaise. This is really a personal preference measurement. If you like you can add some finely diced onion to the mixture.

Spoon or pipe the filling into the egg halves, sprinkle with paprika and top with an olive slice! Put them in the fridge for at least one hour before service if possible.

The key to great deviled eggs is the way that you boil them! A properly cooked egg will make the best deviled eggs! Enjoy and happy easter!