Coconut Panko Oven Fried Chicken

This chicken is quick and surprisingly delicious, goes well with the coconut vegetable basmati rice.

Main ingredients

• 2 pieces of chicken breasts, skinned
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup panko - Japanese breadcrumbs
  
• 4 Tbl butter
• 1 egg
• 1-2 Tbl soy sauce
• 1 Tbl cornstarch
  

Spices

• Cumin - 1 Tbl
  
• Curry powder - 1/2 Tbl
  
• Oregano or cilantro flakes optional
  
• Salt, pepper to taste
  

Optional Gravy ingredients

• Chicken broth
• Coconut milk
• Cooking alcohol (wine, rice wine)
  

Baking pan, oven at 350-360 deg. F.

Dot butter in bottom of baking dish with fingers, flatten the dots out a bit til bottom is overed.

In a large flat-bottomed bowl, mix together cornstarch, spices, coconut flakes and panko. I sometimes add oregano or cilantro or even basil flakes here.

In a small bowl beat egg, add soy sauce, a bit of water to stretch if you have more than 2 pieces of chicken.

Dip chicken, one piece at a time, in egg mix, then roll in coconut-panko mix.

Put in pan and bake uncovered at 350 - 360 degrees for 25 minutes. Turn chicken pieces and continue baking 20- 25 minutes more.

Remove the chicken and add a suitable amount of chicken broth with coconut milk to the bottom of the baking pan, and a bit of alcohol of choice to reduce the butter etc., mix, add salt and pepper to taste, and that is your gravy.

If you want a more robust gravy, then add some pureed fruit (any fruit, I'm not picky, but aficioanados will tell you the pulpy ones are better, apricot, peach, grape, plum ... vs apple), more butter (or olive oil), rice wine vinegar, chicken broth, brown sugar, mustard, salt and chili powder... and cook 'til blended. This is really in the duck sauce family but goes great with this sort of baked chicken.