Coconut Chicken Tenders with Apricot Dipping Sauce

I made these in the hopes of finding a new chicken recipe my daughter Maddie would like. Knowing that she loves chicken nuggets, but not knowing how she felt about coconut, I figured I had a 50/50 chance with these. Turns out the girl likes coconut and loved these! Score one for me...and I needed one, believe me. Lately it feels like that little nose has been in the locked and upright position come dinner time. Which makes me wonder, does turning your nose up and looking down your nose mean the same thing? I think Maddie has been doing both lately just to cover her bases.

COCONUT CHICKEN TENDERS

Yield: 8 servings

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or canola oil)

8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

2 eggs

½ cup coconut milk

1-2 dashes Tabasco (to taste)

1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon fine salt

skewers for serving (optional)

1.      Preheat oven to 400º F. Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil.

2.      Slice each chicken thigh into 3 or 4 long pieces (chicken tenders).

3.      Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk and Tabasco.

4.      Ina separate bowl, mix together the shredded coconut, panko and salt.

5.      Dredge the chicken tenders in the egg mixture, then in coconut/panko mixture.

6.      Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

adapted from recipes.sparkpeople.com (submitted by WANTS2B1HOTMAMA)

chicken thighs

cut into strips

dipping in egg mixture

dipping in coconut/bread crumb mixture

coated and ready to bake

coconut chicken tenders

APRICOT DIPPING SAUCE

Makes about 2 cups

1 3/4 cups apricot jam

2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste

dash of Tabasco, or to taste

Melt jam in a small saucepan.Stir in remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm. Can may be made 2 days ahead, cooled, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat, stirring.

from Gourmet

scallions and lime

everything mixed

My apricot preserves had chunks of apricot in it,
which I didn't bother straining (I just avoided
the chunks when dipping).

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Rao's Marinara Sauce

I consider this both a "favorite things" post and a recipe post because Rao's is hands down my favorite jarred marinara sauce ever. Some of you may have seen it at the grocery store and just kept walking because it's pretty pricey. Okay, very pricey. I've seen the larger jars sell for over $10. But I would submit to you that if you have the money in your budget, it's worth it. And it does go on sale sometimes. It was only $5.99 the other day at the A&P, so I bought 10 jars. Okay, it was 12 jars. I felt a little stupid at the register, but now I feel comforted knowing they're in my basement. I feel the same way about our fifty pack of toilet paper and my industrial size box of tampons. 

Now even though Rao's jarred sauce is great, I do like to make homemade sauce when I can, so it occurred to me that maybe I could find the Rao's recipe online. I didn't have to look far (it's on their website). So I made it and it rivaled the jarred stuff (which is a weird thing to say because usually it's a miracle if something in a jar can compare to homemade, not the other way around). But in this case, rivaling the jar was a good thing. But don't take my word for it, go ahead and give it a try.

RAO’S MARINARA SAUCE

Yield: 7 cups

4 (28 oz.) cans imported Italian plum tomatoes with basil, preferably San Marzano

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 oz. fatback or salt pork, cut in small pieces (optional)

6 tablespoons minced onion

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

salt to taste

12 leaves fresh basil torn, optional

pinch dried oregano

black pepper, to taste

___________________________________________________________________

1.      Remove tomatoes from the can, reserving the juice in which they are packed. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes, gently remove and discard the hard core from the stem end and any skin or tough membrane. Set aside.

2.      Put oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. If using fatback, add to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes or until all fat has been rendered. Remove and discard fatback.

3.      Add onion and saute for 3 minutes or until translucent and just beginning to brown.

4.      Stir in garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until just softened.

5.      Stir in tomatoes, reserved juice, and salt. Raise heat, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook for about 1 hour or until flavors have combined and sauce is slightly thickened. If you prefer a thicker sauce, cook for an additional 15 minutes.

6.      Stir in basil, oregano, and pepper, and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and serve.

from Rao’s Restaurant, NYC

jar of Rao's marinara sauce
(available at most supermarkets)

ingredients from the back of the jar

Obviously they don't use the pork
when they make this to sell in jars.

These were the only San Marzano tomatoes I could find.

crushing the tomatoes

salt pork

removing cooked salt pork

cooking onions

adding garlic

adding tomatoes

mixed and cooking

adding basil, oregano and pepper

homemade Rao's marinara sauce

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Mushroom Thyme Gravy

This is the ideal gravy for vegetarians or people (like me) who fry their turkey on Thanksgiving and don't have pan drippings to make gravy. It's rich and deeply flavorful. And if you don't like the idea of making it with vegetable or chicken stock, you can always make a stock from the giblets from inside your turkey (I actually simmered the giblets in homemade chicken stock for a super hybrid stock). Booyah.  

MUSHROOM THYME GRAVY

Yield: 2 cups

1/3 cup dried mushrooms (shitake or mixed)

2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, preferably homemade

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup light cream

1 tablespoon sherry

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

salt & pepper

1.      Bring the stock to a boil. In a small bowl pour stock over mushrooms. Let soak for 20 minutes.

2.      Remove mushrooms from bowl, setting the stock aside for later. Mince or thinly slice the mushrooms.

3.      In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the minced shallot and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened.

4.      Add the flour to the butter/shallot mixture stirring constantly. Cook for a 2 minutes.

5.      Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved vegetable stock (leaving mushroom sediment out), stirring well to incorporate after each addition. Cook over medium heat until thickened.

6.      Add the reserved mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry & thyme to the gravy. Cook for a few more minutes until heated through and thickened to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

from food52.com (added by sticksnscones)

dried shiitake mushrooms

shiitake mushrooms soaking in hot stock

soaked shiitake mushrooms

shallots cooking in butter

adding flour

roux

adding the stock

thickening

fresh thyme leaves

adding mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry & thyme

mushroom thyme gravy

You can make this the day before and
reheat, thinning with more stock as needed.

gravy on mashed potatoes

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