CRISPY COCONUT CHICKEN STRIPS WITH SRIRACHA MARMALADE SAUCE

Since I last posted a recipe, I've been occupied with binge watching Turkish soap operas and learning a new language. I killed a lot of time watching this one show in particular, but it was so worth it. I also got motivated to better myself and learn a fourth language. If you don't know me, here's a fun fact. I already speak three languages: Arabic, Armenian, and obviously English. Now, I decided to learn Turkish. It's been going well and I've learned a lot.

Now about these chicken strips... Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips are everyone’s favorite. This simple coconut chicken recipe is crispy, full of flavor, and easy to make. They are tender strips coated in golden flakes of coconut. The sweet coconut gets brown and crispy while the chicken stays tender. I love adding some sriracha sauce to orange marmalade to really play up the sweet and spicy combo for an over the top sauce! As you take a bite, the crackle under your teeth, the tropical sweetness under your nose, the flavors of the sweet and spicy bites rush through all your senses at once. These Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips can be an easy weeknight meal or a quick-fix party appetizer!

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 pounds chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)

• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

• 1 tablespoon Salt

• 1/2 tablespoon Pepper

• 1/2 tablespoon Aleppo pepper

• 1/2 cup flour

• 2 eggs, whisked

• 4 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

Sauce

• 1 15 oz jar orange marmalade

• 4 tablespoons sriracha

Directions:

1. Preparing your dipping sauce by adding all of the sauce ingredients into the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge.

2. To prepare the strips, slice length-wise into 4 strips, then those strips slice length-wise in half, making a total of 8 strips per breast.

3. Place the chicken strips into a bowl, and add the curry powder, salt and pepper, and Aleppo pepper, to the strips; toss the strips to coat them in the seasoning, and set them aside for 15 minutes.

4. Then, fill a medium-sized pot about half-way with the vegetable oil, and heat oil while you set up you coating stations.

5. Set up your coating station by adding the flour, along with another couple of pinches of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, into a medium-sized bowl and blending to combine; have the whisked eggs in another medium-sized bowl, and add the sweetened shredded coconut into a third medium-sized bowl.

6. To coat the chicken strips, dredge one strip at a time in the seasoned flour; next, dip it into the whisked eggs, and then into the shredded coconut; press the strips into the coconut very well to coat them thoroughly, and place the coated strips onto a plate to hold until all strips have been coated.

7. Place in freezer for 15 minutes.

8. To fry the strips, work in batches by adding strips into the hot oil, and allow them to fry for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, moving them very gently with tongs every now and then, until they are a deep, golden color.

9. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towel-lined platter to drain; repeat the process until all strips have been fried.

10. Serve the strips hot with a side of the Sriracha Marmalade sauce.