Nutty Baked Chicken

This recipe for Nutty Baked Chicken is a result of my need to recreate a “peanut crusted chicken” I made when my husband and I first got married.  Back then, I was just playing around with ingredients we had in the house that day.  There wasn’t a recipe and I didn’t write anything down at the time.  The result was memorable to say the least!  We will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary in 2021… so it has been a little while! Lol!  Oddly enough, it has taken until now for me to make it and actually write down the recipe this time!

Give the Chicken a Bath!

If you can, marinate this chicken overnight.  The mixture of coconut milk, soy sauce, sesame oil and lime will soak into the chicken if given the time.  As a result, it will have more flavor and ensure that it is tender and juicy.  If you don’t have time for marinating overnight, just marinate it for as long as you can. 

The Nutty Crust

Just three ingredients- sweetened coconut, roasted and salted peanuts and gluten free panko or breadcrumbs.  Pop all of these in a food processor to grind them into a uniform, finely ground mixture.  Pour the mixture into a gallon sized zipper bag and place one piece of chicken in the bag at a time.  Give it a good shake to coat the chicken evenly and lay it out on a greased baking pan.  I also line my pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.  Once all of the chicken breasts are coated with the nutty crumb mixture, it is ready to bake.

As you can imagine, this will give the baked chicken a crispy crust that is a little sweet and salty.  The natural oils in the ingredients allows the crust to become crispy without frying it in oil.  I love it when the oven can do the work while I do something else! 

Peanut Sauce

This sauce is soooo good.  Bites of crispy chicken mopping this sauce up off my plate is a little piece of heaven to me.  And not only is it fabulous on this chicken, it is fantastic on salads and noodles too!  A squeeze of lime and sprinkle cilantro on top will make it all the more delicious!  This recipe make a generous amount of Peanut Sauce, so there will be more than enough for the chicken and a pound of pasta or dressing for 4 salads.  Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you'd prefer not to have left-overs.

Speaking of left over Peanut Sauce.  I keep a bottle of it in the fridge and the cold temperature of the fridge will make it difficult to pour.  To fix this, take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before using it or let it soak in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or so until it becomes pourable.   

Nutty Baked Chicken and…

Try my Coconut Lime Shrimp Ceviche for an appetizer,  Thai Chopped Salad using the Nutty Baked Chicken sliced on top, or a side of Honey Ginger Stir-Fry (without the chicken) or Coconut Rice.  Finish off your meal with Coconut Cupcake with Lime Frosting, Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes or Coconut Tres Leche Cake.  All are gluten free of course!

Nutty Baked Chicken

5 from 3 votes

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Servings: 4 large servings

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

Chicken Marinade

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup full fat 100% coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce - I use gluten free soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or seasoned rice vinegar

Nutty Chicken Coating

• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup roasted & salted peanuts
• ½ cup gluten free panko or unseasoned dry breadcrumbs

Peanut Sauce *see note below

• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• ½ cup full fat 100% coconut milk
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice or seasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1 fresh lime - *optional for serving
• 1 handful chopped fresh cilantro - *optional for serving

Instructions

• Combine chicken, coconut milk, sesame oil, soy sauce and lime juice in a zipper plastic bag or a covered dish. Place in the fridge to marinate for several hours or overnight if possible.
• When you are ready to bake the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease the foil with oil.
• Place coconut, peanuts and panko/breadcrumbs in a food processor. Pulse until uniform finely ground crumbs remain. Place this mixture in a gallon sized plastic zippered bag.
• Remove the chicken from the fridge and place each piece in the bag one at a time with the nutty crumbs. Shake and press the mixture onto each piece of chicken making sure they are evenly coated on all sides.
• Place the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.
• While the chicken is baking, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a blender or smoothie maker and blend until combined well. Serve the chicken with the sauce drizzled on top with a slice of lime and a little chopped cilantro if you wish.

Notes

Note about Peanut Sauce:

This recipe make a generous amount of Peanut Sauce, so there will be more than enough for the chicken and a pound of pasta or dressing for 4 salads.  Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you'd prefer not to have left-overs.

Speaking of left over Peanut Sauce.  I keep a bottle of it in the fridge and the cold temperature of the fridge will make it difficult to pour.  To fix this, take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temp before using it or let it soak in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or so until it becomes pourable.