Coconut Chicken with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Today I officially finish my Emed rotation.  Wednesday night was my last shift, and it was an exciting one.  I was just complaining to my resident that I haven't seen a gun shot victim yet, and that I wanted to suture one last time.  Be careful what you wish for!  Sure enough, everyone started scrambling, and when I asked what was up, a GSW to the head was coming in.  We got him stable (but that never ends up super well for anyone).  They let me help intubate!  Then an old gentleman fell down some stairs and sliced his lip.  I totally got to sew that up.  Lips are complicated though...my resident prefaced by saying, "You'll totally do a good job, but the human eye can recognize 1 mm of asymmetry in the lips...so just match them up!!"  Pressure!  But it looked pretty good when I was done, even if it took me like an hour :)  Today is the exam, then I'm on to neuro.  Onward and upward!

In other news....This is our main dish recipe for the Men in the Kitchen dinner in February.  My dad found a recipe with a great marinade from allrecipes.com, but the sauce in that recipe was...a little boring-sounding.  It was white, and on top of brownish chicken, well, I just thought we needed a little sparkle.  So when I attemped the recipe a few nights ago, I made up a greenish-sauce that actually was fantastic!!

The sauce isn't spicy, although there is a WHOLE jalapeno in it.  It's also good as a salad dressing, taco drizzle, on crab cakes, and a chip dip.  Pretty versatile!!

Speaking of Men in the Kitchen, do you live in Rapids?  Then I think you need to check out the official site, and think about coming!  Tickets are a little pricy, but it's a GREAT cause and the food is amazing. Think about it!!

Coconut Chicken with Cilantro Lime Sauce
For the marinade:
1 14oz can light coconut milk, divided (shake it first!)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

For the breading
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup panko bread crumbs

For the sauce:
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp lime juice
Zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup cilantro
1 jalapeno, insides removed and discarded (because it's hot!)
1 clove garlic
Salt, to taste

Combine ingredients for marinade inside a gallon-sized plastic bag.  Put chicken in bag, smush around, and refrigerate in marinade for 1 hour.

To bread, set up 3 bowls.  Add flour, salt and pepper to one, the egg to the second, and the coconut/bread crumbs to the third.  Shake excess liquid off chicken breasts and dip sequentially in flour, then egg, then coconut mixture.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare sauce:  combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Mix on high for 1 minute and pour into serving dish.  (It will be thin...that's ok.  It would thicken up a bit in the refrigerator for a few hours).   Drizzle sauce over prepared coconut chicken breasts, and enjoy!!