Dredging...

[knitaddict]

Ok, so I've got a TERRIBLE CRAVING for coconut chicken. I used to get it from Super Suppers...but I just don't want to take a chance of getting glutened...so I found a recipe that sounds identical. The only problem is the flour...I don't know which flour to try....rice flour, or coconut flour...and THEN there's this: I've heard that coconut flour is great and I've been wanting to try it...but where do I find it??? I've been keeping an eye out at Kroger...but maybe I'm not looking in the right spot.

Anywho--just in case, here's the entire recipe...see what you guys think...

Crispy Coconut Chicken

1 C. flaked coconut

1/2 C. flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 C. butter or margarine, melted

1 C. apricot preserves, optional

2 T. Dijon mustard, optional

Heat oven to 400

[missy'smom]

I haven't tried this kind of recipe but I often make breaded items. When it comes to dredging things to be coated in crumbs, it usually doesn't matter what kind of flour you use. The purpose of it in that case is to help the other ingredients stick and help hold in the moisture of the meat. Any one flour or blend should be fine. In this particular recipe it seems that you may want to consider the taste of the flour. Usually I use Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Blend, which has some bean flour in it, which can have an off taste but it is un-noticeable in this application. But, in your recipe, since it is in the outer layer of coating, it may(or may not?) be noticable.

[knitaddict]

Well, it looks like it's a moot point anyway....I went to Publix, where I first saw coconut flour, and they didn't HAVE any. I KNEW that I should've bought it that first time I saw it. Oh well, I just bought some new white rice flour...I'm sure that will work. Ugh--I even drove ACROSS TOWN to the OTHER Publix...no dice. The next time I see that stuff, I'm buying 2 packs!!!

[knitaddict]

Ok, so we tried the coconut chicken last nite....since I couldn't find the coconut flour, I used rice flour.....I might not do that next time....or I might just back off on the amount of flour. It was just a teensy bit mealy...just a TINY bit...it WASN'T bad though.....

...and that apricot/dijon sauce was FAB!!!!!!!!!

And I made a rice pilaf w/my rice steamer...just used chicken broth instead of water and added some spices...it went very well w/the chicken. I think we'll be having it again...but I'll have to tinker w/the recipe until I get it where I want it.

[missy'smom]

You can make many yummy pilafs in the rice cooker. You can substitute 1 Tb. well rinsed quinoa(red or gold) for 1 Tb. rice per cup of rice. Adds a little extra nutrition. You can add cubed sweet potatoes, cubed raw chicken, diced carrots etc. We had a soy sauce, sake and mirin flavored pilaf with 3 kinds of mushrooms for supper tonight and it was very yummy.

[julirama723]

Bob's Red Mill makes coconut flour, and you can probably buy it at your health food store. It's made in the same facility that processes tree nuts and soy, so that might be an issue? If you can buy unsweetened coconut, you can make coconut meal or course flour in your food processor or coffee grinder. (I have a coffee grinder that I use to grind nuts into meals/flours and it works great!)

[knitaddict]

Bob's Red Mill makes coconut flour, and you can probably buy it at your health food store. It's made in the same facility that processes tree nuts and soy, so that might be an issue? If you can buy unsweetened coconut, you can make coconut meal or course flour in your food processor or coffee grinder. (I have a coffee grinder that I use to grind nuts into meals/flours and it works great!)

That's what's got me so irritated about that whole recipe. See, the other day, when I was at Publix...I SAW coconut flour and thought, "Nahh..I don't need that..." So I didn't buy it...then when I went back...they didn't have it!!! I've been kicking my own butt for DAYS now. Ugh!

[sickchick]

I unfortunately had a reaction to Bob's Coconut Flour and sadly have not used it since...

good luck! I make coconut chicken all the time but I have never used coconut flour.. I dip the pieces in coconut milk and then straight into shredded coconut.

[Wonka]

Ok, so we tried the coconut chicken last nite....since I couldn't find the coconut flour, I used rice flour.....I might not do that next time....or I might just back off on the amount of flour. It was just a teensy bit mealy...just a TINY bit...it WASN'T bad though.....

...and that apricot/dijon sauce was FAB!!!!!!!!!

And I made a rice pilaf w/my rice steamer...just used chicken broth instead of water and added some spices...it went very well w/the chicken. I think we'll be having it again...but I'll have to tinker w/the recipe until I get it where I want it.

Alot of asian dishes use cornstarch (they call it velveting).

Here is the information about velveting that I received from an asian friend.

Velveting meat to Tenderize

Velveting meat makes for that soft and slightly slippery texture you find in a good Cantonese stir-fried beef. It requires thin sliced beef (against the grain), cornstarch, soy sauce, egg whites, and a touch of baking soda. Mix this up and marinate for a half hour. It also requires a bit of oil, as you are basically cooking the marinated beef in a *warm* oil bath so it doesn't cook too quickly. This prevents the outside proteins from coagulating tightly, which is what makes for tough stir-fried beef. Velveted beef is soft and feels, well, like velvet (OK, so I've never put velvet in my mouth, so I'm assuming here). Stir the beef in the warm oil until it's lost its raw color, and with a spider, scoop the beef out of the oil and let it drain. Then you can stir-fry the veg and the velveted beef.

Excellent technique for stove top stir-fries, as it doesn't need that huge blast of heat from a wok stove. Good for doing chicken and shrimp as well