Spicy Brazilian Coconut Chicken
Add some fire to your everyday chicken with this jalapeño- and ginger-infused coconut sauce from Brazil. Try serving this spicy Brazilian chicken with brown rice and black beans.
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Nutritional Bonus: Coconut contains medium-chain fatty acids such as lauric acid, which is converted to a substance called monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties.
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Ingredients
- 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Cumin)
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Cayenne Pepper)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Turmeric)
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander (TRY: Simply Organic Ground Coriander)
- 6 5-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup (1 oz) peeled and thinly sliced fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional for garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups jarred or boxed unsalted diced tomatoes, divided
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup light coconut milk
- 3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
Preparation
- In a large bowl, combine oil, 2 cloves garlic, cumin, cayenne, turmeric and coriander. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse together jalapeño, ginger, ¼ cup cilantro and remaining 2 cloves garlic until minced. Add lemon juice and pulse again to combine.
- In a large nonstick skillet on medium-high, add chicken and cook for about 6 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add onion to skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Scrape ginger mixture from food processor into skillet with onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Turn off heat and transfer onion-ginger mixture to food processor along with 1 cup diced tomatoes and broth. Blend until smooth, then return mixture to skillet. Stir in remaining 1 cup tomatoes. Bring to a simmer on medium. Return chicken to skillet, nestling in sauce. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
- To skillet, add milk. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 more minutes, until sauce has thickened slightly. Divide chicken among serving plates and top each with sauce and coconut, dividing evenly. Garnish with additional cilantro.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 coconut chicken breast, 1/4 cup sauce, 1/2 tbsp coconut
- Calories 264
- Carbohydrate Content 8 g
- Cholesterol Content 91 mg
- Fat Content 11 g
- Fiber Content 3 g
- Protein Content 32 g
- Saturated Fat Content 5 g
- Sodium Content 215 mg
- Sugar Content 4.5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 0 g