Friday, December 19, 2014

Coconut Noodles and Panko Crusted Chicken

At the time I made this dish, it was the first meal I had with pasta in over four months! I didn't really miss it as much as I thought I would to be honest...I was too busy enjoying how amazing I felt in my clothes. ;) But if I was going to risk giving into some carbohydrate happiness, the best way to do it would be with Japanese buckwheat noodles! They are FULL of protein (Oh my goodness -- SO MUCH PROTEIN) and a small serving will fill you up quickly. I swapped them in to replace spaghetti noodles in this recipe. 


I got this recipe from Cinnamon-Spice & Everything Nice and made some changes to make it more suitable for my "hulksmashing," clean eating ways. 


Ingredients
Sauce:
1 (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup creamy, natural peanut butter with no added sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce or whatever alternative you'd like to use
a pinch of red pepper flakes, a dash or two
1 tablespoon coconut oil
6 tablespoons warm water
2 green onions, chopped

Chicken:
2 cups panko crumbs, toasted in a pan over medium heat
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 pound chicken breast, sliced
coarse salt and fresh black pepper

Noodles:
8 ounces buckwheat noodles
1 can coconut milk (I used full-fat)
chopped green onions, for garnish

Method
Add all sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Separate the following into three wide, shallow bowls:
  • 1/4th of the sauce
  • Half of the toasted panko crumbs (you can add more as needed)
  • Whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or spray with Pam.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour and then coat thinly with sauce. Pat on panko crumbs with your fingers and place on baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken is coated. Lightly sprinkle some of the leftover panko crumbs over top of the chicken. Bake until cooked through 15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of your chicken (internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.)

While chicken is in the oven, boil the coconut milk plus 1 can of water in a medium saucepan and cook the noodles to al dente. Drain the noodles over a bowl and reserve the pasta water.

**Note: I put this dish together per serving. The noodles don't hold up well as leftovers if they've been mixed with the sauce. 

Add the noodles to a bowl (per serving) with some of the reserved coconut water and part of the remaining peanut sauce. Stir together until the peanut sauce melts - add more of the coconut water if needed to form a light sauce.


Serve the chicken over the coconut noodles topped with some peanut sauce and garnished with the green onions.



xEnjoy this delicious, clean, Asian, comfort food. 
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