Messy Messy

So this recipe was tasty. I need to start out by saying that because I will soon forget. Why you ask? It was a PAIN to make. Did I mention it was a pain?

Crunchy Buttermilk Coconut Chicken Fingers. Yum yum! Sounds delicious right? They were. Oh they were. Once you were able to get them off the pan.

Exhibit A:

This is going to take me ages to clean. Overall, it's been a rough week. Not to go into a lot of details about my personal life, but between full time work, and a course I am struggling in, I needed something easy to make for dinner. This. Wasn't. Easy.

These chicken fingers had a nice tang to them and they were slightly sweet. I think it's probably from the curry powder. I am not a huge fan of curry, but I felt it really added to this recipe. My husband loves coconut (his favorite cake is German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan Frosting) but it's not my favorite. Again, I think it really added to this recipe.

Would I make this again? Maybe. I would definitely do some things differently. First off, I made an error by adding the cooking spray before the pan went into the oven. I should have added it afterwards. That is probably what made my pan a disaster. Hey, I don't claim to be an expert cook here. I make mistakes like most people do. Second, I would make sure to coat the chicken better with the flour. When I did this, it ended up in a mass of chicken and flour goo. Not pretty. Third, I crushed the cornflakes with my hands. That wasn't very smart. I blame the cocktail I was drinking during prep time. Hey, I said it was a rough week. My knuckles now look like I was in a fist fight. Good thing I got smart after a while and used the bottom of a heavy glass.

If you decide to make this recipe, I hope you have better success than I did. Good luck and Godspeed.

Crunchy Buttermilk Coconut Chicken Fingers

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1.5 cups fat-free buttermilk

1/2 cup flour (about 2.25 oz)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

3/4 cup crushed cornflakes

3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

cooking spray

1. Cut chicken into 20 (1/4-inch-thick) strips. Combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.

2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven.

3. Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine cornflakes and next 5 ingredients in a shallow dish.

4. Dip one chicken strip into egg mixture; dredge in cornflake mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture and cornflake mixture. Arrange chicken in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes or until done. Serve immediately.