Catching Up and Stolen Coconut Chicken

This past month has been a whirlwind of emotions...

I started a new job, have been questioning my future in every avenue and aspect, and haven't been able to juggle the every day work to home life.

My house became a danger zone of messes... which I made up for by filling the dish washer multiple times in a week and having to run it a bit extra. Not to mention the amount of laundry I've done... Just a day in the life of the new average woman.

On a normal week, I have split days off but I was blessed with Memorial Day to enjoy some extra time off for myself. So guess what I did? NOTHING!

But I did manage to get some inspiration on a Hawaiian inspired dish - that doesn't seem really Hawaiian to me seeing as there isn't Spam in it... but who I am to judge? ;)

I actually found two inspiration pins on my board, Chef-In-Training and Tips From a Typical Mom Blog

Both were extremely similar in context, but I totally felt they were missing a little kick and I was wondering why they wouldn't use the leftover marinade for anything? And I'm only cooking for two, so having 3lbs of Chicken Breast would mean a week of leftovers and food that won't last a week in the fridge...

So without further adew... my rendition on a Coconut-Brown Sugar Chicken! And a sad attempt at Coconut Rice.

FOR TWO PEOPLE - And possibly some leftovers...

For the Chicken/Marinade:

- 1lb of Chicken Breast, sliced in half horizontally.

- 2/3 C. of Soy Sauce

- 2/3 C. of Brown Sugar, packed.

- 1/3 C. of Water

- 1 Can of Coconut Milk

- 2 Green Onion stalks, chopped.

- 2 Garlic Cloves, diced.

- 1/4 C. of White Onion, diced.

- 1 Tsp of Sesame Oil

- 1/2 Tbsp of Crushed Red Pepper

For Serving:

- 1 Green Onion Stalk, chopped

- 2 tbsp of Cilantro, chopped.

For the Coconut Rice:

- 1 C. of Coconut Milk

- 1 C. Chicken Broth OR Water

- 1 C. of Jasmine Rice

1. Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, coconut milk, green onion, garlic, sesame oil and crushed red pepper together in a good size bowl. 

2. Before putting the chicken breast into the bowl with the marinade, take a fork and stab at it a few times. I feel that it helps the chicken absorb more of the yummy flavor. After stabbing it, put the chicken into the bowl and marinate for at least 6 hours. 

3. Place the rice on the stove with the Coconut Milk and Water or Broth, and bring it to a boil. Then cover, and let sit on simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. I found that I needed to add more water after 15 minutes to help the rice soften, so definitely check it.

4. On medium heat, warm a saute pan until you can feel warmth coming from the pan then lay your chicken in it. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked.

5. Pour remaining marinade into its own sauce pan and set to a low-medium heat - letting it come to a boil, and stirring to keep from overflowing. I covered mine after cooking on low-medium for 5 minutes, and let it simmer.

6. Set saute pan on low and cover until rice is finished cooking.

7. Serve with the chicken sliced and a dollop of coconut rice on the side. As for my reduced marinade, I poured it over both the rice and chicken. Then sprinkled with cilantro and green onion.... and some Furikake Sesame Seeds and Nori.

** I also steamed some green beans in the microwave... and mixed them with the chicken while it was still in the saute pan. The flavor ROCKED.

Enjoy :)