A Caribbean Coconut Chicken dinner for company

Serve the Caribbean coconut chicken with cornbread or French bread, pear-lettuce salad, and a full, dry white table wine. For dessert, orange sherbet sprinkled with orange liqueur and grated dark chocolate, served with coffee.

Caribbean coconut chicken recipe

Ingredients

6 whole broiler-fryer chicken breasts, split and boned
6 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 large sweet onions, very thinly sliced
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads, steeped in 1 Tbsp hot water
1 jar (4 ounces) sliced pimientos
1/4 cup currants
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Coconut crust

Directions

Season chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. Fold loose corners of each breast piece under to form a compact triangle of meat. In skillet, gently brown chicken pieces in about 4 Tablespoons of the butter (or olive oil) on all sides. Arrange in single layer in shallow 13-x-9×2-inch baking dish or oven-proof serving dish.

Add 2 Tablespoons butter to drippings in skillet. Add onions and sauté until tender. Stir in brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the saffron, pimientos, currants and lemon juice. Spoon evenly over chicken. Cover and bake in preheated 375 F degree oven 45 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

Remove cover and sprinkle Coconut Crust (recipe below) over chicken. Put back in oven and bake, uncovered, 10 minutes, or until coconut is lightly toasted. Spoon juice over chicken as your serve.

Coconut crust recipe

Toss together thoroughly 6 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine (or olive oil), 2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 cups flaked coconut and 1/4 cup chopped parsley.

Makes 6 servings

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