Coconut Curry Baked Chicken with Pineapple Brown Rice

Coconut Curry Baked Chicken with Pineapple Brown Rice

I purchased a beautiful free range organic chicken that I couldn’t wait to turn into a delicious meal. I was scanning my pantry for inspiration when I came across a can of light coconut milk. I kind of have a thing for coconut curry… Ok, so maybe it’s an obsession. I LOVE Thai food and coconut curry is my favorite. However, that thick, creamy, delectable sauce is not so friendly to my hips!

I decided to take all the rich delicious flavor of coconut curry and bake it into the chicken. This allows for a big punch of flavor with a small calorie count. Pineapple brown rice adds a sweet complement to the spicy moist chicken. This alternative to basic baked chicken will ignite your taste buds and leave a lasting impression on your dinner guests.

Coconut Curry Baked Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces and skin removed
• 1 14oz can light coconut milk
• ½ sweet onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp chile pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 Tbsp honey

Directions:

To make the marinade, mix all ingredients together in a bowl except the chicken. Stir to combine.

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces and remove the skin from each piece. For a detailed description of how to break down a whole chicken click here. (Save the giblets and leftover bits to create delicious chicken broth.)  Place the chicken pieces in a sealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade on top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the chicken and the marinade into a 9×13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Remove foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Pineapple Brown Rice Ingredients:

• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1 20oz can pineapple chunks in juice
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ sweet onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

Drain the juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add water to make 2 cups. Combine juice/water mixture with rice in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the pineapple chunks, red bell pepper, onion and soy sauce, cover and cook an additional 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Coconut Curry Baked Chicken:

Servings: 6      Serving Size: 4 oz white meat/dark meat

Calories:200/220         Fat: 3.4g/8.4g              Sat. Fat: 2g/3g             Carbs: 3.8g

Sodium: 41.9mg          Fiber: .7g                     Sugar: 2.3g                  Protein: 37.2g

Pineapple Rice:

Servings: 6      Serving Size: ½ cup

Calories: 186               Fat: 1g             Sat. Fat: 0g      Carbs: 42.5g

Sodium: 161.8mg        Fiber: 3.3g       Sugar: 12.3g    Protein: 2.7g

Coconut Curry Baked Chicken with Pineapple Brown Rice