Recipe: Baked Panko Coconut Yogurt Chicken

This recipe got the stamp of approval from my fiancee. I had been thinking about doing something with the leftover coconut flakes from my mango bread pudding recipe from last week. I also had some panko breadcrumbs that I thought about using in another chicken recipe. After surfing the net for some ideas, I came up with a plan to make panko coconut yogurt chicken. Talk about protein! The only thing I worried about was that the yogurt might make the chicken too sour. So I had to sweeten things up a bit.

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast W/ Rib Meat, about 3 pounds, thawed
  • All Natural Plain Non Fat Yogurt, 1 cup
  • Major Grey Chutney, 2 tbsp (substitute with mango chutney or any fruit jelly/jam/preserve)
  • Truvia – Artificial Sweetener, 1 tablespoon (substitute with sugar or other sweetener)
  • Panko Bread Crumbs – Japanese Style, 1.25 cup
  • Unsweetened Coconut Flakes, 8 tbsp

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread 4 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut flakes on a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Bake coconut flakes in oven until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of yogurt with 2 tablespoons of Major Grey chutney and 1 tablespoon of Truvia. Add more sweetener to taste. Set aside.

In a second mixing bowl, combine panko bread crumbs, browned coconut flakes, and the remaining unbaked coconut flakes. Toss and set aside.

Place chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap. With the flat side of a meat tenderizer (or rolling pin, brick, something really heavy), pound chicken breast from the center to the edge until 1/4″ inch thick. I left the breast whole, but you can slice the breast in half for smaller portions. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.

Toss the pounded chicken breasts into yogurt mixture until they are completely slathered. At this point, you can cover the chicken yogurt mixture and refrigerate until ready for baking.

One by one, transfer chicken to bread-coconut mixture and coat thoroughly. Transfer coated chicken to a an oil-sprayed baking sheet. (I omitted oil in mine, but it helps prevent the chicken from sticking and creates a lovely golden crunchy skin.)

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until juices run clear. If additional browning needed, place oven on broil until chicken reaches desired color. Serves 12.

MFP Recipe Calculator estimate per 5 oz serving:
205 Calories
11g Carbs
5g Fat
31g Protein
4g Sugar
1g Fiber