Honey Garlic Chicken with Coconut

Cooking for a living can be totally fun and awesome. Especially because it gives you an excuse to not wear real pants every day.

Pajamas FTW!

How-ev-er, it also means that since I cook all day long and, by the time dinner comes where I am actually supposed to be cooking, I don't want to.

Enter: Asian takeout.

It's quick, I can stay on the not-putting-on-pants-train, and it's really delicious. I mean, have you ever met a Styrofoam box of honey garlic chicken that you didn't like?

That's what I thought.

Unfortunately, after one too many take-out dinners, I'm finding the days that I have to wear – GASP! – real clothes, with buttons and belts and other constrict-y things, well, a little uncomfortable.

I've been trying to remedy that situation by trying to create my own healthier versions of my favorite take-out food. I've had Sesame Chicken, Ponzu Chicken and Lettuce Wraps on my weekly menu rotation for a while now, and frankly, I'm getting a little bit bored.

Not wanting to give in to my not-so-button-or-belt friendly ways, I decided to try my hand at giving a classic take-out dish a creative spin. This is how homemade honey garlic chicken with coconut and zucchini noodles was born.

The sauce is a no brainer for me, and if you're not so sure about it, see the above comment about Styrofoam boxes of honey garlic chicken. It wins. Always. Plus, it's one of the easiest sauces to make, and is so versatile that you can keep 'er in the fridge and use it on ALL THE THINGS.

As good as the sauce is, the coconut coating is the real show-stopper here folks. Using coconut flakes and coconut flour keeps the breading light and gluten free, while making the chicken super crispy and golden brown – one of the most important parts of a good, take-out chicken in my books.

Not to mention this uses less oil than a traditional, restaurant version, and it's coconut oil – not some mystery oil that has who knows what added to it. Hello health!

I was a little bit worried that using zucchini noodles would push this into "trying too hard to be healthy" territory, and I would miss eating out of Styrofoam but, you guys, I think I'll be sticking to real dishes for all the evers.

Especially since that means that my "real clothes" days will be a lot more comfortable.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

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Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Zoodles:

• 4 zucchini squashes, large
• salt

For the Chicken:

• 1 pound chicken breast
• 6 tablespoons coconut flour
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup egg whites, about 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, for frying

For the Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, plus 2 teaspoons (use a certified gluten free soy sauce to keep the recipe gluten free)
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon boiling water

For Garnish:

• green onions, diced

Directions

To make the Zucchini Noodles:

1. Slice the zucchini on a mandolin using a 5mm julienne blade.
2. Place the noodles in a large strainer and place the strainer over top of a large bowl.
3. Sprinkle the noodles generously with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes, stirring every so often.

For the Chicken:

1. Place the coconut flour and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag.
2. Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and place into the bag with the coconut flour. Shake around until the chicken is well coated.
3. Pour the egg whites and the coconut flakes into separate large shallow bowls. Dump the chicken into the egg whites, mixing around until the chicken is well coated (it gets messy!)
4. Transfer the chicken into the coconut flakes, tossing and lightly pressing to coat the chicken.
5. Heat just enough oil to cover the bottom of large wok on medium heat (I did the chicken in 4 batches, using just over 1 tbsp for each batch) and place the chicken in. Do not crowd the chicken.
6. Cook until the bottom is golden brown (about 3-4 minutes,) flip and then cook again on the other side. I find using kitchen tongs makes the flipping process a lot easier. Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel lined plate and blot of excess oil. Repeat until all the chicken is done.

For the Sauce:

1. Boil the sauce until it begins to thicken, just a minute or 2, and then reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer until it's thick and shiny. Remove from heat.
2. When the sauce begins to boil, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and pour into the sauce, stirring constantly to ensure it mixes smooth and evenly.
3. Add in the honey, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil and bring to a boil.

Bringing Everything Together:

1. While the chicken cooks, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large pan on medium/high heat. Cook the ginger and garlic until fragrant, just a minute or so.
2. Squeeze out the excess water from the zucchini noodles and toss into the pot with the sauce, stiring to evenly coat the zucchini noodles.
3. Divide the noodles between 4 places and then top with chicken. Garnish with diced green onion.

Notes

• Because zucchini has a high water content, the sauce will thin slightly once mixed with the noodles.

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