Coconut-Crusted Chicken Strips

I found two variations of this recipe in two different magazines, one in Taste of Home and the other in "Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry. Both looked delicious so I wanted to try them. One looked more bland, and the other looked too complicated to try to convert to gluten-free.

So I took the best of both worlds and I think the chicken turned out great!

I served these with the plum dipping sauce and fried rice on the side.

Coconut-Crusted Chicken Strips

2 egg whites

2 t. sesame oil

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup dry GF bread crumbs (toast the bread, then run through the food processor until you get the size you want)

2 T. sesame seeds

1/4 t. each: salt, onion powder, garlic powder

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 lb. chicken, cut into chunks

Cooking Spray

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup GF Plum Sauce

1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1 1/2 t. prepared mustard

1 t. cornstarch

In a shallow bowl, whisk egg whites and oil. In an 8x8 pan, add together the coconut, bread crumbs and sesame seeds. Toast in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes stirring every 5 so the coconut doesn't burn. You want a nice golden brown coconut.

When toasted add the spices. Dip the chicken in egg mixture then place in a gallon size bag. Pour in the coconut mixture and shake to coat. Pour chicken into the 8x8 pan. Spray the chicken with cooking spray.

Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min. or until thickened. Serve with chicken strips.