Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa brings fresh tropical flavors together to create a crispy, sweet crusted chicken using macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. The chicken works great on sandwiches or over a bed of rice topped with the fresh pineapple salsa.
Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Aloha! Today we are celebrating Hawaiian Foods Week with this Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa and that makes me very happy.
King’s Hawaiian, Dole, SPAM®, Mauna Loa and Kona Brewing Co., all Hawaiian companies, have come together for this special celebration of cuisine and culture and to introduce people to Hawaiian Food. I am so excited to be partying with them since Hawaii is one of my favorite places to vacation.
When I was in high school I traveled to Hawaii with my family and then Mike and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii seven years ago. Maui and Kauai to be exact. I fell in love with Hawaii the second I stepped foot in that beautiful place. I am a beach loving, warm weather type of person and Hawaii falls right in love with that love. I also love to be active on vacation but balance it with good food and a little relaxation. Those are all things you will find when you visit Hawaii.
My parents actually just returned from two weeks in Hawaii and got me thinking that another trip is in order. I don’t see that happening in the next year but maybe for Mike and I’s ten year anniversary. A girl can dream, right? 😉
There is nothing like reliving the fun we had on our honeymoon and maybe visiting a few new islands while we are there. One of my favorite things about Hawaii was of course the food. When Mike and I spent our honeymoon there we went all out and ate at some of the best restaurants and also looked for those small, off the side of the road gems that you rarely hear about. I feel like we got the best of both worlds and really enjoyed the fresh, tropical flavors.
Today’s Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa is light, fresh and very tropical. Chicken breasts are breaded in a coconut and Mauna Loa Dry Roasted Macadamia Nut mixture using egg and coconut milk, coconut flour and then are pan fried in coconut oil. If you haven’t tried macadamia nuts you have to run out and get some. They offer a sweet, rich and creamy taste that is perfect when crusting chicken but we also like to snack on them from time to time. My kids go crazy for macadamia nuts! I like to create macadamia coconut crusted chicken sandwiches with sweet King’s Hawaiian Deluxe Hamburger Buns . They are soft and slightly sweet making them the perfect bun for this sandwich. King’s Hawaiian is a true Hawaiian company and was founded more than 60 years ago in Hilo, Hawaii.
And of course no tropical meal is complete without some tropical fruit, right? I am a huge fan of tropical fruit salsas, especially as toppings for grilled meat and sandwiches. Today’s Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa has a fresh, sweet and slightly spicy pineapple salsa to top the sandwich. It uses DOLE Pineapple Slices which are the highest quality, Non-GMO fruits and vegetables out there. They are chopped up and mixed with red onion, red pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice and a dash of salt. I suggest making a big batch of this salsa because I promise you are going to want to dip a few chips in it while you are cooking.
As summer is in full swing I know many of us are trying to add tropical, fresh flavors to meals. You can’t go wrong with Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa. It would be great for a backyard get together, summer lunches or a healthy weeknight dinner. You can serve this chicken over a bed of brown rice or even slice up the chicken and make rice bowls with all of your favorite toppings.
For more info on Hawaiian Foods Week, be sure to check out the participating brands on Facebook. You can find a lot of great recipe inspiration!
King’s Hawaiian | Dole | SPAM® | Kona Brewing Co. | Mauna Loa
Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa brings tropical flavors together to create a crispy, sweet crusted chicken using macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. The chicken works great on sandwiches or over a bed of rice topped with the fresh pineapple salsa.
Ingredients
For the Macadamia Coconut Crusted Chicken:
- 4 chicken breast filets
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened {you can use sweetened if you want}
- 1/2 cup Mauna Loa Dry Roasted Unsalted Macadamia Nuts, pulse in a food processor or blender
- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil
For the pineapple salsa:
- 1 - 20 oz. can of DOLE Pineapple Slices, Chopped
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, chopped {optional for spice}
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- Dash of salt
- Serve on King's Hawaiian Deluxe Hamburger buns
Instructions
- Set out three shallow bowls and a large plate. In the first bowl add the coconut flour. In the second bowl beat the two eggs and then add the coconut milk and stir. In the third bowl add the shredded coconut and the crushed macadamia nuts and stir to combine.
- Dredge each chicken breast filet in the coconut flour, then the egg and coconut milk mixture making sure to coat the chicken completely. Then dredge the chicken in the coconut macadamia mixture until coated completely. Set aside on the large plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken filets.
- In a large frying pan heat 2 Tablespoons coconut oil over medium heat and add the chicken filets. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, or until the inside of the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken cooks you can put together your pineapple salsa by combining all the ingredients: pineapple, red onion, red pepper, jalapeño, lime juice and salt and then mixing to combine.
- Put the macadamia coconut crusted chicken on a King's Hawaiian Deluxe Hamburger bun and top with the fresh pineapple salsa.
Notes
This chicken works great on sandwiches or over a bed of rice with your favorite toppings and the pineapple salsa.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of King’s Hawaiian. The opinions and text are all mine.
