Description
Succulent tropical coconut chicken delivers Caribbean-inspired flavors with tender marinated meat. Fragrant spices and creamy coconut sauce create a delightful meal you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) chicken breast tenderloins, sliced
- 1 cup (113 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded (pre-shredded, not fresh)
- 8 oz (226 g) penne pasta (gluten-free brown rice pasta for a gluten-free option)
- 4 oz (113 g) sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup (240 ml) half and half (or ½ cup heavy cream + ½ cup milk)
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) basil
- ½ cup (120 ml) reserved cooked pasta water (or more, as needed)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Aromatic Foundation: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Sauté minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes until garlic becomes fragrant, releasing its essential oils. Transfer tomatoes to a separate plate while retaining the infused oil.
- Protein Preparation: Generously season chicken tenderloins with salt and paprika. Sear chicken at high temperature to develop a golden crust, ensuring a slightly undercooked internal texture. Remove and reserve chicken momentarily.
- Pasta Integration: Simultaneously cook penne pasta in rapidly boiling water. Extract and preserve one cup of starchy liquid before draining the pasta completely.
- Sauce Development: Dice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller fragments. Reintroduce tomatoes and partially cooked chicken to the skillet. Pour half-and-half and sprinkle mozzarella cheese, gently simmering while continuously stirring until the sauce transforms into a luxurious, silky mixture.
- Flavor Composition: Fold cooked pasta into the creamy sauce, ensuring thorough coating. Incorporate fresh basil and red pepper flakes to create a vibrant and complex flavor profile. Calibrate sauce consistency by incrementally adding reserved pasta water if necessary.
- Final Refinement: Conduct a comprehensive taste assessment, adjusting seasoning with additional salt or red pepper flakes to heighten the dish’s gastronomic complexity. Allow the tropical coconut chicken to rest briefly, permitting flavors to meld and intensify before serving.
Notes
- Maximize Flavor Infusion: Sear chicken quickly over high heat to lock in juices and create a golden crust, ensuring tender and flavorful meat.
- Control Sauce Consistency: Reserved pasta water acts as a magical thickening agent, helping to create a perfectly smooth and clingy sauce texture.
- Balance Spice Levels: Adjust red pepper flakes carefully to personalize heat intensity without overwhelming the delicate coconut and cheese flavors.
- Cheese Melting Technique: Stir continuously while adding mozzarella to prevent clumping and achieve a silky, uniform sauce that coats every pasta strand evenly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 610
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 61 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg