Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce

My husband loved the sauce, which I knew would be the case.  Especially since I hid the fact that it was the dreaded fruit and meat combination.  It tastes vaguely asian in origin, and certainly more complex than mixing preserves with mustard.  It's a great sauce to have up your sleeve.  I really liked the chicken, and it didn't taste sweet.  I also think this could be easily adapted as an appetizer with coating chicken strips or nuggets and dipping them in the sauce.  Overall, a hit.

Coconut Chicken with Apricot Sauce
Adapted from Pennies on a platter


1 egg
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts
Butter Spray

Sauce:
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl.  Mix the coconut, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a different bowl suitable for dredging.  Working with one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the bowl with the beaten egg and then coat with the coconut mixture.  Place on the baking sheet.  Once all chicken breasts are coated and on the baking sheet, spray with butter spray.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping once.

To prepare the apricot sauce, mix the apricot preserves and the Dijon mustard in a small bowl.  Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or keep at room temperature.  Drizzle over chicken.