Five Spice Coconut Chicken

Here's a dish you wont find at bikini boot camp. This chicken thigh is marinated in coconut milk, honey, lime, and spices. This is the first time I ever tried Chinese 5-spice. It is a mixture of Anise, Cinnamon, Star Anise, cloves, and ginger.
It was good but next time I won't put in quite so much soy sauce. But that's just me!
The beans were wonderful. I used green beans instead of the sugar snap. What ever you have on hand or is on sale. They were tossed in a coconut milk, honey and lime dressing. Then I used the left over coconut milk to make the rice.I wanted to add toasted coconut to the rice but didn't want to over-power it. I say-add the coconut. I sprinkled it all over everything anyway.

Here's my coconut toasting up nicely. Just put it in a dry skillet and toast it up. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn't burn. Once it starts to brown, it doesn't take but a few seconds. I have to say, this was the cherry on top. It added crunch and sweetness.


And for the finale! Grilled pineapple slices with passion fruit swirled pineapple sorbet.
Topped off with what else? Toasted Coconut!!!
This was a fast,easy,and tasty dinner. Prep time was under 20 minutes and cook time was 10 minutes. Give it a try!


FIVE-SPICE COCONUT CHICKEN

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total), pounded flat
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
Cooked white rice, for serving




1.In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon coconut milk, 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon lime juice. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 cup coconut milk, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon lime juice with the soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken thighs, coating well. Marinate for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute; drain. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the reserved coconut-honey dressing.
4. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Grill the chicken thighs for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Serve with the sugar snap peas and rice.Recipe by Rachael Ray