Panko and Coconut Chicken

This is a dish my sons ask for once a week. And I don't mind because it's easy to make and the leftover chicken is just as good the next day. It took me a few tries to get the coating right. Coconut isn't easy to work with—it doesn't readily stick to the chicken and burns easily when frying. Needless to say I've had some miss-fires on this one, but now I think I have it down to a science. If you're a coconut lover, you'll love this recipe because you get to eat the coconut as you're cooking. Well, at least I do!—Diana

You'll need:
1-2 lbs chicken
2 eggs
All-purpose flour
Coconut
Panko
Olive oil for frying
Peach mango salsa (optional)

My family likes the chicken cut into strips, but you can do cutlets as well. Coat the chicken in flour. (With strips, I find the easiest—and neatest—way to do this is to put the flour in a quart-size storage bag (I add some pepper) and add a few pieces of chicken at a time to coat.)

Make an egg wash in one bowl, put the coconut in another bowl, and the panko in a third bowl. (Next week I'll show you my favorite kitchen accessory that makes this process so easy). My favorite brand of panko is Roland all-natural whole wheat panko that you can find at Trader Joe's (see picture below). Take the flour-coated chicken, dip into the egg wash, then the coconut, and then the panko. (I've tried this several different ways—a mixture of the panko and coconut together; coating the chicken in the panko first and then the coconut; and with and without the flour. Trust me...flour, egg wash, coconut, panko in that order is the way to go.)

Fry the chicken in the oil on medium heat (too high will burn the coconut) until golden brown on both sides. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, after frying I may put the chicken on a baking sheet covered with tin foil in the oven on 350 degrees for 15 minutes just to make sure it is cooked thoroughly.

Top with peach-mango salsa for added sweetness and it's a chicken dish that tastes more like dessert!

Cheesy Sausage Bread

What to do when you have some dough left over from making about 200 zeppoles? Make cheesy sausage bread, of course!  It's easy and a great snack for these chilly fall nights when you’re watching your favorite television show.  It’s even better if you have some leftover gravy to dunk it in.  —Lisa

For this bread I had about 3 pounds of dough that I let sit a few hours and rise so it doubled in size. Remember to let the dough rise in a bowl covered loosely with a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out while sitting. 

In addition to the pizza dough you’ll need:
8 hot sausages
1 lb packaged mozzarella, diced
1 egg, beaten

Parboil the sausage and cut into small pieces. Then fry in a little bit of olive oil until cooked thoroughly.

Cover a large surface with flour and roll out the dough so it’s the size of a large cookie pan. Spray the cookie pan with non-stick cooking spray. After the dough is rolled out and thin (but not so thin that it will tear) add the cheese and then add the sausage so that it covers all but a one-inch border around the dough.  From the short end, roll the dough up and seal the ends. Brush the beaten egg onto the top of dough.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 75 minutes until the top of the bread is lightly browned. Let cool before slicing and serving.