Coconut Chicken Fingers With Mango Rum Salsa

I like this recipe because it is easy and fast to prepare.I work 8long hours 5 days a week and when I get home I'm hungry now. Our family likes chicken with a sweet and sassy flavor and this recipe fits the bill. The recipe came from my creative mind. I do a lot of cooking and enjoy trying new and flavorful foods. My recipe has Caribbean flavor with a hint of Spanish influence. To speed up the cooking and severing time the chicken broth and salsa could be made the day before. I have found the salsa gets better over night.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 4  lbs chicken breast halves
• 1  cup  chopped yellow onion
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped celery
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped carrot
• 2  cups cornmeal
• 4  eggs, beaten
• 1⁄2 cup milk

• Marinade

• 1⁄2 cup  merlot
• 2  tablespoons  x-virgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1  teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon cilantro
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1  gallon  ziploc bag

• Mango Rum Salsa

• 2  tablespoons butter or 2  tablespoons margarine
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  minced garlic
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1  cup mango, peeled and chopped
• 1  cup papaya, peeled and chopped
• 1  cup yellow sweet pepper, chopped
• 1  cup  sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1  tablespoon lime zest
• 2  tablespoons lime juice
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1⁄4 teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cilantro
• 1  cup chicken broth
• 1  cup rum

• Rice

• 2  cups long grain white rice
• 4  cups  chicken stock

Directions

1. Debone chicken breasts and cut the chicken breasts into strips; 3 or 4 depending on size of chicken breasts. set aside.
2. Place chicken bones,yellow onion, celery, and carrots into a 6 quart stock pot with 10 cups of water and boil for about 1 hour hard. Drain off the broth into a large bowl;discard bones and vegetables. Set broth aside.
3. Into a small mixing bowl place all the ingredients for the marinade, mix well and place in zip lock bag with the chicken fingers. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Into a 4 quart sauce pan put 2 tablespoons butter the red onion, garlic, salt and peppers. Cook until onion is cooked but not brown. Add mango,papaya,Peppers, and tomatoes; stir well. Add lime zest and lime juice and all your dry spices. Add to this 1 cup of the chicken broth, mix well and reduce heat to a simmer. Pour in your rum slowly and carefully. Add your brown sugar and simmer slowly until it reduces to a sauce.
5. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
6. Drain the marinade off your chicken finger. Put your cornmeal in a bowl,the egg mixture in a bowl and your coconut in a bowl. Take the chicken fingers one at a time dip in cornmeal,the in the eggs,then roll in coconut. Place battered fingers in well sprayed baking dish and cook uncovered in your preheated oven for approximately 1 hour or until done. Checking occasionally to make sure coconut does not burn.
7. Put your 4 cups chicken stock into a 6-quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil add your rice, stir well and cook on low heat, covered until done.