Chicken and Vegetables with Coconut Water

Cooking Light May 2018, p. 66

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1 to 1 ¼ ob.)

½ tsp. plus a dash of fine sea salt, divided

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 ½ Tbsp. virgin coconut oil, divided

½ cup unsweetened pulp-free coconut water, divided

1 small shallot, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise

1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

8 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 (4-oz.) red bell pepper, trimmed and cut diagonally into ½-inch-wide strips

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Pat chicken dry with paper towels, ad rub all over with ½ teaspoon salt and paprika. Melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high. When oil is shimmering, add chicken, rounded side down. Cook until browned and a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 160F, about 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate, and cover to keep warm. (Do not wipe skillet clean.)

Go with the meat thermometer, not the cooking time. As you can see this needed a lot more skillet attention even after the 8 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low, sliding skillet off heat to cool if needed, and add ¼ cup of coconut water. Cook, without stirring, until liquid reduces to about 2 ½ tablespoons, about 1 minute. Pour pan sauce over chicken. (Do not wipe skillet clean.)

Add remaining 1 ½ teaspoons coconut oil, shallot, and garlic to skillet. Saute over medium until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add snap peas and bell pepper. 

Crunch crunch crunch!

Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until hot, about 1 minute. Splash in remaining coconut water to facilitate cooking the vegetables until crisp-tender. Remove from the heat.

Slice chicken, and serve with vegetables and any accumulated pan juices.

What a pleasant little dish!

My Rating: 4/5 "The coconut water adds a subtle sweetness to the other flavors that makes this dish really memorable! It's also nice and light, but the variety of textures means that it's still interesting. A useful weeknight dinner staple."