Plantain Chip-Crusted Chicken with Mango Sauce

What I Made: Plantain Chip-Crusted Chicken with Mango Sauce

Why: After seeing a show about the National Chicken Cooking Contest on the Food Network, I decided it would be fun to enter the 2007 contest. I already had an idea for an original recipe so I did a test run, wrote up the recipe and sent it in. Well, the list of finalists just came out and I didn't make it, but I still think my recipe is worthy.

What I Did:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup flour
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten to blend
2 tablespoons milk
8 oz. plantain chips, finely crushed
8 oz. jar of mango in light syrup
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Combine flour, curry powder, salt and pepper in pie plate. Beat eggs with milk and pour into another pie plate. Place crushed plantain chips in a third pie plate. Dip chicken, 1 breast at a time, in flour mixture then egg mixture then plantain chips. Press chicken into chips to coat each side and ends completely and lay on prepared baking sheet. Bake chicken in middle of oven until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, make sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, add mango and syrup, vinegar, sugar, onion, garlic and ginger. Simmer for 20 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender. Strain sauce through a mesh sieve. Stir in mint and cilantro. Pour over chicken and garnish with green onions. Makes 4 servings.