This is my favorite late summer, almost-fall dinner. When the first harvest of apples and peaches coincides with farm-fresh cantaloupe, as well as fall-harvest raspberries, there’s nothing better to celebrate those flavors an apricot-jam and yogurt, Madras Curry Powder
spiced dressing fruit salad alongside a huge pile of cinnamon-dusted rice and coconut-rolled chicken tenders.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is it is as good served cold – maybe even better – the next day for lunch. When my children took their first bite, at tonight’s dinner, they both lit up with recognition exclaiming, “Oh, this dish! I remember this! It’s my favorite!”

The original was a Better Homes & Garden, but needed some updating – getting rid of the corn flakes and using sourdough breadcrumbs with the coconut for the chicken-coating.

This dish easily doubles, which I always do because the leftovers are so flavorful, even cold, right out of the refrigerator.

Welcome Home Chicken Dinner Makes 6 servings

Preheat oven to 350f

Coconut Coated Chicken Pieces

• 2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1 1/2-inch strips

• 4 T Maranatha Organic Peanut Butter
• 4 T apricot jam

• 1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 3/4-cup homemade sourdough breadcrumbs
• 1 T Madras Curry Powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper (optional – I seldom use!)

1. Pat chicken dry, placing into a medium bowl
2. Gently heat peanut butter and jam; cool slightly; toss all chicken strips into this mixture and gently stir to coat
3. Toss coconut, breadcrumbs, curry powder, ginger and pepper together in a bowl; spread half on a 15×10 baking sheet (which will be used to bake the chicken strips)
4. Lay peanut butter and jam coated chicken strips on the crumbs; sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top and roll strips around until well coated
5. Spread coated chicken strips evenly on baking pan
6. Bake 14-minutes; turn chicken pieces; bake 14-minutes more until tender and no longer pink.
7. Mound cooked rice in center of serving platter; sprinkled with cinnamon; arrange chicken pieces around rice. Serve fruit salad on the side along with dipping sauce.

Hot Cooked Rice

• 5 cups hot cooked rice
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Dipping Sauce

• 3/4-cup mango chutney (cut up any large chunks)
• 3 T orange juice, stirred into chutney

Fruit Salad

• 1/2 medium honeydew or cantaloupe; peeled, seeded, and cut into thin slices
• 2 medium tart apples, cored, halved lengthwise, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 medium peaches, pitted and cut into strips
• 1 cup golden or red raspberries
• 2 T plain whole-fat yogurt
• 2 T apricot jam
• 1 T mango chutney (cut up any large chunks)

1. Combine fruit.
2. Combined yogurt, jam chutney; add fruit, toss to coat.
3. Cover and chill until serving time.