Creamy Plantain and Coconut Chicken
Life is about to get in the way for this foodie.
Oh, don’t be alarmed, it’s nothing serious…
Only, I won’t be around this week-end, or at least, I won’t be around MUCH…
I will be… well… doing stuff, can you believe this? I’ll be engaging in social activities that involve real people and that have nothing to do with fitness, food, or even blogging.
I know… crazy concept!
Who’d ever think this were even possible?
Tomorrow, I will be watching my first ever “live” car race, as NASCAR hits Montreal and I was kindly offered two very good tickets on a silver platter. It was an offer I just couldn’t refuse!
Well, almost…
Can you believe that I honestly hesitated before accepting the tickets because I figured if I went, I wouldn’t be able to go for my usual Saturday morning bike ride for the second week in a row, and that really bothered me.
Doc, tell me, am I normal?
Then, on Sunday, I’m off to the amusement park for a little bit of chills and thrills. Oh, how I looooove rides! I’m so excited, I just can’t wait. What a great week-end this will be!
However, this means that I won’t be around to take care of my “virtual world”… no time to answer comments and emails, no time to write new material, no time to create new recipes and photograph the outcome… not even time for a bike ride!
Hope Vince won’t resent me too much…
While we’re on the subject of life getting in the way, I’m also planning on going to Cuba at the end of September. Exact same place I went last year.
I get the feeling that it’ll be A LOT harder for me this year to completely disconnect and not interact with you guys for a full week. Blogging is now such an important part of my life.
Still… I’ve got Cuba on my mind A LOT lately.
And this is precisely what inspired this dish.
When we were there last year, they would regularly have this “plantain and red bell pepper” dish on the menu. Now, I didn’t eat so much of it, for I wasn’t too big on plantain back then. I’ve since acquired quite a liking for them though, and often find myself craving that exact flavor combination.
I tried to recreate it here, but also chose to add chicken and a creamy coconut sauce to the whole deal.
My, oh my did it take me back. It sure did the trick. This is even better than what I had over there. A thousand times better.
And probably a lot healthier too, since their version was deep fried. Well, at least the plantain was.
Of course, there is none of that going on here… Still, this is not exactly what I would call a low cal dish, I mean, coconut and plantain are both rather calorie dense, but I can guarantee you it’s worth every single calorie it contains.
Hey, I still enjoyed it while being on a weight loss “program”, only I kept the portions small…
And if you really have to, you can always serve this with a nice side of salad, or even brown rice, why not?
But really, this dish is so filling, you really don’t need to eat much to feel nicely full and satisfied for a long time.
Plantain has now officially become a favorite of mine.
Bet I’ll be enjoying a whole lot more of it this time around when I’m in Cuba…
Creamy Plantain and Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
- 400 g chicken breast, cut into 1" chunks
- ¼ tsp Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 ripe plantain, cut into 1" chunks
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" chunks
- 1 onion, cut into 1" chunks
- 90 g coconut cream
- ½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
- 30 g unsweetened dried coconut shavings
- pinch cumin
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Spray olive oil onto a large non stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add plantain, cook for 2-3 minutes until golden, then turn each piece to brown the other side. Remove from skillet and reserve.
- Now add chicken to the pan in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, then turn each piece to cook the other side until nice and golden brown. Add onion and red pepper, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Kill the heat, add the coconut cream, greek yogurt, coconut shavings, cumin and nutmeg and stir until all the ingredients are nicely incoporated.
- Delicately toss in reserved plantain and stir to coat.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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20 Comments on “Creamy Plantain and Coconut Chicken”
This looks soooo good! We have yet to try plantains, but we are definitely going to have to pick some up! 🙂
This would taste moreish!! And if plantains were again not showcased in the supermarket, a green banana would fit my requirements! DO have a wonderful time over the weekend and planning your trip: hmm! DO hope you have an interesting companion with whom to share these activities also. Have a great time: that virtual world will be exactly where you left it 😀 !
Thanks Eha! I did have a blast this week-end, in real good company, too! 🙂
Hey, where are the peanut butter recipes!
I hope you’re still out having fun! And I hope tomorrow is super fun as well. 🙂 And Cuba?! Wow. Going to go check out your old post about it.
The dish looks interesting! I need to look up what plantains are.
Ugh… not sure plantain would work for you Erin, for they are basically bananas… I figure if you are allergic to bananas, then you would probably react the exact same way to plantain.
Mind you, I guess you’ll never know for sure until you’ve given them a try! 😉
And I’ve been out having fun all week-end! Sure felt good, but I’m sooooo behind now! Trying to catch up!
This looks fabulous, and I don’t even really eat meat very often.
My dad spent a good chunk of his life in Cuba, so we used to go for plantains and black beans to a restaurant in West New York. Oh, I miss that place!
Plantains and black beans? YUM! Sounds like a great combination. Have to give that a try. In a warm salad, maybe?
It’s funny, I was always served a dish made of plantains and black beans when I studied abroad in Costa Rica and I was never too fond of it. Once I got back to the states, though, I found myself craving it, just like you! What is it about plantains that do this to people??
Looks like they’re slow growers… they do grow on you, but it takes time. And by the time you realize you completely love them, they’re nowhere to be found. 😉 Now you have to go back to Costa Rica or try to recreate that dish at home.
Sounds really yummy by the way. What else was in the dish, do you remember?
THat looks soo fab. Plantains are not very common here so I’m not even sure I’ve ever had them. I guess I’ll have to go to Cuba to have some! Hope you didn’t miss us all too much this weekend? 🙂 hope you had a lot of fun!
Had a blast Simone, but of course, I did miss you guys. I don’t think a blogger can ever go a day without thinking about their blogs and blog friends. I’m always thinking of a whole bunch of things that I would love to share with you guys! And frankly, 2 days of connecting for mere minutes each day, I felt totally disconnected.
I don’t even wanna start to imagine how it will be when I leave for an entire week…
Dying to try this! I always say I should do more (or, um, anything) with plantains and for some reason never do. Loving the sound of this chicken salad. Bet it would be yummy in lettuce wraps!
LOVE the lettuce wrap idea, Cara! Have to give it a try next time. Thank you so much for this! 🙂
Hi Sonia! Oh boy, this recipe sounds and looks amazing! I’ve been loving any coconut lately so I must try! I stayed away from coconut and telling myself that I hate it because I was deathly afraid of its fat content. But I’ve let go of that and am absolutely obsessed ;). In moderation of course. I’m going to browse through all your recipes now! Thank you! And it’s nice to “meet” you!
Hey, nice to meet you too, Min! Real happy you found this place and deemed it interesting enough to take a little tour! 😀 Hope you found more recipes that inspired you. You might find quite a few that use coconut, as I am quite fond of the fruit myself. True, it is high in fat, but it’s a fat that is good for you, so no need to steer clear. Like you said, you have to love it in moderation, although I really wish it weren’t the case… I wouldn’t mind cracking open a fresh coconut and eat the whole thing in one go! Now that would be a dream! 🙂
Mmmmm! Coconut! I have A LOT of it, it’s always in season. I have a great local and simple recipe, it’s sort of a milkshake called “Cocada”: 1 cup of coconut meat or flakes, 1/2 cup (or more if desired) of low-fat milk, 1 tbs of stevia, bleand them all until smooth! and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, coconut shavings and/or coconut cream to garnish. I invite you to try it! Feel free to make a few twists like adding almonds and enjoy :D! Bye, Sonia!
P.S: Excuse my english 😛
Sounds delicious, Raquel. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
OK I try it! And added mushrooms! It was DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the recipe Sonia! I have so much plaintains here in Venezuela that i’m always looking for delicious recipes to use them 😀
Awesome!!! Thanks for the great feedback, Raquel! Glad you liked! Now you got me craving plantain… I’d gladly take a few off of your hands! 😉