Chicken again?

If ever there was a day that chucking the diet was tempting, today was the day. Flat tire, engine light on and then there was that pile of work toppling over on my desk. But John Paul weighed in at his physical on Monday eight pounds lighter and I'm down by a fair number flabby pounds so far.

Psyched to be making progress, we needed a healthy low fat, low cal meal in a hurry, and one that didn't make us feel deprived. This chicken tenders recipe cooked up fast, easy and delicious enough to feel like we were cheating -- the perfect way to cheer us through an otherwise crappy day. If I've said it once, I've said it fifty times -- chicken doesn't have to be boring.

ZESTY COCONUT CRUSTED CHICKEN TENDERS
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons drained crushed pineapple
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pound chicken tenders
1 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon olive oil

Blend yogurt, pineapple, orange zest, 1/4 teaspoon of the ginger and 1/8 teaspoon of the curry powder in a small bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a shallow bowl, toss together coconut, breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of the ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of the curry powder plus the cayenne until evenly blended. Blend honey, orange juice and olive oil in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken pieces in honey mixture then roll to coat with the coconut. Place chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until chicken in cooked and coconut crust is light golden brown. Serve with yogurt dipping sauce.

Serves 4 at 360 calories per serving. Add a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a drizzled tablespoon of orange sesame dressing to make a 400 calorie meal.

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