Curry Crunch Chicken Tenders with Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes

As simple as this meal looks and as easy as it is to throw together it is a complete show stopper. It looks totally unassuming and simplistic.

Chicken tenders and mashed sweet potatoes; right?

Wrong.

Red curry Thai chicken fingers coated in toasty coconut granola served with coconut milk mashed sweet potatoes. Those silky creamy sweet potatoes are topped with more of the crunchy granola which reminds me a little of sweet potato casserole minus the sickeningly sweet sugar and marshmallows that typically ruin Thanksgiving sweet potatoes for me.

The flavors are bold, unexpected and earned two thumbs up from everyone at the table!

I just love when that happens.

When I first saw that Golden Girl Granola was hosting a recipe contest it was a no brainer for me to sign up. I brainstormed, settled on what I was going to make, went to the store for all of my ingredients......and then saw on twitter another contestant had made almost the exact same dish I was planning on making.

 Game over. Or so I thought.

Now I'm happier than ever that I did go to plan B because this is even better than my first idea!

When I saw the selection of granolas to choose from, the Home Sweet Honey flavor really stood out to me. I really enjoy taking sweet and savory combos to the next level and that is exactly what I did.

The first thing I noticed when tasting this granola is how toasty it is- it smells like freshly toasted oats, coconut and honey. Why isn't there a candle that smells like that yet?

 

 Curry Crunch Chicken Tenders with Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4 inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup Home Sweet Honey Golden Girl Granola
1 pound chicken tenders
2 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste
3/4 cup low fat coconut milk
2 Tablespoons Home Sweet Honey Golden Girl Granola
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the water is boiling, add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Boil the sweet potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place the granola in a small food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until the granola is the consistency of breadcrumbs (a few larger pieces are ok, but the majority should be fine). Pour the crumbs into a pie plate.
Season the chicken tenders with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and then brush them evenly with the red Thai curry paste. Coat the chicken in the crumbs, pressing to help it adhere. Lay the coated chicken tenders on a parchment lined cookie sheet and spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is crisp and browned.
While the chicken is baking and once the sweet potatoes are tender, drain them, add them back to the hot pan and mash them until smooth. Add the coconut milk and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and stir until smooth.
Top each serving of sweet potatoes with granola and cilantro.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4