Copy-cat Meal - Kona Grill

So we all have our favorite restaurants, and some of us order the same thing again, and again, and again...but if you look online there a lot of great chefs out there that can reinvent those great restaurant favorites and you can make them at home...with ALL the things you love and not just a couple. One of those restaurants for me and a couple friends is Kona Grill, who has been to Kona Grill? If your hand isn't raised it should be...good atmosphere, great extensive menu and service. Since I really enjoy sushi, I usually order that there...it is fresh and rolled tight not falling apart after you remove a few pieces from the roll. My dining partners are not sushi fans, they ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS order the Macadamia Chicken. Now the Macadamia Chicken is pretty spectacular I will admit, but they rave about the shoyu gravy that comes with it. So in an effort to recreate this menu at home I did a little investigation. I was pretty sure I knew how to make the chicken and mashed potatoes but the gravy I couldn't figure out so I went to the inter webs and found out that it was very simple. So I invited them over for dinner and set out to wow their taste buds. Macadamia Crusted Chicken 4 chicken breasts 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 1/3 cup macadamia nuts Flour Buttermilk or heavy cream 1 egg I use a cast iron skillet to get this recipe started. Put canola oil into the cast iron skillet to fully cover the bottom and a little more, heat on medium heat until ripples, not too hot though because you don't want to burn the nuts, so cooler is better than hotter in this situation. Turn oven to 350. If you are using buttermilk and want to make it really rich, trim the chicken and place them in a shallow dish or zip lock bag with some buttermilk for 30 minutes. If you are using cream, skip this step, it will be just as good. Pulse nuts in a mini chopper or food processer into small pieces and put in a shallow dish, add the panko, salt and pepper and mix well. In another dish combine 1/4 cup buttermilk or cream and egg, beat together. Place flour on a plate. Remove chicken from buttermilk or package and dredge in flour then into the egg mixture and then into the panko mixture and place directly in the hot oil. Repeat with remaining chicken. Tuning chicken as it gets brown on each side, when browned on each side approximately 3 minutes on each side place in a baking dish and put into a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes or until cooked through. Shoyu Cream Sauce 2 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup soy sauce, I used low-sodium 2 tsp corn starch In a heavy bottom sauce pan, add cream and soy sauce and slowly bring to a boil, stirring often to not scorch the cream on the bottom of the pan. When the mixture comes to a boil, combine 2 tsp corn and 2 tsp water in a separate bowl and mix until combined. Add to the cream mixture and turn heat to low to allow the mixture to thicken. Pour over both chicken and mashed potatoes. Mashed Potatoes So I am not going to tell you how to make mashed potatoes, but I will say there is something to be said about adding a clove or two of garlic to the stock pot that you boil the potatoes in and discard before mashing. I also like to use both cream if I have it on hand and also skim or 2% milk and butter. Bring your appetites because this is a hearty meal! Serve with green beans or asparagus to bring in a green vegetable into the mix.