Almond-Crusted Chicken

  • From Low Carb and Lovin' It (George Stella)

    2-3 chicken breasts
    1 cup ground almonds
    1 1/2 tsp paprika
    salt and pepper
    1 egg white
    optional: 2 tsp olive oil

    In one bowl, whisk the egg white slightly. In another bowl, mix together ground almonds and paprika. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. Dip them in egg white and then almond mixture.

    NOW, in Stella's version he says put them, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge for 20 minutes and wait for the crust to set. Then sautee in the olive oil in a nonstick pan.

    In JESSIE's easier version, I just dumped them in a casserole sprayed with nonstick spray and baked them in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes. Yes, it takes about the same time, but I can be lazy and play computer games instead of watching them on the stovetop and being psycho about whether they are done or not.

    Enjoy! Stella suggests having this over mesclun greens with a light viniagrette made with sherry vinegar. Jessie suggests frozen veggies.

    My husband, who rarely says anything about my cooking even when it's gourmet, raved about these simple chicken breasts!
  • I've tried one version of this but I'll be making your version tonight.. did you wait the 20 minutes for the crust to set?
  • I made a version of this that was from the South Beach daily and used chopped almonds. It didn't say anything about the crust setting but I was disappointed that the bottoms got very soggy. I didn't flip them during cooking but Im wondering even if I did flip them if then both sides would be soggy.

    Do you flip them at all during cooking?
  • oh and it was baked in the oven for about 45 minutes.
  • Yummy! I made this tonight, using Jessie's method and it was good. I added a bit of romano cheese. I used some chicken tenderloins since it was just me tonight and cooked it for 30 mins. I didn't flip them when cooking. The bottom wasn't soggy, but definitely not as crispy as the top.
    This along with a green salad made a great and filling dinner.
    Thanks for posting this recipe!
  • I am making this tonight and am trying a combo of the two: pan "fry" on both sides, for 3 mins each to get a nice crust, then transferring to the oven at 350 for 20 mins (or until done).

    I will let you know how it goes!
  • the mixed method was a success! What wasn't was grinding my own almonds -- it came out too pasty But still YUMMERS!
  • My husband and I made this dish the other night and it turned out really well. Even my 12 year old son , who swears he hates almonds, enjoyed the dish. Instead of baking the almond coated chicken, my husband sauteed it then placed it in the oven. I also agree with Jenne that the worst part of the food preparation was chopping up the almonds. The almonds at the bottom turned out a little pasty, but it was still DELICIOUS!
  • Has anyone tried making this with almond meal? I am going to buy some for a recipe I saw on Kalyn's Kitchen.
  • I made this on Sunday with almonds crushed in my wee food processor and then baked it. Unfortunately, I found it really dry. I have lots more almonds and will try it again. Any hints?
  • My family is already missing my homemade chicken tenders. Are the almonds somewhat like breadcrumbs?