Crunchy Almond Chicken

Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 25 minutes 
Total time: 40 minutes 
Servings: 4 

If you like almonds, then Happy National Almond Day! Don’t know how that celebration came to be, but with my husband and I being almond lovers, we’re not complaining. 

And to celebrate this day dedicated to those yummy brown nuts, I’m going to share with you a recipe that showcases the versatility and distinct taste of almond. 

My husband and kids love breaded chicken. Until a few months back, adding a pack of pre-made breaded chicken to our weekly shop was a must. Until a friend told me of all the stuff that's put into frozen breaded chicken, like additives and preservatives. So I decided to start making my own breaded chicken. 

I've experimented with whipping up some breadcrumbs using my food processor and some stale bread. And the results were great! But I found I needed to make fresh breadcrumbs each time, as whenever I stored leftover breadcrumb, they'd go moldy. 

It was actually my culinary challenged husband who, a few months back, was munching on a packet of almonds while waiting for his breaded chicken, when he had an epiphany. “Wouldn’t it be nice if that chicken was coated with almonds rather than regular breadcrumbs?”  
 
So we tried coating one chicken, ate it, and have been using almonds ever since! Our favorite brand of almonds to use is Sincerely Nuts, as their almonds are 100% natural and free of GMO as well as other unwanted additives. 

Your Ingredients:  

3/4-1 cup of Sincerely Nuts Natural Whole Raw Almonds (Unsalted No Shell) 
1 tsp of garlic powder 
1/2 tsp of paprika 
1/2 tsp of dried oregano 
1/2 tsp of dried thyme 
1/2 tsp of salt
1 beaten egg 
4 small or 2 large chicken breasts cut into halves 

How to make your Crunchy Almond Chicken: 

First, you need to preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Now go get your food processor and throw in your almonds, garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme and salt. Process the mixture until the almonds are chopped into very small pieces.

Once done, pour the almond mixture into a shallow bowl and add the beaten egg. Set aside for later.

Now go get your chicken and salt both sides of each piece. 

Now go dip the chicken into the egg mixture, making sure to coat the entire chicken.

Once done, go coat the chicken with the almond mixture. Again, make sure that the entire chicken is fully coated with the almond mix.

Now drizzle some oil over a baking sheet and place your chicken on it. Also drizzle a bit of oil on the chicken to make it crispy. 

Bake for not more than 25 minutes. 

Let rest for 3 minutes to let juices redistribute .

Remove from oven and allow dish to rest for 3 minutes before serving .

Mom’s Secret Tip: 

Unlike breadcrumbs, crushed almonds last for weeks in an airtight container.  Process the entire pack of your Sincerely Nuts Almonds and store away, ready to use whenever you want some quick 'breaded' chicken!