Sue’s Crunchy Almond Chicken
My dad likes to cook a lot more than my mom. My dad is just one of those people who can make something delicious out of anything, whereas my mom prefers to have a recipe and has her specialties (her amazing Turkey Crepes for example!). My mom has this little brown spiral notebook where she keeps recipes, some she’d handwritten from a book or magazine and others that are clippings. This chicken was one of those handwritten recipes. I’m not sure where she got the recipe but it was always a favorite when I was growing up. When I was a teenager I would also make it occasionally. It was savory and crunchy and we’d typically have it Rice-a-Roni and a veggie. I’ve always loved it! Now I make it for my own family and there’s something so comforting about that. 🙂
So let’s get to it!
Preheat your oven to 375°.
Now you’re going to make the almond coating. To do this, add the almonds, ginger, salt, paprika, cumin, and garlic cloves to a food processor or blender.
Process until the almonds are a coarse meal (a little coarser than sand).
Pour that mixture into a pie dish or plate that has sides. In another shallow dish, pour in the melted butter.
Get an assembly line going with your chicken at one end, followed by the butter, almond mix, and a 9” by 13” pan at the end.
Now take the first piece of chicken and coat it in the butter. Then put it in the almond mixture and press it so the almond coating sticks. Turn it over several times.
Repeat this with all your pieces of chicken. I recommend skin-on bone-in chicken for this dish, but which pieces is up to you. I like using breasts cut in half and thighs. The most important thing, really, is to use pieces that are similar in size so they cook evenly. You’ll also want to make sure chicken is not at all frozen. Not only will it mess with the cooking time but it hardens the melted butter making the coating clumpy. If I end up with extra of the almond mixture, I like to sprinkle it between the chicken pieces. It is so good on rice or over your veggies on the side!
Now put the chicken in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes. It’s done when the juices run clear or it reaches about 160 degrees. Turn the temperature up to 425° and cook another 5 minutes to really crisp up the coating.
I like to serve the chicken with sautéed veggies and sometimes a piece of fresh fruit.
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 8 pieces skin-on, bone-in chicken
- 2 cups roasted unsalted whole almonds
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Add almonds, ginger, salt, paprika, cumin, and garlic cloves to a food processor or blender. Process until almonds are a little coarser than sand.
- Pour mixture into a pie dish or plate that has sides. Pour melted butter into another shallow dish.
- Make an assembly line with the chicken at one end, followed by the butter, almond mix, and a 9” by 13” pan.
- Coat a piece of chicken in the butter. Press it in the almost mixture so the coating sticks. Turn over several times. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken. Sprinkle extra almond mixture between the chicken pieces.
- Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the juices run clear or it reaches 160°.
- Turn the oven up to 425° and cook another 5 minutes to really crisp up the coating.