Pistachio Crusted Chicken

I had the family coming to celebrate 2 birthdays - my husbands and my daughter-in-law's.  For the first time ever, instead of steaks on the BBQ, he wanted chicken baked in the oven.  Why?  Not 100% sure, but it might be partly because he is the person who handles the BBQing, so this would leave him free to just relax and chat.  Fortunately my daughter-in-law prefers chicken.

I have lots of recipes, but as it was a big family dinner I wanted to make it special.  In searching for ideas I found a recipe on The Wholesome Dish that gave me a coating I thought would be nice made with ground pistachios and seasoned Panko bread crumbs.  I couldn't find those, but they did have seasoned Italian bread crumbs, so used those. I had more than 4 people coming, but the recipe was easy to double. 

They brushed honey mustard on the chicken breasts to help the coating stick.  I decided to go a different direction. I bought quality chicken breasts from a butcher that were marinated in a lemon/Greek mixture.  I used a meat mallet to flatten the thick part of the breasts to the same thickness as the rest of the breast so that it would cook evenly. 

Then I put a few tablespoons of mayo on the meat and smeared it with my hands until all the breasts were covered evenly and coated the breasts in the crumb/nut mixture.  About 20-25 minutes in the oven and they were ready. As I couldn't find seasoned panko, the coating wasn't actually crispy which was a bit disappointing, but everyone loved them. The meat was tender and the flavor fabulous!

Enjoy!

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Pistachio Crusted Chicken
4 Servings (easy to double)

Ingredients -

3/4 C                  Shelled pistachios

3/4 C                  Italian seasoned Panko bread crumbs (or Italian Bread Crumbs)
4                         Boneless skinless chicken breasts (good quality marinated ones from butcher are best)
2 T                     Mayo
Olive or cooking spray

Instructions -

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the pistachios in a food processor and pulse until they turn into small crumbs. Pour the pistachios into a shallow dish. Add the panko or bread crumbs and toss to combine.

Place the chicken breasts on a butcher block surface or sturdy cutting board.  Flatten the thick portion of the breast with a meat mallet until it is the same thickness as the rest of the breast. Place in a pile on a plate, add 2-3 T mayo and mix with hands until all the breasts are evenly coated. One at a time, place a chicken breast into the dish with the pistachio mixture. Press the pistachios into the chicken until the chicken is well coated on all sides (I placed each breast on the coating, piled a bunch on top, then pressed down to make sure the top and bottom were well covered). Discard the extra pistachio mixture (note I made 7 chicken breasts, so doubled the coating and had tons leftover.)

Line a baking sheet with parchment then coat with a think layer of oil or cooking spray. Place the chicken on a baking sheet being sure they are well separated. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, about 25-35 minutes.  Where I flattened mine they were easily done in 25 minutes. 

You can plate individually, or serve family style on a platter. I served mine family with cooked fresh veggies, a pasta dish and rolls.