Walnut and Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Remember those chicken cutlets awhile back? They were breaded and delightfully fried in extra-virgin olive oil? And I promised a healthier version to come? This is it.

My, I have grown to love nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts...so nutty (obviously), so rich, and so amazing when toasted. I think it's partly because I know they are good for you. And as you may have noticed by now, I am a sucker for healthy ingredients, healthy alternatives, and healthy food. If a reasonably well-renowned source tells me dirt is good for me, by golly, I will be filling buckets and shoving it down my throat whenever I can. There could be worse weaknesses, right? Don't get me wrong though. I will always love dessert. Always.

Anyways, what I was trying to get at is this: what a neat way to "bread" chicken! Just season boneless, skinless chicken breast halves with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then coat with frothy egg white, and coat in your crumb mixture (bread crumbs (whole-wheat bread preferred), nuts, parmigiano, and a little more salt and pepper). Cook chicken on one side in grapeseed oil over medium heat and until lightly browned. Then flip chicken and transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown and cooked through. When baking chicken in the oven, I usually take a cooling rack, set it on top of a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (to catch loose crumbs, etc.), and set the chicken on the cooling rack. It works nicely for an even bake.

This is good. The texture makes it. A little crunch, a little crumb. And the nuts provide a great flavor for your chicken. I'm thinking about trying some other nut combinations sometime as well. Isn't everyone looking for a way to change up the usual mildly seasoned chicken breast...? This is it. Cheers.