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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Chicken and Parmesan are a match made in heaven, especially if they become a steaming, crunchy bite. Think of Italian-flavored chicken tenders, but better. And there’s more good news; we’re baking these, so worry not about all that frying oil; this one is a healthier alternative to your favorite Italian chicken dishes.
And talking about healthy, we’re making these baked parmesan chicken with almond flour and almond meal instead of regular all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs. Why? Because many people can’t handle gluten, and others are looking for low-carb alternatives, so why not cater to both? These chicken two biters are still delicious, though, so everyone will fall for them.
Let’s break this recipe down for a second. You’ll need chicken breasts or chicken thighs; that’s your call. And we’re breading them almost traditionally, first in flour, then in whipped egg and finally in the almond meal for a crusty outer layer.
Now, here’s a secret. All the flavor comes from paprika, Italian herbs, salt and pepper, but you must add them to the flour, not the ‘breadcrumbs.’ If you season the breadcrumbs, in this case, the almond meal, you’ll just burn them in the oven. If they’re under the crispy crust, though, all the flavor gets infused into the chicken.
You’ll also need parmesan cheese, that one we’ll definitely mix with the almond meal to get a cheesy, golden crust. And as you see, everything starts to come together. Baking these for about 45 minutes does the trick. Once the chicken is cooked through, and the crust is nice and crispy, dinner is ready! These bites sound lovely, right? They are!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a baking tray with cooking oil.
In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, paprika, Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
In a second bowl, whisk the egg.
In a third bowl, combine the coarser almond meal and the Parmesan.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and coat them in the flour mixture. Dip them in the egg and cover them with the almond meal and Parmesan mixture. Set aside.
Bake for twenty minutes uncovered in the middle rack of the oven. Flip once and bake 15 more minutes.
Make sure the chicken is cooked through and serve immediately with a side of pasta or a tossed salad with Italian dressing.
