Almond Chicken with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce. A tasty combination of flavours & textures that’s sure to impress whether at a dinner party or weekday meal.
Almond Chicken with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce
This recipe sure does have a lot going for it both in terms of flavour and texture. The crunchy coating ids packed with plenty of ground almonds and fragrant thyme, while the chicken breast gets baked to succulent perfection.
Yes, this is a baked and not fried skinless chicken dish which is an added bonus in terms of very little added fat.
Cherries for almond chicken cherry sauce. Use fresh or frozen in this recipe.
To compliment the crunchy chicken is a very easy sweet and sour cherry pan sauce. It comes together quickly in the time it takes the chicken to bake.
We served this chicken with some simple steamed vegetables and brown for a complete and very nutritious meal. This dish makes an elegant presentation for a fancy dinner party or to serve special guests.
My kids absolutely tore into this meal though, showing that it works just as well as a pretty quick and easy workday meal.
Deboned chicken breasts for Oven Fried Chicken Nuggets.
I like to debone my own chicken breasts so that I can roast the bones and skins for stock later. I freeze them until I have enough to cover a baking sheet then use the instructions in my post on making Chicken Stock here.
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Almond Chicken with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce
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Originally published April 2013. Updated photos and nutritional information March 2019.
Almond Chicken with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce
Almond Chicken with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce. A tasty combination of flavours & textures that's sure to impress whether at a dinner party or weekday meal.
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- FOR THE ALMOND CRUST
- 2/3 cup almonds, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup panko crumbs
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or about 1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves roughly chopped)
- 2 tbsp flour
- FOR THE SWEET & SOUR CHERRY SAUCE
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot or 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup red wine (grape juice or apple juice can be substituted)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, quartered
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar ( or balsamic vinegar)
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or about 1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves roughly chopped)
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper then dip into an eggwash made by whisking together the egg and water.
Mix together the almonds, panko crumbs, thyme and flour.
Roll the dipped chicken breasts in the almond mixture to coat thoroughly.
Roast uncovered on a parchment lined and lightly oiled baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. You can also lightly spray the tops of the breasts with a little olive oil to help them brown if you like but this is not totally necessary.
Bake until the internal temperature of the the meat reaches 170 degrees F or greater on a meat thermometer.
Let the chicken breasts rest for at least 5 minutes out of the oven before serving with the Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce.
TO PREPARE THE SWEET & SOUR CHERRY SAUCE
In a sauté pan over medium heat add the olive oil, garlic and shallot.
Cook only until the garlic and shallot soften.
Add the red wine, cherries, red wine vinegar, salt , pepper, thyme and honey.
Simmer on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce and give a final season of salt and pepper if necessary.
Depending on the sweetness of the cherries you may also need, based upon tasting, to add a little more honey or vinegar to balance the sauce. Just cook it for another minute or two after the final additions.
As with almost any pan sauce, you can add a tablespoon or two of butter just at the very absolute end of the cooking time for added richness, flavour, body and a little gloss, but again this is not necessary if you are watching the fat content of the dish.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 servingAmount Per Serving Calories 608Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 149mgSodium 504mgCarbohydrates 42gFiber 6gSugar 22gProtein 47g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Nesrin
Saturday 9th of March 2019
Where else can we use this delicious Sweet & Sour Cherry Sauce?
Barry C. Parsons
Monday 11th of March 2019
Definitely with pork.