A simple, gluten-free, and extremely delicious recipe for a weekday dinner! Chicken breast is flattened, rolled in eggs and ground almonds (almond flour), then fried and served with a flavour-packed rustic cherry tomato, basil and parmesan sauce! Serve this dish with some tenderstem broccoli or green beans for a lower-calorie, low carbohydrate option that does not compromise on flavour! And if you're not following any specific diet, serve this Almond Crusted Chicken with a good amount of creamy potato mash for a truly decadent meal!
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What Ingredients Will You Need?
Eight ingredients for this wonderful gluten-free chicken dinner. Two things I would note:
- Choose a large chicken breast, that is thick enough to be cut in half to create two thin chicken 'steaks'. Alternatively, you can you two small chicken breasts and pound them flat.
- Use ripe cherry tomatoes. They will be full of flavour, juicier and will soften quicker.
Fancy something a little more tropical instead of Mediterranean? Try our Coconut Crusted Chicken!
Love fish? Why not try almond-crusted fish instead?
How to Make a Rustic Cherry Tomato, Basil & Parmesan Sauce?
This tomato sauce is a chunky one. Cherry tomatoes are softened but they don't fully disintegrate, therefore creating something in between a sauce and a side dish! And that's exactly what we love about it, served with the chicken alone, it seems satisfying and filling enough without having to cook more sides.
To make the sauce, you will need a medium pan. Prick each cherry tomato once or twice with a fork or a toothpick. It will help to speed the process along, as tomatoes will have a way to release their juices as they soften. Heat a tablespoon of oil on low-medium heat and add the pricked cherry tomatoes and cook, string occasionally for 10-15 minutes until soft and mushy but not completely disintegrated. You can cover and leave the sauce at this stage until you're almost ready to serve.
Stir the parmesan through the cherry tomatoes, add the double cream and heat for a minute. Then stir the basil leaves in and season with some salt and pepper (we find it doesn't need much salt, as the parmesan provides enough flavour). Serve warm!
How to Make Almond Crusted Chicken?
We normally use a large chicken breast, that we cut into two flat pieces lengthways. However, if you have small chicken breasts, make sure you butterfly them (here's how: How to butterfly chicken breasts | BBC Good Food) or pound them into about 1.5-2cm thick pieces using a meat tenderiser.
Whisk the egg in a large flat bowl. Mix the ground almonds (we love Stock'd almonds), salt, pepper, lemon zest and grated parmesan in another large flat bowl. Dip each chicken piece in the egg, and let any excess drip off. Then roll the chicken breast in ground almond mixture ensuring all of it is covered evenly.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan with 2 tablespoon of oil (and a knob of butter for extra decadence, if you wish). Once hot, add the Almond Crusted Chicken and fry on medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Depending on the thickness of your chicken pieces, you may want to reduce or increase the cooking time. Make sure the chicken is cooked through and there is no pink meat inside.
Serve the chicken immediately with some rustic Cherry Tomato Basil sauce!
What Else To Serve With Almond Crusted Chicken?
We love this dish with creamy mashed potato and some greens on the side. Why not try our:
- Tenderstem Broccoli (Broccolini) with Lemon and Garlic
- Courgette Ribbon Salad with Earl Grey and Honey Dressing
Recipe FAQs:
Since we are using thin pieces of chicken breast in this recipe, they won't take long to cook. 4 minutes on each side in a medium heat pan should be all you need, but if in doubt, check the internal temperature with a kitchen thermometer - the temperature should read 73 C.
Absolutely! Baby plum tomatoes can be used as a direct substitute. But if you have larger tomatoes, simply chop them into smaller bits and follow the recipe. The sauce will be thinner though.
Other Chicken Dinner Recipes:
If you enjoy simple, yet delicious, chicken dinners, have a look at some of our favourite recipes below. They're easy to make, don't take long, and taste absolutely scrumptious!
- Chicken with Grapes in Cream & White Wine Sauce
- Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry
- Crispy Panko Chicken Recipe (Baked)
- Chicken Limone (Pollo Al Limone)
- Ras El Hanout Chicken with Tahini Drizzle
Crispy Almond Chicken Breast with Cherry Tomato Basil Sauce
Ingredients
For Almond Crusted Chicken:
- 1 large chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 1 egg
- 40 g ground almonds
- 10 g parmesan finely grated
- ½ lemon zest only
- 1 -2 tbsp odourless oil
For Cherry Tomato & Basil Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 250 g cherry tomatoes ripe
- 1 ½ tablespoon double cream
- 10 g parmesan
- 15 g basil leaves only
Instructions
- Start your sauce first. Prick each cherry tomato with a fork or a toothpick to help them soften and release juices. Place the tomatoes in a medium saucepan with a tablespoon of oil and cook for 10-15 minutes stirring often. Your tomatoes should soften and release juices but shouldn't completely dissintegrate.
- Whilst tomatoes are softening, cut a large chicken breast in 2 lengthways to get two flat pieces of chicken. See the text above if you're using 2x small chicken breasts instead.
- Whisk an egg in a large flat bowl. Mix ground almonds with parmesan, lemon zest, some salt and pepper in a separate flat bowl.
- Dip the chicken pieces in the egg, and let any excess drip off. Then roll the chicken in the almond mixture, ensuring full coverage.
- Heat a large frying pan with 2 tablespoon of odourless oil (you may choose to add a knob of butter too for extra decadence). Fry the chicken on medium heat for approx 4 minutes on each side (adjust timing if your rhciken is very thick or thin). Cooked thicken will not be pink, and the juices will be completely clear.
- When the chicken is almost cooked, stir the parmesan into the soft cherry tomatoes. Add the cream and heat for 1 minute to warm through. Then stir in the basil leaves and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve the Almond Crusted Chicken with a side of our rustic Cherry Tomato Sauce (and any other favourite side dishes!).
Notes
Nutrition
Natalie says
Super tasteful, simple to make, and kid-friendly recipe! I love it when kids enjoy my new recipes, thank you
Ieva says
That's brilliant, Natalie! Glad you all enjoyed it!
kushigalu says
Totally in love with the combination of ingredients in the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Ieva says
Thanks for the feedback, Kushigalu! 💗
Amanda says
This is a delicious main meal that's perfect for weeknights but would make a great entertaining dish too. I've never used cherry tomatoes in a sauce before and they didn't disappoint.
Ieva says
Thanks, Amanda 💗