Almond Chicken

My cousin Donna and I don't get to see each other very often.  Donna lives in California.  I lack the funds to go visit her, and her schedule rarely affords her the opportunity to visit here.  You can imagine, then, how excited I was to have an opportunity to spend the day with Donna and her son Greg a couple of weeks ago.  

Donna and Greg invited me to join them on a visit to Gabriola Island, so we spend much of the day out of the house.  

Gabriola is a magical place.  One of British Columbia's gulf islands, it has wonderful beaches where the sandstone boulders are carved by water and wind into intricate filigree.

I spent lots of time taking pictures.  

Photo by Gregory Bodnar.  Thanks Greg!

We were all reluctant to leave the island, but returned to my house in the late afternoon.

My brother and sister-in-law joined us for dinner and then we ended the evening with a walk by the river.  It was a very nice day!  

Photo by Gregory Bodnar.  Thanks Greg!

Dinner for six requires some planning and preparation no matter how simple the menu, but I think we did fairly well.  Before leaving for Gabriola, I put teriyaki pork in my slow cooker, pre-cooked some brown rice to reheat in the steamer, and prepped vegetables for a stir fry.  

This menu was fine for most of us, but my sister-in-law doesn't care for sauces of any sort. I wanted to include something in the menu that she could enjoy, but that was simple and quick to prepare.  

Enter Almond Chicken:  I don't think a dish can get much simpler to prepare that this.

The chicken was a big hit with Donna and Greg, so much so that Greg requested the recipe.  I couldn't ask for a nicer compliment.  :)

To make Almond Chicken, you'll need:

• blanched almonds
• eggs
• chicken pieces
• salt 

Begin by preparing the chicken.  

I was using bone-in skinless chicken thighs so I removed the thigh bones and set them aside for stock.  Then I cut each thigh into two or three smaller pieces.

Beat the eggs.

Chop the almonds in your food processor or by hand.  They need to be small enough to stick to the chicken but not so fine that they don't have texture.  Transfer the chopped almonds to a bowl.  Stir in some salt.

Season the almonds more generously than you think you'll need to.  It's the only added seasoning in the dish so the flavour needs to go a long way.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Working wet hand/dry hand, dip the chicken pieces in the egg, and then coat them in the almonds. You'll probably have to press the almonds gently into the egg to make them stick.

Transfer the coated chicken to your prepared baking sheet.

Bake the chicken at 400F until it's cooked through.  The small pieces I'd prepared took about 20 minutes to cook.  If you're using larger pieces or cooking the chicken bone in, you'll need to adjust your cooking time.  (If I were cooking whole chicken thighs, bone-in, I'd allow about 45 minutes.)  The cooked chicken should look something like this:

It's fun to dip the hot chicken in plum sauce but almond chicken can be served either hot or cold.  It also freezes well, so if you have the oven space and cooking time, it's worth making extra to set aside for another meal.
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This post is linked to The Pity Party hosted by Thirty Handmade Days, to Foodie Friday hosted by Rattlebridge Farm, to Weekend Potluck hosted by Sunflower Supper Club, to Strut Your Stuff Saturday hosted by Six Sisters' Stuff, to Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Addicted to Recipes, to Think Pink Sunday hosted by Flamingo Toes, to Makin' You Crave Monday hosted by Mrs. Happy Homemaker, to Craft-O-Maniac Monday hosted by Craft-O-Maniac, to Busy Monday hosted by A Pinch of Joy, to Manic Monday at Bobbi's Cozy Kitchen, to Mix It Up Monday hosted by Flour Me With Love, to Hearth and Soul Blog Hop hosted by Premeditated Leftovers, The 21st Century Housewife, Elsa Cooks, Zesty South Indian Kitchen, Savoring Today, and Penniless Parenting, to Delicious Dish Tuesday hosted by Full Time Mama, Mama Chocolate, and Coping With Frugality, to Tuesday To Do Party hosted by The Blackberry Vine, to Tip Me Tuesday on Tip Junkie, to Whatcha Whipped Up Wednesday hosted by DJ's Sugar Shack, to Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain, to Look What I Made hosted by Creations by Kara, to Wonderful Wednesday hosted by Printabelle, to Thursday's Treasures hosted by Recipes For My Boys, to Tastetastic Thursday hosted by A Little Nosh, to Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage, and to Foodie Friday hosted by Not Your Ordinary Recipes.