I love chicken tenders, chicken wings, chicken nuggets, and pretty much any other chicken that’s been coated in something crunchy. This almond chicken gives you the best of all that without being fried or breaded. It’s encrusted in a crunchy almond + spice mixture then baked to perfection! If you’re looking for almond Chinese chicken, that’s something totally different and you may want to try my teriyaki chicken instead! This is simply almond crusted chicken that’s perfect for a weeknight meal! I have yet to meet someone who tried this recipe and didn’t love it. It’s a family favorite too – even kids will love this take on chicken nuggets! This and these coconut chicken tenders are two of my sons’ favorites!
Ingredients
This recipe uses things that you should already have in your fridge or pantry at home! Just a few notes on the ingredients:
Almonds – you want to use raw, whole almonds, rather than anything that’s already roasted/salted/chopped. Anything with additional flavor will change the taste of the breading. Chicken breast halves – this is best made with boneless, skinless chicken breast halves. If you have full chicken breasts, you can just use a knife to cleanly slice them in half before cooking. Salt – you’ll need 1/2 tsp salt to include in the breading PLUS salt to add to each side of the chicken before you coat it. I always prefer kosher salt for things like this. Paprika – regular paprika or smoked paprika works fine for this. Garlic powder – garlic powder or garlic granules work great, just don’t use fresh garlic or garlic paste (that’s good in this baked ziti though!).
How to Make Almond Chicken
This recipe is really just a matter of one, two, three but there are some key steps and tips you want to make sure and read below to get the best almond chicken ever! There’s also a video below with step by step instructions. It really is as simple as it seems!
1 – Make your coating
First, you want to pulse the almonds and spices in a food processor until they’re small but not totally pulverized. You want small chunks of almonds, not ground almond powder. This means you need to pulse the mixture, not just let it run. Using a food processor has always given me the most consistent sizing in the coating but if you had to, you could also just use a mallet and smash them up or something as well, but I recommend the food processor.
2 – Coat the chicken
Place your beaten egg into a shallow dish and your almond mixture into another shallow dish. Salt both sides of your chicken then dip one piece of chicken into the egg then into the almond chicken. Flip it over to coat both sides. After the almond coating is on the chicken, pat it down with your hand. This will seal the coating to the chicken and keeps it from falling off. It also helps the flavors of the spices to soak into the chicken. Place the keto almond chicken onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
3 – Bake the chicken
Add a drizzle of olive oil before putting the chicken into the oven. It’s not going to make or break the chicken, but it will give an added layer of crispiness to the chicken and just help the coating brown perfectly. Place the chicken in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.
4 – Let it rest
After baking, let the chicken rest for a few minutes after you take it out before cutting. This will help the juices distribute and keep it perfectly moist and delicious!
5 – Enjoy
After the chicken has rested for a few minutes, serve warm with your favorite side dishes!
What to Eat with This Almond Crusted Chicken
Since you can’t just eat almond chicken by itself, here are some great sides that would pair well with this paleo almond chicken. You could always go with something basic like easy mashed potatoes, strawberry spinach salad, cauliflower puree, or one of these other delicious sides!
Corn succotashGarlic breadsticksCoconut riceAir fryer friesBacon wrapped green beans
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes:
If you’re a big chicken lover like me, these other paleo chicken recipes should be added to your meal plan along with this almond chicken recipe!
Baked Lemon Chicken ThighsEasy orange chicken recipeTeriyaki chicken bowlBaked coconut chicken tendersBalsamic chicken recipeWhite chicken chiliWhite chicken enchiladas
Don’t forget to pin this almond chicken recipe for later.
