Easy Almond-Crusted Chicken

What’s this? Another busy weeknight with no energy and no inspiration? They should really scale back production on those. Supply is far exceeding demand.

But we can handle it, right? Of course we can.

First, you’ll want to grab yourself a bottle of GFCF salad dressing. Mine’s a local brand, but there are a whole ton of options out there. If you want to go with a French dressing like I’m using here, you could use Marzetti “Country French,” or Kraft “Creamy French,” or Ken’s Steak House “Creamy French,” “Country French,” or “Lite Country French with Vermont Honey.” Ken’s Steak House really likes the French dressing, eh?

Of course there are a lot of other flavors too–various national brands carry safe versions of Thousand Island, Honey Mustard, Vinaigrettes, pretty much whatever you want. Just do your research and be safe, because as always… the brands I use were GFCF at the time of posting, but manufacturers can change their ingredients without warning. Say it with me now: Always check your labels!

Anyway, marinate a couple of chicken breasts in about 1/4 cup of your dressing for as long as you can manage. (Make sure to get all-natural chicken breasts that aren’t injected with broth, or you run the risk of gluten.) Then drop them in a greased baking dish, and liberally sprinkle slivered almonds over the top. There’s no point in trying to coat the whole chicken breast like you might imagine a typical “crust” would be, because the nuts on the sides just fall off and the ones on the bottom will get soggy. This is more like an “upper-crust” kind of crust, know what I’m saying? It’s superior, is what I’m saying.

Pop the uncovered dish into a 350-degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, and you’re good to go. The almonds aren’t the most graceful of toppings, I’ll admit, but they really are the highlight of the dish, so light and perfectly toasted. But if you or your kids aren’t into the big jagged pieces, you could crush them a bit before sprinkling, or even go so far as to use almond meal instead for a more traditional-looking breading.

Not surprisingly, this chicken goes really well with a side salad. I always end up adding a little more dressing to the chicken as I’m pouring it on the salad, but I’m decadent like that. Feel free to exhibit more restraint, if you can manage it.

Happy Eating!

Easy Almond-Crusted Chicken

2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup GFCF French dressing
1/4 cup slivered almonds