Almond Crusted Chicken With Strawberry Glaze

The recipe that I threw together for a cooking class on strawberries was such a hit that it needs to be published!

This glazed almond-crusted chicken dish is amazingly simple and quick!

Look for chicken breasts that are uniform in size or at least capable of being cut down into equal sized pieces.

I have also made a similar recipe with chicken thighs so do not be afraid to experiment.

The key is to have uniform sized pieces for even cooking.

Balsamic Glazed Strawberry – Almond Crusted Chicken

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup unblanched almonds, coarsely ground or chopped
S & P
4 (4 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup strawberry preserves
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 cup washed and sliced strawberries

1. Combine the bread crumbs, almonds, salt and pepper. Add chicken, one piece at a time, pat crumbs onto chicken to coat.
2. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes.
3. In a large nonstick skillet heat oil then cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side.
4. Remove and place in 375 degree oven for 5 – 10 minutes.
5. In the same pan, cook onions until tender. Stir in the broth, preserves, vinegar and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-6 minutes or until thickened.
6. Set aside glaze and in the same skillet wilt the spinach with a touch of nutmeg and salt and pepper. Toss strawberries into spinach as it wilts just to heat them.
7. Serve the chicken over the spinach and top with the glaze.

Make Your Glazed Chicken Healthier

The secret to keeping your food as healthy as possible is to pick out quality ingredients.

Of course, you could make the almond crusted chicken with store bought white bread crumbs but it is easy to make your own whole wheat bread crumbs. Just throw bread into a food processor or do what I do… grate exactly what you need with a hand held cheese grater.

When buying jams or jellies always look at the ingredient list. Many say natural and in fact are not! Look for those in which the fruit is the first ingredient. I like the ones sweetened with fruit concentrates or at least just plain sugar.