Gluten-Free “Fried” Chicken with Nuts and Herbs

fried chicken. mmmmmm.....

 

There’s just something very satisfying about fried chicken.

Trouble is, traditional fried chicken often contains lots of unhealthy fats, oils, grease, etc. And of course, there’s the breading, so for all those off grains or gluten-free, we’ve just had to forego this delicious dish—until now!

(and for you vegetarians, hang around for a second: I have a meat substitution below I think you’re gonna love! :)

 

What I LOVE about this recipe is that there’s no bread or wheat in the coating! This has to be the healthiest fried chicken I’ve ever found!

It’s also pretty darn simple and fun to make this! :)

I’ve cooked this for Jason in San Francisco, and with Dennis and Karen in Vancouver, WA (along with the No-Bake Brownies—yes, it was quite a feast).

I’ve never used the oven method, though I’m definitely inclined to try it, as it would eliminate the oil needed with frying. Plus, if you have thicker chicken pieces, it can be tricky to have it cook through in the skillet, and yet not burn the nuts.

 

Health benefits: healthy fats, protein-rich, and gluten-free!


Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes total for frying; 45 minutes for baking

Feeds: 4-6 people

Skill: Easy

 

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts (look for organic, free-range, grass fed chickens—trust me, you can taste the difference!)
  • 1/2 cup organic spicy brown mustard
  • 2 cups raw, unsalted nuts of your choice
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped herbs of your choice
  • sea salt (optional)

Meat Substitution:

I bet this recipe would work well with portabello mushrooms instead of chicken!

 

fried chicken ingredients

 

Directions

  1. Toss the nuts into a food processor and pulse (or grind) until finely chopped—leave the mixture a bit course.
  2. Combine the ground nuts with the chopped herbs and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
  3. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
  4. Pour the mustard into a second medium-sized bowl. Dip the chicken pieces into the mustard and then coat both sides with the nut mixture.

(There was also half an onion around, so I diced it up and tossed it in! Feel free to get experimental with the coating! :)

Chef tip: after coating with the nuts and herbs, repeat the whole process (mustard and nuts/herbs again). I picked this up from Jeff when he cooked the real-deal fried chicken!

 

fried chicken cooking

 

Stove-top Frying from Jeanne Chun in the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, about five minutes a side.

 

Oven-baking from Everyday Paleo:

Place coated chicken into a greased glass baking dish (she used a little olive oil spray to cover the bottom of the dish) and sprinkle each chicken breast with just a little sea salt.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

 

fried chicken dinner with sweet potatoes and cauliflower rice

 

Enjoy the goodness!

 

Thanks to the Primal Blueprint Community and Everyday Paleo for the inspiration! Top photo from the PBRCC; the rest are mine! :)

 

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About

Former life: actor/office worker/virtual assistant; lived in Los Angeles for 11 years. Since then: sold nearly everything, took a $5 flight to Hawaii, lived there for 3 months, wrote an eGuide about all of it, and still traveling. Currently: digital nomad - looking to improve myself, have fun and serve others.