Almond Flour Crusted Chicken

I have really been craving fried chicken lately and had some inspiration that I could tweak the really great fish recipe I posted recently. So I got into the kitchen and got busy.  I thought since I wouldn't have the "crust" on both sides of the chicken, the breasts should be cut in half to reduce the thickness.  It worked out perfectly!  With that I used a lot of inspiration and the traditional seasonings that I would have if I had been doing my traditional fried chicken and this is the result:

Almond Flour Crusted Chicken with Green Salad
and Homemade Ranch Dressing

Not only was I excited for how well this turned out, but I used it again for Chicken Parmesan and it was amazing! I will even list the marinara sauce recipe I used for it below the main recipe just in case it sounds too good to pass up. = )

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts, cutting thickness in half to make 4 chicken cutlets
• 1 Tbsp. Bacon Grease or Butter
• Salt and Pepper

Lightly season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and sear both sides in frying pan with fat.  Remove to 9x9 baking dish and cover with seasoned topping.

• 1/2 c. Almond Flour
• 1/4 tsp. each: Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika
• 1/8 tsp. each: Pepper, Poultry Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. Melted Butter

Mix together almond flour and seasonings to distribute well, then add in butter to create a crumbly mixture.  After topping the chicken (leave loose or lightly tamp down, up to you) bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees or until lightly golden brown.

Marinara Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1/2 lg. Onion
• 2 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 Tbsp. Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
• 2 oz. Tomato Paste
• Water (enough to thin to desired consistency
• 1/2 tsp. Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. each: Salt, Basil, Marjoram
• Pinch of Oregano
• (Adjust seasonings to desired taste)

Saute onion in butter over medium low heat until soft.  Add tomatoes and wine.  Let simmer about 5 minutes.  Add everything else (I added some leftover sauteed mushrooms that added a bit of heaven!) and stir/whisk until smooth.  

For the Chicken Parmesan, I cooked the chicken as up above and removed chicken from the over and spooned the sauce over the top of the chicken and topped with shredded parmesan cheese.  Then returned back to the oven for about 5 minutes.  Serve with a heaping delicious serving of buttered spaghetti squash and you have an amazingly nutritious meal. =) 

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