Almond Crusted Chicken with Sauce

Today was one of those crazy days. You know the kind, the ones where you realize you need to put a meal on the table, and it is 5:00. Within the next 60 minutes, the questions will start. What’s for dinner? When are we eating? And always punctuated with the exclamation, Dad, I’m Hungry! It was one of THOSE days.

I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts mostly thawed out in the fridge. OK, that’s a start. I had a spice rack. That’s good. And I have a family demanding the dinners get mo’ healthy. Piece of cake, right? So tonight I was going to wing it. No recipe, no instructions. Just a semi-stocked pantry and fridge. But as I attacked the task at hand, I had ulterior motives. Whatever I tried on the chicken, I was eventually going to do with the tilapia in the freezer for lunch this weekend. I’m the only one in the house that will eat seafood, so this was a test.  I aced this exam. The kids asked me to make this one again. Cha-ching! The whole meal was less than 450 calories and 10 grams of fat. I love it when a plan comes to together.

Because I had no recipe, and as usual I didn’t write it down, I need to record this so I can have a tasty lunch this weekend. I’ll prep the tilapia the way I did the chicken, and the sauce will be something yet to be discovered.  Here you go…          

Almond Crusted Chicken with Sauce Something or Other

Serves 4

Almond Crusted Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup almonds (roasted and ground fine)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Thai basil (regular basil will also work)

¼ cup milk

1 egg white

4 cups cooked pasta

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare a baking sheet lined with foil.

Whisk the egg white until frothy and add the milk. Whisk until well blended.

In separate dish combine the almonds, bread crumbs, Parmesan, coriander, paprika and basil and mix well. Add some salt and pepper because that's what the TV chefs would do at this point.

Dip one side of the chicken breast in the egg mixture. Transfer to the dry ingredients so the same side is well coated. Place on the baking sheet with the coated side face up. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sauce

One can of Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup (98% fat free)

¼ cup white wine

¼ cup chicken stock

¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup finely dice onions

¼ cup finely diced celery

Salt and pepper (to taste)

In a pan coated with cooking spray, cook the onions and celery over medium heat until soft. Add white wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Mix in the soup and cook for additional 10 minutes until well heated. Add milk, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve pasta and chicken with sauce. Enjoy!