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This recipe makes tender chicken breasts coated in grated Parmesan cheese and slivered almonds, served with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and pesto dressing.
If you want a break from a carby coating made with breadcrumbs, then this coating is a nice change.
I came across this recipe in a supermarket magazine years ago in Australia where Parmesan chicken is a popular dish. However, my recipe has a twist! Instead of breadcrumbs, I use grated Parmesan cheese and slivered almonds to make the crust. Lightly whisked egg whites bind the crust to the chicken breast. Overall, the chicken has a super crunchy crumb, yet tastes light and healthy as it is baked in the oven instead of fried.
What to serve with Parmesan chicken
Roasted vegetables with a pesto dressing go brilliantly with the Parmesan chicken. The vegetables can be served warm or chilled as a salad. A large serving of fresh rocket/arugula leaves combines well with all these flavours to create a nice Mediterranean-style dish.
Can this crust be used on other meat or fish?
Besides skinless chicken breasts or thighs, I would recommend using this crust with turkey breasts, fillets or schnitzels. The thickness of the cut will mean different oven-baking times. As a rule of thumb, allow 25 mins for breasts or thighs, and 15 mins for fillets or schnitzels. Always check one for doneness before removing them from the oven.
This crust does not suit red meat cuts. However, I can see this being a great crust topping on some oven-baked fish fillets.
Can the chicken be fried instead of oven-baked?
I would not recommend frying this type of crusted chicken as the cheese will start to melt and become a sticky mass in the pan. The oven does a good job of crisping up the cheese and almonds while gently cooking the chicken to be tender & moist, yet fully cooked.
If you do need some carbs with the Parmesan chicken, I would serve it with some warm gluten-free pasta or incorporate it as a salad with the roasted vegetables and pesto dressing.
Gluten-Free Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
PESTO DRESSING
- 3 tbsp mixture of almonds and cashews, whole & skins removed
- 6 heaped tbsp fresh basil leaves
- 1 garlic cloves, whole
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¾ tbsp runny honey
- 3 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt
- salt, to taste
- fresh basil leaves, to garnish
PARMESAN CHICKEN
- 5 chicken breasts, skin removed
- 40 g store-bought or homemade gluten-free plain flour blend
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 2 egg whites
- 80 g Parmesan cheese, grated finely
- 20 g slivered almonds, unroasted
- 1 heaped tbsp fresh oregano leaves, or
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped finely
- olive oil, to drizzle on the roasting tray and over the chicken
- 1 pinch of salt
- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 5 small sprigs fresh oregano, to garnish
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 large eggplant/aubergine
- 2 zucchinis/courgettes
- 3 cherry tomatoes vines, or
- 20 loose cherry tomatoes
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper
- 1 tsp fresh oregano leaves, or
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- salt & black pepper
- 2 large stalks fresh rosemary, broken into smaller stalks
- olive oil, to drizzle over the vegetables
- fresh parsley leaves, to garnish
To serve
- 5 handfuls fresh rocket leaves
- 5 lemon wedges
Instructions
PESTO DRESSING
- Roast the nuts in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring often until slightly golden.
- Allow to cool down slightly then blend the nuts, garlic clove/s and basil leaves. Pulse a few times and scrape the mixture down from the sides.
- Slowly add the olive oil, followed by the lemon juice, salt, cracked pepper and honey
- Add the yoghurt and blend one final time.
- Taste and add more lemon juice, honey or seasoning to balance it.
- Keep the pesto dressing chilled and covered until serving time.
PARMESAN CHICKEN
PREPARING THE CHICKEN
- Pound the chicken breast with a rolling pin or meat mallet to tenderise it and flatten it out slightly.
- Combine the flour and white pepper together in a wide bowl. Set aside.
- In another wide bowl, whisk the egg whites until lightly whisked. Set aside.
- Finely grate the Parmesan cheese into another wide bowl and combine it with the slivered almonds, fresh or dried oregano and fresh parsley. Set aside.
- One by one, place the chicken breast in the flour mixture and cover it well, shaking off any excess flour.
- Next, place the chicken in the egg white mixture and drench both sides with the egg white. Lift the chicken over the bowl and allow some of the excess egg white to drip off the chicken.
- For the final coating, place the chicken in the Parmesan mixture, patting down firmly on both sides.
- Transfer the coated chicken to a large plate or tray and continue coating the remaining chicken.
- Once all the chicken breasts are coated, chill them uncovered for 30 mins. This ensures the coating remains intact and crisp while cooking*
OVEN-BAKING THE CHICKEN
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Line a large roasting tray with a sheet of baking paper.
- Place the coated chicken on the roasting tray on the middle shelf and bake for 25 mins.
- Allow the chicken to cool down for 5 mins before serving. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Serve whole or sliced.
ROASTED VEGETABLES (*start making the vegetables when the chicken is in the fridge)
EGGPLANT
- Slice the eggplant lengthways, sprinkle some salt over the eggplant and allow to rest for 20 mins.
- Wipe the excess water and salt off the eggplant with a paper towel.
- Drizzle some olive oil over a large baking tray and position the eggplant pieces close together. Sprinkle the oregano, salt and black pepper over the eggplant.
- Drizzle with olive oil and roast the eggplant for 20 mins, turning over halfway.
- Transfer the eggplant to a plate, brush some fresh rosemary stalks over them and cover while preparing the remaining vegetables.
ZUCCHINI
- Slice the zucchini lengthways.
- Using the same eggplant tray, drizzle some more olive oil if needed.
- Position the zucchini close together. Sprinkle the oregano, salt and black pepper over the zucchini.
REMAINING VEGETABLES
- Slice the red capsicum/bell pepper into stripes.
- Add the peppers and tomatoes (still on the vine if possible) next to the zucchini.
- Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10 mins or until soft, turning the zucchini and peppers over halfway through roasting.
- Remove all the roasted vegetables to join the eggplant. Brush all the vegetables with the fresh rosemary stalks. Leave them on top and cover to set aside.
PLATING UP
- Place the whole or sliced chicken on each plate and position alongside the chicken, an assortment of roasted vegetables next to a small bowl of pesto dressing garnished with some basil leaves.
- Garnish the chicken with a sprig of fresh oregano and sprinkle some fresh parsley leaves over the roasted vegetables. Place a generous serving of fresh rocket leaves on one side of the plate together with a few wedges of lemon.
Notes
- Pesto dressing keeps for 2 weeks chilled
- Not suitable to freeze
- Parmesan chicken keeps for 3 days chilled
- Suitable to freeze pre-cooked and cooked
- Roasted vegetables keep for 3 days chilled
- Unsuitable to freeze
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