Just recently, the Good Cook (a cookbook club which should by now like me very much) had a 50% off sale, and there were a few books I just couldn't resist, among them The Herbfarm Cookbook.
Last night I tried out Almond-and-Herb-Breaded Chicken (p. 202) and was quite pleased by the results. Described as: "Skinless chicken soaked in buttermilk to tenderize it and baked with a savory coating of almonds, rosemary, thyme, and parsley..." It goes something like this:
Marinade:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 TBSP dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 4-pound chicken, cut and skinned
Crust:
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and sliced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 TBSP coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
2 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
1 cup fresh parsley sprigs
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
About 1 cup all-purpose flour
1. Marinate the chicken: Whisk together buttermilk, mustard, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss chicken pieces in mixture and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Crust: Whirl crust ingredients in food processor until finely chopped. Dredge buttermilk-soaked chicken pieces in flour, and then once more in buttermilk mixture, and then in crust mixture.
3. Baking: Bake 45-55 minutes at 400 degrees.
Serves 4.
Since boneless chicken breasts were available already in the freezer, they were used instead. Baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. It was juicy and tender and the crust was crunchy and evocative. Best of all, fresh thyme and rosemary were used from the herb garden.
Posted by Jennifer at May 28, 2003 10:58 PMAnother definite winner....the crust was just amazingly good, and the chicken was very tender. I'm certainly glad that Jenn buys so many cookbooks (and selects such good ones)!
Posted by: Michael at May 28, 2003 11:37 PM