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Chicken is coated in a mixture of almonds and macadamia nuts, then pan-fried until golden and crispy in this Almond Crusted Chicken recipe. It’s topped with an incredible white wine butter sauce for an elevated but comforting weeknight dinner.
Behind This Almond Crusted Chicken Recipe
This almond crusted chicken is truly comfort food taken to a whole new level. Tender chicken cutlets are coated in a golden, buttery, and crispy crust. It has a nutty and warm flavor, thanks to the almonds, macadamia nuts, and a pinch of nutmeg.
And then there’s the sauce. The chicken is topped with a beurre blanc sauce. While that sounds fancy, it’s a 5-minute sauce made with dry white wine, butter, scallions, and cream. Trust me when I say you’ll want to drizzle it over the chicken and the mashed potatoes!
What I love is that it’s incredibly easy to make yet it has that elevated comfort food vibe that I love in so many other dishes, like Steak Tortellini and Chicken Scampi.
Tips From My Kitchen
- Swap the nuts. Prefer pecan-crusted chicken? No problem. You can also do all macadamia nuts (they are just pricey!).
- Use chicken tenderloins instead of cutlets. I find this much easier than slicing and pounding chicken breasts.
- Substitute the white wine butter sauce with white pepper gravy, as I use it in my Southern Chicken Fried Chicken.
- Press the breading on. To ensure the nut breading adheres to the chicken, be sure to coat each cutlet in the egg mixture and then gently press into the bowl of breading.
- Flip just once. When frying, flip the chicken just one time, so that the breading really has a chance to brown and crisp.
Key Ingredients
Here’s an overview of all the ingredients needed to make this chicken recipe, why they’re important, and any substitutions. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Chicken cutlets – Boneless, skinless breasts pounded to 1/4-inch thickness also work.
- Nuts – Though I call this almond crusted chicken, a mixture of almonds and macadamia nuts is used.
- Breadcrumbs – Use regular plain breadcrumbs, not panko or Italian seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper, along with nutmeg for added nuttiness in the breading.
- Eggs – Act as a binder for the almond-crusted breading, plus a few splashes of hot sauce if desired.
- Dry white wine – The base of the beurre blanc sauce. Any dry white wine you enjoy will work.
- Heavy cream – A few tablespoons of heavy cream add some creaminess to the sauce.
- Butter – Be sure to keep it cold until it’s added to the sauce.
- Scallions – Add a light oniony flavor to the beurre blanc without being overpowering.
How to Make Almond Crusted Chicken
While this recipe may look and sound fancy, it’s surprisingly easy to make!
- Make the breading mixture. Add the almonds, macadamia nuts, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to a food processor. Pulse until it reaches a sand-like texture. Transfer to a shallow plate.
- Make the egg wash. Beat the eggs in another bowl. Add hot sauce if desired.
- Dredge the chicken. Dredge the chicken in the egg, coating well on both sides, then transfer to the nut breading mixture. Press a bit to ensure it sticks to both sides.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping once.
- Make the sauce. While the chicken is cooking, add the white wine, scallions, and 2 tablespoons of cream to a pan over medium. Cook until the liquid reduces to 1/4 cup, usually about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, add the remaining cream and the butter cut into 8 pieces. Whisk continuously until the butter melts. Remove from heat and season.
- Enjoy. Spoon the beurre blanc sauce over the plated chicken. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
I highly recommend pairing this almond crusted chicken with the Best Mashed Potatoes or my Cheesy Boursin Mashed Potatoes, along with your favorite vegetable, such as sautéed corn or spinach.
How to Store and Reheat
Not all breaded chicken dishes can be revived the next day, but this one can. In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, this almond-crusted chicken doesn’t get soggy and holds up well, even in the microwave.
Store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, the easiest way is to use an air fryer at 375 degrees for about 3-4 minutes. If you have a larger amount of chicken to reheat, you can cook it in an oven preheated to 350°F until it is warmed through.
Looking for More Comfort Foods?
Comfort food is my jam! Southern Fried Chicken is a tried-and-true classic, and this Easy Butter Chicken is as good as take-out. And if you need something low-effort with minimal clean up, check out my One-Pan Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Rice!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for Almond Crusted Chicken! Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback!
If you make these or any other recipes, don’t forget to tag me on IG @BadBatchBaking to be featured on my story. Seeing your recreations makes my day!
Almond Crusted Chicken with White Wine Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 chicken cutlets about 1.5 lbs
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped, if using salted nuts, cut back the added salt to 1/2 tsp
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 2-3 tsp hot sauce like Louisiana or Tobasco
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Mashed potatoes
- optional: serve with sauted corn, spinach, green beans or your favorite vegetable
White Wine Beurre Blanc
- 3 scallions green and white parts, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
- 1 stick cold butter cut into 8 tablespoons
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the shaved almonds, macadamia nuts, bread crumbs, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and nutmeg. Pulse until the nuts are mostly ground to a sand-like texture. Add the breading mixture in a shallow plate.
- In another shallow dish, beat the eggs until smooth. Add a few splashes of hot sauce if desired for extra flavor.
- Dredge the chicken into the egg, coating on both sides. Allow excess egg to drip off and transfer into the nut breading mixture, pressing it in to stick on both sides.
- In a large skillet over medium-low, add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add in the breaded chicken cutlets and cook them about 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through, flipping just once. You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil before flipping.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the white wine butter sauce. To a saucepan over medium heat, add the white wine, scallions, and 2 tablespoons of cream. Cook to reduce the liquid to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
- Lower heat of the saucepan to low, add remaining 2 tablespoons of cream. Add in the cold stick of butter, cut into 8 pieces. Whisk continuously until the butter has melted, then remove from the heat and add pepper and salt as needed.
- Serve the chicken warm alongside mashed potatoes and veggies. Spoon over the beurre blanc sauce.
Just saw this on IG. Instantly saved. Can’t wait to try this one!
One of our family’s favorite comfort food dishes. It’s easy enough for quick dinner but special enough to be served for a holiday dinner.