Almond Crusted Chicken with Cherry Balsamic Sauce – Improv Cooking Challenge

OK, last month I took the easy road with Strawberries & Cream Improv Cooking Challenge, simply whipping up a Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie (and then proceeded to accidentally delete one of my most popular posts, so if you go back and re-read it, sorry.  At least the recipe is there).  So this time, I decided to take the Challenge head-on.  Meaning I went savory with the Cherries & Almonds.

I figured that there will be lots of cakes, muffins, pies, cobblers, crumbles, and the like.  Which I am sure will all be fabulous.  And I know everybody loves to look at pretty pictures of delicious desserts.  But I thought I would be a little different.  And maybe everyone will need a break from the sweet stuff, right?

And this looks pretty delicious, right?

I am always trying to come up with gluten-free ways to “crunchify” my chicken that don’t require buying special ingredients, like gluten-free bread crumbs.  So I thought that almonds would make a great chicken coating.  Then I saw this Apricot-Balsamic Chicken from Recipe Girl.  The sauce sounded really good, and I know cherries pair well with balsamic vinegar, so I figured I could just use cherry preserves in place of the apricot.  Her recipe called for a simple sautéed chicken breast, but I thought that using the sauce with an almond-crusted chicken breast would bring in some additional elements of texture and flavor.

Now you know I am a total fan of sweet and savory, so this was a perfect combination for me.  Then you had the sharpness of the vinegar, and the crunch of the chicken.  Rich without being unhealthy.  Total contrast, and yet balance.  Served with some simple steamed broccoli (which I dipped in more of the sauce) and brown rice, and you have a fairly simple dinner that is full of flavor.

Chicken, nuts, fruit, balsamic vinegar.  Now all I need is some cheese.  Oh, wait, I did add cheese to the mix.  The next day for lunch, I chopped up some of the chicken on a salad, sprinkled on some crumbled goat cheese, and thinned out some of the leftover sauce with additional balsamic vinegar for a dressing.  Oh boy oh boy oh boy, salad with fruit and cheese!!

For anyone new to my blog, and as a reminder to others, the Improv Challenge is a blog hop where a theme is given, which is two assigned ingredients, then it is up to the participating bloggers to let the creative juices flow, and see what they can come up with.  Then on the third Thursday of the month, we will all publish our new recipes based on the theme.  If you are have a blog and would like to join us, click on the picture to the below to learn more.

And check out the links at the bottom of this post to see what the other Improvers came up with.

Do you have any creative ideas for “crunchifying” your chicken, with or without gluten?

5.0 from 5 reviews

Almond Crusted Chicken with Cherry Balsamic Sauce

 

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Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Recipe type: Main

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• About 1 lb thinly sliced chicken breasts, or chicken breasts pounded thin
• ¼ c plain Greek yogurt
• ½ t kosher salt
• pepper
• 1¼ c slivered almonds

For the sauce:

• 1 t olive or vegetable oil
• ½ c sweet onion, chopped (I used a Vidalia)
• 1½ t fresh thyme, minced
• ¼ t kosher salt
• pepper
• ½ c cherry preserves
• 3 T balsamic vinegar

Instructions

For the chicken:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil or cooking spray.
2. Combine the Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper in a bowl or plastic bag.
3. Add the chicken, and mix to completely coat each piece.
4. Place the almond in a shallow dish.
5. Dip the coated chicken into the almonds to cover on both sides, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

For the sauce:

1. While the chicken is cooking, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion, and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme, and saute for another minute or two.
4. Add the preserves and vinegar, and stir until preserves melt and sauce is heated through.
5. Serve over chicken.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Recipe Girl’s Apricot-Balsamic Chicken

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Enjoy!

This recipe was shared with:

Amee’s Savory Dish Fit and Fabulous Fridays #37

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Tagged as: Almonds, Balsamic Vinegar, Cherries, Cherry, Chicken, Chobani, Dinner, Gluten-free, greek yogurt, Improv Challenge, Leftovers, Lunch, Nuts, recipe