Almond-Crusted Catalan Chicken

Submitted by Mirj2338

"This really turns plain-old-chicken into something interesting. I've doubled this recipe and it works just as well. Goes great with some Basmati rice and a green salad. Prep time includes marinating the chickens. Use matzoh meal instead of breadcrumbs and this is perfect for Passover."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 25mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 cut-up broiler-fryer chicken, skinned
• 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange rind
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 cup fine dry plain breadcrumbs
• 1⁄2 cup sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, make marinade by mixing together the mayonnaise, garlic, orange juice, orange peel, honey, 1/8 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
2. Add the chicken, turning to coat.
3. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, occasionally spooning marinade over chicken.
4. In a pie pan, mix together the remaining cinnamon, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, almonds and olive oil.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll, one piece at a time, in breadcrumb mixture.
6. Place the chicken in single layer in a lightly greased shallow baking pan.
7. Bake in a 350°F oven about 1 hour or until crisp and brown and fork can be inserted in chicken with ease.

Reviews

[Angela White]

This is a great recipe. My husband really liked it and he is very picky.

 

[iknitok]

I make this using dried rice crumbs and almond meal for when the (coeliac) kids come for dinner. I also use greek yoghurt instead of the mayonnaise. <br/><br/>Absolutely wonderful ! is their verdict each time. I think they miss their occasional Colonel Sanders meal, though they say this is much better.

 

[Chef Kate]

The flavors in this dish are superb; the resulting chicken is moist and tender and full of such flavor--definitely worthy of five stars. I did however, make some changes. First, based upon CG's recommendation, I too ground the nuts. I went a step further and did away with the bread crumbs and just coated the chicken with the almonds and spices. I eliminated the olive oil at the end and my chicken was terrific without the added oil/fat. As for the marinade, I made it as directed, but think that when I make this again I will substitute buttermilk for the mayonaise. Great dish, Mirj! Thank you!!

 

[Gandalf The White]

Made for ZWT5, Groovy GastroGnomes, post tour. Like Cookgirl, I pulsed the almonds in a mini-blender to create a "breadcrumb like" texture for the almonds ... yes, it does change the texture, but the almond flavor becomes more distibuted and intense. No problem following the directions and the results were superb. Made this with Recipe #347714 #347714 -- great meal together. Thanks, Mirj, for posting!! Photos at http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?p=4608707#4608707

 

[COOKGIRl]

I used chicken thighs and replaced part of the breadcrumbs with almond meal. Delicious combination of flavors throughout. Homemade mayo was used. Added to my chicken cookbook! Served with Recipe #302136 and Recipe #201757. An exceptionally good chicken recipe and one I highly recommend! Thanks, Mirj! Reviewed for ZWT 2009.