Pistachio Crusted Chicken

Pistachio Crusted Chicken  - you wouldn't think that would be so hard to remember, right?

Well, my wife brought the leftovers to work.  And every single time someone asked her what she was eating, she said "Some kind of crusted chicken".

Well this is some kind of crusted chicken.  Or to be more specific, chicken encrusted in crushed pistachios, orange, and oregano.  This recipe is from Cooks Illustrated.

Start by processing 1 cup of pistachios in a food processor.  Use the pulse button repeatedly until they are a coarse crumb texture.

The folks at CI also recommend using 1 cup of panko bread crumbs.  Since my wife is gluten/yeast free, we couldn't use panko.  So instead I processed 1 cup of Schar's Gluten Free Crispbreads to create my own breadcrumb.

Next, chop up the oregano and zest the orange.  You need 1 teaspoon of oregano and about 1 teaspoon of orange zest.

Once all the ingredients are chopped and ready to go, begin browning about 4 tablespoons of butter.  Cook butter over low-medium heat until it starts to turn brown and have a nutty aroma.

Then 1 add diced shallot.

Next, add in the pistachio and bread crumbs and stir to combine.  Cook this for about 5-10 minutes.  Then remove the pistachio bread crumb mixture from heat and put it in a large shallow bowl.  Add oregano, orange zest, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. 

Next, set up three bowls. The first bowl should have flour.  Gluten free or regular, whatever you're preference.  The second bowl should have a mixture of 3 eggs, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  The last bowl has the pistachio mixture.

Clean and DRY the chicken.  Dip in flour, then in egg mixture, and lastly in pistachio.

Place on a wire rack in a rimmed baking pan.

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until meat registers 160 degrees.

Serve with orange slices and enjoy.