If you’re a fan of pistachios you’re gonna love this chicken. Typically you’d see a pistachio crust on a rack of lamb, but you’d be surprised how well chicken goes with pistachio. This makes for a restaurant quality dinner that’s so bloomin’ easy to make! Follow me…
Pistachio Crumb
The crumb itself is incredibly simple to make. Just grab a decent food processor and you’re well on your way!
What kind of Pistachio to use?
You can get shelled pistachios in most supermarkets, but if not just get unshelled pistachios and individually crack them open. In both cases I recommend getting unsalted pistachios, just so you’ve got more control over the seasoning.
Extra Additions
In with the pistachios I recommend adding fresh rosemary and lemon zest. These really liven up the crumb and pair beautifully with the pistachios. Process shots: add pistachios, rosemary and lemon zest to food processor (photo 1), pulse into a fine crumb (photo 2).
Preparing Pistachio Crusted Chicken
When it comes to coating the chicken, you’ll want to dredge it through a classic flour/egg/crumb mix, just to ensure it all glues together nicely.
Honey Mustard
For this recipe you’ll want to whip up an easy honey mustard mix (50:50 ratio of honey:dijon mustard). This is mainly for the sauce, but I also like mixing in a tbsp with the beaten egg, just to pump a bit more flavour into the chicken!
Panko Breadcrumbs
You could just coat the chicken in the pistachio crumb, but I like to mix in some breadcrumbs for a little extra crunch. Panko breadcrumbs work great because they’re so big and airy. The pistachio crumb fills in all the gaps between the breadcrumbs so it works perfectly! Process shots: coat chicken breast in flour (photo 1), mix together honey & mustard (photo 2), combine 1 tbsp with beaten egg and coat chicken (photo 3), mix breadcrumbs and pistachio crumb and coat chicken (photo 4).
Cooking Pistachio Crusted Chicken
When it comes to cooking the chicken, there’s two methods you could choose from:
Baked Pistachio Chicken
This is the easiest method of the two, simply because you just bung the chicken in the oven and leave it. I find with this method the crumb sticks slightly better too. However, it is ever-so-slightly less crisp. To bake you’ll just need a wire rack above and baking tray and some oil spray.
Pan Fried Pistachio Chicken
This is quicker, but slightly less healthy because you need more oil. It’s also slightly more risky for the crumb to stick. To pan fry you’ll need a non-stick pan, a couple tbsp of olive oil and some tongs. If you’re stuck between two methods and this is your first time trying the recipe, you can do half and half to find out which method you prefer for the next time!
Honey Mustard Cream Sauce
This chicken is delicious by itself, but this sauce takes things to new heights. That and we’ve got some honey mustard we need to use 😛 The base of the sauce is equal parts cream and chicken stock. It’s got shallots/garlic, fresh thyme and then the rest of the honey mustard. Similar to the sauce for my Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs! Process shots: fry shallot/garlic (photo 1), add honey mustard and chicken stock (photo 2), pour in cream (photo 3), season, add thyme and simmer to reduce (photo 4).
Serving Pistachio Crusted Chicken
I used to serve the breasts whole, but as of recently I like to slice the chicken into strips when serving, just so the sauce gets in around the chicken! I usually serve with roast potatoes (Roasted Baby Potatoes or Crispy Smashed Potatoes) and either Green Beans or Asparagus. Check out my Sides for more inspo! For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Chicken Breast Dinners
Garlic Butter Chicken Creamy Bacon Chicken Honey Garlic Chicken Creamy Tarragon Chicken
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this pistachio crusted chicken shall we?!
How to make Pistachio Crusted Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
If you plan on making this Pistachio Crusted Chicken be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it? Let me know how you got on in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
