Almond Crusted Chicken Schnitzel
I love using nuts and nut meals in a lot of the recipes I design. Almond meal is the perfect flour replacement for those on gluten free, sugar free, low GI and low carb diets.
When I was a little girl my Polish grandmother used to make me chicken schnitzel at least once a week as it was one of my favorite meals. She would lightly coat thin pieces of the chicken breast with a little arrowroot or corn flour then dip into lightly beaten organic eggs followed by wholemeal breadcrumbs and then cook them in her cast iron pan with a little olive oil until golden and crisp. My version is similar to my grandmothers, but in place of wholemeal bread crumbs I’ve used ground almonds mixed with a hint on lemon and parsley. This version lowers the carb content, increases the nutrients including Vitamin E, protein and fiber and makes it gluten free. Serve with steamed green vegetables and a good squeeze of lemon and enjoy.
I hope you enjoy one of my favorite meals as much as I do and don’t forget when buying nuts and nut meals, make sure to buy the unsalted natural variety and store them in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Serves 4
2 organic chicken breast fillets ( sliced in half widthways )
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 organic / free range egg beaten
1 cup ground almonds
2 lemons
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Steamed green broccoli to serve
In a bowl, combine almonds, the zest of 1 lemon and parsley.
Lightly coat the chicken breast in the arrowroot then dip into the egg mix followed by the almond mix. You should have 4 lovely pieces of lean chicken, coated in a lovely almond crumb. Cook over a low to medium heat in a pan using 1 tablespoon olive oil until lightly golden and chicken is cooked through. Serve alongside steamed green vegetables with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy.
NB: also lovely with a side of Napolitana.
Protein: 39 g
Carbs: 1.4 g
total fat: 24 g
saturated fat: 4.1 g
kilojoules: 1610
Calories: 386
Hi Teresa,
Would this still work by substituting the chicken for a fillet of white fish or even salmon?
Thanks,
kristy
Yes Kristy Definately. you can substitute the chicken for fish – it makes an amazing crumb and goes with just about anything. Cook over a nice low to medium heat in a little olive oil or grape seed oil. X
My clients and I all LOVE your recipes. This is on my menu tonight. I sent you an email about cooking classes for my clients but so far haven’t got a response?
Karen Reedman
Fit and Firm
Hi Karen, glad you love the recipes..Working on a venue for cooking classes in the Eastern suburbs will keep you posted….TXX
Teresa, is it necessary to use the arrowroot. Would it work without flour, do you think? If flour is necessary what else could i use other than corn or wheat?
Hi Jenny, dusting the chicken in either a gluten free corn flour, rice flour, tapioca or arrowroot which is a herb works best for this recipe. You can however dip the chicken in egg and almond meal an omit the first coating, however you need to be extra careful when cooking as the crumb won’t adhere as well. Cook over a low heat and turn only once so as not to disturb the lovely golden crumb. Happy Cooking !x
Hey Hun,
Are you crushing your own almonds or is almond meal ok ? Im guessing almond meal is to fine?
X
Hi Love
you need to use almond meal. This is the best for the chicken coating. TX
what do you suggested for my husband who can’t have nuts and is also on gluten free, sugar free, low GI and low carb diet? Thanks Sharn x
To make this schnitzel if you have a nut allergy…I would use a good quality gluten free / nut free bread then place into a food processor to make breadcrumbs….also you can use a good brown rice flour to coat your schnitzel or better still actually coating the chicken breast in plenty of chopped garden herbs like parsley, thyme and lemon zest is the perfect answer..then cook over a low heat until tender.
Sharny, use sunflower seed or sesame seed crumb mixed with fresh chopped parsely and lemon zest. Coconut flour also works.
My Husband loves Chicken schnitzel (the deep fried kind) I’m going to cook this for him, I hope he will like it! It looks good to me
I can’t wait to try out your recipes! However I was wondering if you could tell me what the calorie count on this would be? Thanks
Sounds like a great recipie, cant wait to make it.
Hi,
Is it possible to do a vegetarian version? For example, with tofu? If so, do you know which type of tofu would work best?
Thanks
Hey Freya – yes just buy a good firm organic tofu – i sometimes get a lovely smoked organic version. Coat first in arrowroot or a gluten free corn flour, then in egg wash, followed by almond crumb. You can mix almond crumb with parsely and lemon zest. Cook as per instructions and serve with lemon and green vegetables or salad.
Hi Teresa
I am a runner looking at improving my diet and that of my family, and have recently discovered your website. I made this recipe last night (with a combo of almond and hazelnut meal as I didn’t have enough almonds) and it was a massive hit. I was amazed at how tasty it was given the simplicity of the coating. It’s definitely going on my regulars list!
All your recipes I’ve tried so far are so easy to cook and turn out so tasty! This one was no exception.