Walnut Crusted Chicken Breasts with Persian Spices and Pomegranate Sauce
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
With a crisp nutty crust, a symphony of spices, and a silky, tangy sauce, this recipe is bound to become a favorite. Who says boneless, skinless chicken breasts have to be boring?
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish, Entrée, Poultry
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • Chicken:
  • 90ml (6 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 20g (4 tsp) Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
  • 1 large clove garlic, finely grated or minced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • ½ tsp ground sumac, divided
  • ½ tsp nigella seeds
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ tsp ground coriander
  • ⅛ tsp ground turmeric
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Four boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4-5 oz each)
  • 70g (½ cup) cassava flour (or substitute brown rice flour)
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 150g (1¼ cups) shelled walnuts, chopped or processed into fine crumbs
  • 15ml (1 Tbsp) neutral cooking oil
  • Pomegranate Sauce:
  • 10ml (2 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 oz onion (¼ medium), finely chopped
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • ⅛ tsp kosher salt
  • 20ml (4 tsp) red wine vinegar
  • 12 fl oz (1½ cups) low sodium chicken stock
  • 80g (¼ cup) pomegranate molasses
  • 21g (1 Tbsp) honey
  • Roasted or glazed root vegetables for serving
  • Fresh pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley for garnish
Procedure
  1. Make the marinade: In a medium bowl whisk together 75ml/5 Tbsp olive oil with mustard, parsley, garlic, ¼ tsp salt, cardamom, ¼ tsp sumac, nigella seed, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, and 2-3 grinds black pepper. Set aside.
  2. Pound the chicken: Trim any excess fat or silver skin from the breasts, and lay them flat on a cutting board. Cover the breasts with a sheet of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or flat bottom of a skillet to an even ¼ inch thickness.
  3. Marinate chicken: Rub chicken breasts with the marinade, coating thoroughly. Cover bowl or transfer chicken breasts to a zipper bag; refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
  4. While chicken is marinating, make the sauce: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic and salt, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender and golden. Add vinegar, stirring to coat, and cook for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, pomegranate molasses and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook sauce until liquid is reduced by half, 6-8 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and use an immersion blender to purée sauce, or transfer to a standing blender and purée until smooth. Bring sauce back up to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon - you should have about ⅔ cup sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.
  5. Make the coating: Combine the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon sumac with 2 grinds black pepper, flour, and walnuts in a food processor. Pulse until you have a coarse meal, making sure to stir the contents occasionally. It's important to use the pulse function here instead of letting the processor run constantly - you don't want to end up with walnut butter.
  6. Coat the chicken: Spread the walnut meal onto a rimmed sheet pan. Working with one piece at a time, dip a chicken breast into the beaten egg, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. Lay the breast on top of the walnut mixture, pressing down to adhere the coating to the underside, then flip over and press down to coat the other side. The breasts should be completely covered in the walnut mixture.
  7. Cook the chicken: Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan along with 15ml/1 tablespoon neutral oil. Heat the oil until shimmering, then decrease heat to medium. Gently shake excess coating off the chicken breasts and add them to the pan (do this in two separate batches if your pan is too small to hold all four at once without crowding).
  8. Cook the chicken on the first side for 2-3 minutes until evenly browned, then flip over and cook on the second side for another 2-3 minutes until cooked through.
  9. Serve: Drizzle the chicken breasts with sauce, and garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Serve with root vegetables, and extra sauce on the side.
Recipe by Good Health Gourmet at https://goodhealthgourmet.com/walnut-crusted-chicken-breasts-persian-spices-pomegranate-sauce/