If you are SO OVER eating boring old roasted chicken, I’ve got a new recipe for you that is going to reawaken your taste buds and get you excited about dinner again. Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlets are going to be your new go-to chicken recipe.
I’m serious. Kids love these cutlets, adults love these cutlets, I bet your pets would even love these cutlets (if there were ever any left over to give them).
This is one of those not so rare moments when I altered a recipe to fit my gluten-free dietary constraints, and I actually came out with a better dish on the other side. Not exactly alchemy, but definitely magical.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Flexible Protein: This recipe isn’t just great for chicken! Try it with pork or steak cutlets. I also love it with a firm white fish like snapper or cod.
- No almond flour? You can grind raw almonds to a fine meal in a food processor.
- Egg Allergy? Substitute with dijon mustard or make a chia egg using 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds and 4 total tablespoons of water in this recipe.
- Cheese: You can omit the cheese if you are dairy free.
- Spices: Feel free to experiment with the spices. Italian seasoning, Poultry seasoning, Creole seasoning and even Za’atar are all fun options.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
- Tips for perfect cutlets:
- Too thick = chewy and undercooked inside. Too thin = can dry out or fall apart. Aim for a quarter inch thick.
- Start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Slice in half horizontally (butterfly, then separate).
- If you need to make your chicken, pork, or steak a little thinner, place it in a ziploc bag (unsealed) and lightly pound on it with a full wine bottle or rolling pin until it’s a quarter inch thick. If you’re making breaded fish, slice it to the correct thickness.
- Tips for breading:
- It doesn’t have to be messy! There’s a technique called the standard breading procedure that ensures a relatively tidy process.
- Assemble three shallow bowls. Put flour in the one on the far left. Egg wash in the middle one. Seasoned almond flour in the one on the far right.
- Place the raw cutlets to the left of the flour, and an empty baking tray to the right of the almond flour.
- Use one hand for dry ingredients and one for wet to avoid clumping..
- Coat the cutlets in the flour, dusting off the excess.
- Dip them in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off.
- Then coat them in the almond flour mix.
- Press the breading into each side to make sure that it adheres. Set a timer for 15 minutes to let the breading settle in.
- Tips for pan-frying:
- You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you dip the cutlet in it and it sizzles. If you’ve got a thermometer, aim for 350˚F.
- To stay safe when pan-frying, always lay food gently into the hot oil using tongs or a spatula—never drop it from above, as that can cause dangerous splatters. When it’s time to flip, turn the food away from you to avoid hot oil splashing back.
- Once cooked, lay your food on a paper towel to drain the excess oil, and season with a little extra salt.
Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlet Serving Suggestions
- For an extremely chic summer meal, pair it with the Spinach and Arugula Salad with Roasted Tomato Dressing.
- Enjoy a cozy dinner when you pair it with this Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta.
- Serve with Crispy Smashed Potato Wedges and sauerkraut for a German-inspired feast.
- I dip, you dip, we dip: Pesto Artichoke Spread, Vidalia Onion Dip or a Honey Mustard Sauce are all very complimentary sauces. Or keep it simple with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Storage and Shelf Life
Make Ahead: Uncooked, breaded chicken cutlets can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months, then thawed overnight in the fridge and pan-fried when ready to serve.
Refrigerate: Chicken cutlets store well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Let them cool down before stacking them to prevent sogginess.
Freezer: If freezing breaded cutlets, make sure to store them with a piece of parchment paper in between the cutlets to prevent sticking.
Reheat Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350˚. Place the cutlets in a single layer on a wire rack and reheat in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until heated through.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been gluten free since 2015. At first it felt like a curse, but once I started viewing it as an opportunity to get really creative with my cooking, everything shifted. This is one of those recipes that proved I was right.
Being forced to give up breadcrumbs was the catalyst for discovering that the rich, nutty flavor of almond flour is far superior to breadcrumbs when you are pan frying. I’m willing to bet money that even if you can have bread, once you try these Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlets, you’ll be switching to almond flour too.
Have you already made this recipe? Make sure you let us know what you thought in the comment section below! Feedback is super helpful. Especially when you let readers know if you made any substitutions and what you served it with.
Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- ½ cup avocado oil for frying
- 2 thinly sliced chicken cutlets
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch or flour gluten free if needed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup pecorino romano or parmegiano reggiano
- ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the Oil: Heat a skillet on medium low heat and add the 1/2 cup avocado oil.
- Bread the Cutlets: Blend the egg and 1 tablespoon water together in a small, shallow bowl to create an egg wash.
- Blend the 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup parmesan, salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon each garlic powder and dried thyme in a separate shallow bowl.
- Assemble 3 shallow bowls. Put flour in the one on the far left. Egg wash in the middle one. Seasoned almond flour in the one on the far right.
- Place the raw cutlets to the left of the flour, and an empty baking tray to the right of the almond flour.
- Keep one hand wet and one hand dry as you bread your cutlets, working from left to right.
- Coat the cutlets in the flour, dusting off the excess.
- Dip them in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off.
- Then coat them in the almond flour mix.
- Press the breading into each side to make sure that it adheres. Set a timer for 15 minutes to let the breading settle in.
- Fry the Cutlets: Turn the heat up to medium high. Gently place the cutlets in the oil and cook them for 4 to 6 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes. Cutlets should be cooked through and the breading should be golden brown.
- Place the cutlets on a paper towel-lined plate and season with a pinch of salt.
- Serve: Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. The cutlets reheat well in the oven.
Hi, I’m Julia.
I’m a chef and wellness advocate passionate about helping others live well through nourishing food. I trained at the Culinary Institute of America and now work as a personal chef and community food advocate in Atlanta.
Want to know what inspired me to start Everyday Alchemy? Click the link icon below to read more.
My family loved these! I left out the cheese, and it still worked great.
That’s great to hear, I’m so glad your family loved it!