142.2…Almond Crusted Chicken Breasts with Lemony Leek Sauce

Another winning recipe from Great News Cooking School hit my dinner table last night.

Almond Crusted Chicken Breasts with Lemony Leek Sauce with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.

Get your ingredients out.

Let’s start with the leeks for the sauce. Leeks are grown in the ground and get tons of dirt in each of the layers. The best way to clean them is to chop them first…

Then place them in a bowl full of water, swirl them and leave them alone for a few minutes. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Scoop out the leeks and put them in a colander. Don’t dump them into the colander or you’ll dump all the dirt on top of the leeks.

Melt some butter and sauté the leeks.

Cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes until leeks are very tender.

Meanwhile get the chicken ready by pounding it and adding salt and pepper.

Once the leeks are tender, give them a stir.

Add some lemon juice…

And some cream.

Simmer until reduced and then cool slightly. Put it into a blender and let it rip.

I put the sauce back into the pot and kept it on simmer until everything else was ready.

Line up your chicken station: flour, beaten egg, and mixture of sliced almonds, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in flour, then brush one side with egg. Dip into the almond mixture.

Melt some butter and olive oil in a pan and add the chicken, crust side down, for about 2 minutes.

Flip the chicken over and cook for a moment to cook the flour.

Place the chicken on a rack on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, place some peeled and quartered Yukon Gold potatoes in a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil, add salt and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain and get out your ricer or masher and get to work.

Add buttermilk, butter, salt and pepper and mix.

Take the chicken out of the oven.

Season your sauce with salt and pepper.

Eat!

Almond Crusted Chicken Breasts with Lemony Leek Sauce (Serves 6)

Original Recipe: Phillis Carey, Great News

Printable Recipe

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided use

2 medium leeks, halved, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup sliced almonds, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all purpose flour

6 small skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 large egg, beaten to blend

2 Tbsp olive oil

1. For sauce, melt 2 Tbsp butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks; sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until leeks are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to medium; add lemon juice and stir until liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Mix in cream. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

2. Trim chicken and pound between two sheets of plastic wrap to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Mix almonds, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper on a plate. Place flour on another plate. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Lightly brush one side of chicken with beaten egg. Press brushed side into almond mixture, pressing lightly to adhere.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt one tablespoon butter with one tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add three chicken breasts to the skillet, almond-coated side down, and cook until crust is brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 2 minutes to brown. Transfer chicken, almond side up, to a rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining butter and oil and chicken. Bake chicken on a rack for 7 to 9 minutes or until cooked through.

4. Reheat sauce, stirring constantly over medium heat. Spoon sauce alongside chicken to serve.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes (Serves 6)

Original Recipe: Phillis Carey, Great News

Printable Recipe

3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in half or quarters

2 tsp. salt, divided use plus freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups buttermilk

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water; bring to a boil and add 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Return the potatoes to the pan and let air dry for a few minutes. Mash or rice potatoes into a bowl. Beat 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and butter into the potatoes until thoroughly incorporated; add more buttermilk as needed to make creamy potatoes. Season with salt and plenty of pepper to taste.

I served the chicken and potatoes with some steamed broccoli. It was a fabulous dinner! Thank you again Great News!

Breakfast this morning was a toasted wheat English muffin with Barney Butter and a side of strawberries. I was recently asked what Barney Butter was…it’s the most delicious almond butter ever! I buy it at Henry’s, Jimbo’s or sometimes at Amazon.com.

After taking the kids to school, I drove myself to a new running route that I had picked out. My half marathon training today was 3 miles. It’s funny when you drive certain routes…..you don’t realize how “hilly” they are. My route had a lot of hills!

Mile 1 – 10:45

Mile 2 – 10:56

Mile 3 – 10:25

When I got home, a ate a few dates:

I got cleaned up, went to get my nails done and then grabbed some lunch at Luna Grill. I ordered the lamb kabob with extra salad, no rice:

It was glorious….but too small for my animal appetite. Good thing there was a frozen yogurt place nearby!

Cake batter and Cookies and Cream flavors with a little cookie dough, Heath Bar and Reese’s PB cup toppings. 

I picked the kiddos up from school, came home and have been dealing with issues with my Apple TV/Netflix connection ever since. Ugh. I am excited about dinner tonight….I’m using up the leftovers from my chicken dinner and  turning them into a pasta dish! Hope it turns out!

Who do you have internet service with and do you like them? Let’s just say that AT&T is about to get fired over here.

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