Almond & Cornflake Crusted Chicken

I'm all about the easy homemade weeknight dinner, and this falls right into that category! Nate bought a big tub of almonds at Target, and the idea of a crusted baked chicken breast with some baked sweet potatoes on the side sounded yummy. This is a recipe that can be whipped up pretty quickly with out too many ingredients or prep time, a favorite for a nice dinner together after yet another big day at the office.
I used my handy-dandy food processor but you can also use a sturdy freezer bag and rolling pin to smash up almonds and corn flakes



Almond & Cornflake Crusted Chicken
By; Me, Beth G.
Serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup crushed almonds
2 cups crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp hot sauce (optional, we like a kick!)

Pre-heat oven to 400. cover a baking sheet with foil and spray well with non-stick spray.
If almonds are whole, crush using a food processor into more of a almond-meal-like texture, you still want some chunks of goodness in there so don't get too "nutty" on the food processing! Then throw the corn flakes in there and pulse several times to break them up, but not pulverize them. In a large bowl combine almonds, cornflakes, flour, salt, pepper & cayenne and mix well (I used a fork to stir it all together). In a dish large enough to fit a chicken breast, combine the beaten egg, milk and hot sauce and mix well.
Rinse the chicken breasts, pat dry and trim fat if there is any. Dredge each chicken breast in the egg mix, then place in the large bowl with corn flake/almond mix and flip around so it gets completely coated in the mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. (you could probably also do like shake n' bake and put the corn flake mix in a large freezer bag- throw the egg dipped chicken in there and shake'er up!)
Bake for 17-20 minutes per side (you'll flip em once) until chicken is completely cooked through (cut the thickest part of one piece to check for done-ness, or use a meat thermometer- should read 170)

I served these with baked sweet potatoes and that was it- so freakin easy & delicious!!