Pistachio Chicken

With swimsuit season looming before us, several of my friends have decided to prepare by living the low-carb lifestyle.  It got me thinking about some really healthy, energy-rich foods and this recipe popped into my head.  I got it from my Mom, and trust me, it is so full of flavor you won't even notice the bread is missing from the table.  

Pistachios have so many health benefits, from lowering your LDLs (bad cholesterol) to making your skin glow.  They are loaded with vitamin B6 which aids in blood health, nervous, and immune systems.  They also are chock full of carotenoids that are known to decrease risk of macular degeneration.  There is really no reason to not eat pistachios, so drumroll, please.  This is my mom's Pistachio Chicken.

Pistachio Chicken

As the name states, the ingredients are pistachios... and chicken.  I served mine with some roasted potatoes and a spinach salad, but if you are low-carbing it, this would make a delicious chicken salad.

This recipe makes 2 servings, but you can easily double or triple the recipe if you need to.  Take 1/2 cup of shelled pistachios and place them in a food processor.  I buy the pistachios from Sams already shelled, making this recipe so quick.

Pulse the nuts until they are coarse.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Take one chicken breast, cut it in half so that you have 2 chicken cutlets.  Pound out the cutlets until they are about 1/2 inch thick.  Press the cutlets into the pistachio crumbs.

Heat a pan with a splash of olive oil to medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken breast for a few minutes on one side, and flip it to cook the other side for a minute or two.  Remove the cutlets from the pan and place them in a small casserole dish.  Finish cooking the chicken in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Pistachio chicken is so unbelievably flavorful and juicy.  The nuts get toasty and crunchy.  There is only one more thing to say: Get Crackin'!