Almond-Crusted Chicken and Nectarine Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing
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The combination of fried chicken strips and nectarines made this salad a tasty treat after a long day at work. We particularly enjoyed how the sweetness of the nectarines complimented the dressing for this salad, making every bite of the dish a savory and sweet combination that was entirely satisfying. The almond crumb coating for the chicken was also a nice departure from traditional flour breading, providing a nutty crunch to the salad. Despite our satisfaction with this salad, there were a few minor gripes to report. First, our local market does not carry white balsamic vinegar so in our lack of planning we substituted a tradition dark balsamic from our cupboard. Although the taste of the dressing was fine, the appearance was rather muddy looking and slightly unappetizing when compared to the rest of the dish. Secondly, although the end product is delicious, the process of frying the chicken is time consuming and you should be prepared for a bit of a mess in your kitchen.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbs. sour cream
- 1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. honey
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1-3/4 cups sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 lb. chicken tenderloins, pounded 1/4 inch thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 Tbs. vegetable oil
For the salad:
- 6 cups torn tender lettuce (such as butter lettuce, oakleaf, Red Sails) or arugula or both
- 2 small to medium ripe nectarines (or peaches), halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar, and honey. Slowly whisk in the oil to blend. Stir in the chives and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Lightly beat the eggs in a wide, shallow dish. Pulse the almonds and flour together in a food processor until the almonds are chopped; transfer the almond mixture to another wide, shallow dish. Season the chicken on all sides with 1 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. pepper. Dip one piece of chicken at a time in the eggs. Shake off the excess and dredge in the almond mixture, pressing lightly to help it adhere. Set aside on a wire rack.
Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Working in batches, cook the chicken until light golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate when done. Between batches, remove any stray almonds from the pan and add more oil if necessary.
In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, arugula, or both and the nectarines with about half of the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 dinner plates. Divide the chicken among the plates, overlapping the pieces on top of the salad. Drizzle additional dressing over the chicken and serve.
Comments
Sounds Yummy
Sounds yummy, I like Italian food but this one would be a real feast.
This looks amazing
I love the almond coating. Very nice! Your site is great!
I often make almond or other
I often make almond or other nut crusted chicken, but I bake it in the oven. For crispiest results, use the cook's illustrated method of cooking on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
did you peel the nectarines before adding to the salad?
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Re: I often make almond or other
Baking the chicken is a great idea. We often find the Cooks Illustrated way of doing things is the best, we will have to try that next time. As for the nectarines, we didn't peel them before addding them to the salad.