Crispy Pistachio Crusted Chicken (Easy 30-Minute Recipe!) | PWWB (2024)

Ingredients

Scale

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (roughly 1.5 pounds – see Recipe Notes)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 cup pistachios, finely chopped (see Recipe Notes)
• heaping 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• heaping 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
• kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

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1. Prep the chicken:First, butterfly the chicken. Use a large knife to carefully slice a chicken breast open lengthwise, creating 2 nice pieces. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast. Once butterflied, pound the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch thick cutlets.Cover the chicken breast with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound it out to uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside & repeat with the remaining 3 chicken breasts. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Set aside.
2. Prepare the dredging station:Grab 3 large plates or shallow bowls. Place the all-purpose flour on one, whisk the eggs on the second, and mix the pistachios, panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the third. Lightly season each plate with kosher salt and ground black pepper, mixing to combine.
3. Bread the chicken: Working one by one, give each chicken breast a light dusting of flour (shaking off any excess), followed by a light coating of egg (shaking off any excess). Place the chicken into the pistachio-panko-Parmigiano Reggiano mixture, pressing to adhere & coat the chicken as completely as possible. Shake off any excess breading and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

   

4. Cook the pistachio crusted chicken:Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, give the skillet a swirl to ensure its entire surface is coated in oil. Working 2 chicken breasts at a time, carefully add the pistachio crusted chicken cutlets to the skillet. Be careful to avoid overcrowding the pan as it prevents browning. Cook 90 seconds – 2 minutes per side, until the pistachio coating is crispy & golden brown & the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a plate. If needed, add the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet & repeat with the remaining 2 chicken breasts.
5. Serveimmediately. These crispy Parmigiano Reggiano pistachio crusted chicken cutlets are great served with a simple salad or with a Caesar salad, over a simple pasta dishor alongsiderisotto– pretty much everything! Enjoy!

• Chicken breasts:It is very important to pound the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch thick cutlets, otherwise the Parmigiano Reggiano pistachio crust will brown before the chicken is completely cooked through. If your chicken breasts are on the smaller side, pounding out to 1/4-inch thickness shouldn’t be too much of a problem! If your chicken breasts are larger, it will be helpful to butterfly them before pounding them out, as described in Step 1 of Recipe Directions, above.
• Prepping pistachios & Parmigiano Reggiano:If you’re working with whole, shelled pistachios & a larger piece of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the quickest way to break them down is with a food processor:
  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano: Chop a large piece of Parmigiano Reggiano into a few large pieces, transfer to the food processor, pulse to roughly chop, then let the food processor run until the Parmigiano Reggiano is as finely grated as desired. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 month.
  • Chopped pistachios:Add the pistachios to the same food processor used to grate the Parmigiano Reggiano (no need to wash it, just wipe it out well between). Pulse 10-12 times, chopping the pistachios into fine pieces.
• Serving a crowd: If you’re prepping a larger batch to serve to a crowd, it’s helpful to keep the chicken warm once it’s cooked to ensure everything is warm when you serve dinner. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place cooked pistachio crusted chicken on the baking sheet after Step 4 & keep warm in the oven until serving.
• Storage & reheating:This pistachio crusted chicken is best served fresh, though leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The best way to reheat is to toast in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the pistachio crusted chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes per side, until toasty & warmed through.
• 10-Minute Meal Prep:While these pistachio crusted chicken cutlets come together really quickly, you can eliminate nearly all of the active prep time involved by pounding out the chicken cutlets ahead of time. To prep, pound out the chicken according to Step 1. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, all you have to do is dredge & cook – easy!