This is a South Beach “Phase One” appropriate recipe that takes inspiration from Saudi Arabian Chicken with Walnuts. We were amazed at how juicy and tender the chicken pieces were.
1 C walnuts (either whole or pieces)
4 T Hungarian paprika
3/4 t salt
3/4 t black pepper
4 large boneless chicken breasts (if you use IQF breasts, be sure to thaw completely)
2-3 T extra light olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
In a food processor, grind the walnuts together with the paprika, salt, and pepper until you have a fairly fine mixture. Spread this nut mixture in a pie plate and coat both sides of each piece of chicken.
In a cast iron skillet, fry each piece of chicken in the olive oil for 2 minutes per side, just to brown it. You may have to do it in batches.
Put all the pieces back into the skillet, top with any extra nut mixture, and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the juices run clear and a thermometer registers 160 F.
If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, you can brown the chicken in the skillet and then place the pieces in a greased baking pan.
To serve, slice each piece of chicken and place on top of a lightly dressed salad of leaf lettuce, parsley, and sweet onion.