Air Fryer Almond Chicken

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

Crispy almond coated chicken dipped in an egg and buttermilk mixture then rolled in almonds and breadcrumbs and air fried until golden brown and crispy.

A top view of a plate topped with a crispy almond coated chicken breast, a pile of rice, and loaded cauliflower

We recently got a new Air Fryer that has a lot more room and I’ve been making so many different things in it.  While I normally use the Air Fryer to make J’s dinner and to cook fries, rolls, or to reheat things, I’ve been making more and more main dishes.

When I saw this recipe for Air Fryer Almond Chicken I was excited to give it a try.   It only had a few ingredients and looked super easy to make.  Plus it was something different from the chicken we usually eat.

Ingredients:

  • chicken breasts
  • egg
  • buttermilk
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic powder
  • breadcrumbs
  • slivered almonds

To Make the Chicken: Combine the egg and buttermilk in one dish and the salt, pepper, garlic powder, breadcrumbs, and almonds in another dish.   Cut the chicken breasts to similar sizes.  Dip the chicken in the egg mixture then press into the almond mixture and placed in the air fryer.

Pinterest Image: Text, A plate topped with a crispy almond coated chicken breast, a pile of rice, and loaded cauliflower

Now the recipe says to air fry it at 350 degrees but I ended up putting it at 375 degrees and I’m glad I did.  My chicken breasts weren’t very big and they still took 16-20 minutes to cook at 375 degrees. 

When they came out they smelled great.   The chicken was golden brown and cooked all the way through.  It was easy to cut and tasted great.   The chicken was juicy and had a nice almond crust that was crispy.  

Can I use another nut instead of almonds?

The only other nut I’ve tried in this recipe is pecans and they tasted amazing so you can definitely use finely chopped pecans in this recipe in place of the almonds.

Is there an easy way to finely chop nuts?

You can finely chop your nuts several ways.   The first is to use a knife and chop them as small as possible.  This takes a little effort but minimal equipment.  You can also put them in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.   The last way to do it is to use a nut grinder like THIS one.

Can I make this in the oven?

You can certainly make this dish in the oven but it’s written for the Air Fryer.  Preparing the chicken would be exactly the same and I’d put it in the oven at 375 degrees.   However, since I haven’t actually made this in the oven you would have to check on the chicken and check the temperature to see how long it takes you to cook it.

This chicken gets pretty crispy and tastes great but it almost needs a dipping sauce.  I had my chicken with honey mustard which was the perfect sauce for this one.  Other great dips would be sweet and sour, a spicy chili sauce, or even a soy based sauce.

If you’ve tried my Air Fryer Almond Chicken or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

A plate topped with a crispy almond coated chicken breast, a pile of rice, and loaded cauliflower

Air Fryer Almond Chicken

Yield: serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Crispy almond coated chicken dipped in an egg and buttermilk mixture then rolled in almonds and breadcrumbs and air fried until golden brown and crispy.

Ingredients

  • 4 small chicken breasts (about one pound or a little more)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 c. buttermilk
  • 1 c. slivered almonds, finely chopped
  • 1/3 c. breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a shallow bowl combine the egg and buttermilk and whisk until combined.
  2. In another shallow bowl combine the almonds, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
  3. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees. Spray the basket with cooking spray.
  4. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then press into the almond mixture. Place in the air fryer basket so that the chicken breasts do not touch.
  5. Spray the chicken breasts with cooking spray and cook for 16-20 minutes or until the temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Magazine, October/Novemebr 2020.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 402Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 730mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 46g
A plate topped with a crispy almond coated chicken breast, a pile of rice, and loaded cauliflower

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *