This dish is totally easy, but it takes a good amount of time to put together so it’s great for all of us who are stuck in isolation! The twist I’ve put on this recipe comes from the gluten-free “breading” for the chicken - it’s made from ground almonds. The toasted nuttiness of the almonds after the chicken has been fried is absolutely to die for, the fragrance will fill your entire house with an incredibly enticing aroma - guaranteed to make your mouth water!

Whole Plum Tomatoes or San Marzano Tomatoes are a great base for the sauce.

Diced onion, crushed garlic and spices are the first ingredients into the saucepan, so it's a good idea to have them prepped.

Cook the diced onion in olive oil until transluscent.

Add your garlic and spices and cook for a minute or so until fragrant.

Youalways want to fry your tomato paste before you add the liquid ingredients.

Fry the tomato paste for a minute or so.

Add the whole tomatoes and gently mash into the rest of the sauce.

The tomatoes will still be lumpy at the beginning, but wil loosen up as you cook.

The finished product with the grated parm added!

Ground almonds are a great alternative to cooking with breadcrumbs if you need to follow a gluten-free diet. I prefer to start with the whole nut so I can choose how course or fine I wish to go, but if you only have access to ground almonds or almond flour that is perfectly fine. Almonds are also a great addition to this dish because they are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats.

The chicken breasts are lightly pounded into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, then are coated in egg, flour and a mixture of ground almonds, spices, and parmesan cheese. Fun fact - this recipe is safe for most people with lactose intolerance because due to parmesan’s aging process, its lactose content is so close to zero that it is considered negligible!

Beat eggs until frothy and fully homogenous.

Arrange your flour, egg, and ground almond mixture on plates for easy coating.

The chicken is coated, now it rests while the oil is heated for frying.

The traditional types of cheese used in Chicken Parmesan are buffalo mozzarella and parmesan, which are the varieties utilized here. Feel free to experiment with different types of cheese such as pecorino and havarti or even white cheddar.

If you are sensitive to lactose, some gut-friendly cheese choices are: parmesan, swiss, aged cheddar, brie and camembert. The long aging process and the use of rennet significantly decreases their lactose content.

The most important aspect of a healthy diet is the ability to read and interpret food labels. Knowing how much added salt, sugar, and saturated fats are in the foods you buy can help you make informed choices. A general rule of thumb is to look at the daily value on the nutrition facts label, and remember that 5% or less is a little, and 15% or more is a lot. Knowledge is power!

*serves 6

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil

1/2 yellow or white onion, diced finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tbsp dried basil

1/2 tbsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 can San Marzano tomatoes

1 tsp coconut sugar

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp ground back pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste

2 tbsp grated parmesan

Chicken

3 chicken breasts, halved widthwise

2/3 cup almonds

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

5 tbsp grated parmesan

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 pasture-raised eggs

1/3 cup flour

2/3 cup neutral oil

1 cup buffalo mozzarella, cut into cubes

6 tbsp fresh grated parmesan or pecorino

4 leaves fresh basil, sliced thinly

DIrections:

1. Prepare tomato sauce. *If you have another tomato sauce recipe you love and would like to use here, you can certainly swap the recipes.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan and add onion. Sauté 4-6 minutes, until just about translucent. Add garlic, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes, sauté until garlic is fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Empty the can of tomatoes into the pot and gently mash with the back of a spoon or spatula while stirring into the rest of the sauce. The sauce will be a bit chunky but will smooth out with cooking time. Now you can add the coconut sugar, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir the grated parmesan into the sauce. You can remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

2. Coat the chicken.

Cut each chicken breast in half widthwise. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken until it is 1/2 inch thick. I recommend covering the chicken in plastic wrap so raw chicken juices don’t go splattering. Alternatively, you can pound it with a rolling pin if you have no meat mallet. Set aside covered.

Grind the almonds in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand. See the photos above for reference. Mix the ground almonds, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper and grated parmesan together and spread mixture on a plate.

Beat 2 eggs in a bowl until frothy and pour onto a second plate. Be sure the plate you are using has a lip that will keep the egg from spilling over the sides.

Sprinkle the gluten-free flour on a third plate.

Set up a large plate, cutting board or piece of parchment paper beside your 3 plates, big enough to carry all 6 coated pieces of chicken. First, coat a piece of chicken with flour. Second, dip it into the beaten egg. Third, coat it with the almond mixture. Let the coated chicken pieces rest for 10-20 minutes. *I recommend using a fork when transferring the chicken between plates, as the coating mixture will stick to your fingers just as well as it sticks to the chicken!

3. Fry, assemble & bake.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat coconut oil in a large cast iron pan (or another heavy-bottomed pan) over medium heat. When the oil is shimmery, fry chicken pieces 2 minutes per side until golden. Use a pan large enough to fit at least 3 chicken pieces at once (if your pan is too small, you will need to clean it or swap pans after a few rounds of frying - there are bits of coating that come off in the oil that will start to burn after awhile).

Once all pieces are fried, place in a baking dish and top with tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake chicken for 15 - 18 minutes, until cheese on top has browned nicely and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Top with fresh basil and serve!