Pistachio Chicken

One of my favorite meals to cook, whether it is for guests or just a quiet dinner for the two of us, is pistachio chicken salad with avocado lime dressing. It’s actually a recipe we’ve gotten from the South Beach cookbook, but it definitely doesn’t taste ‘healthy’. The key is to make sure you don’t over cook the chicken. You want it just perfectly moist to complement the crunchy pistachios and crispy romaine lettuce. (And if you happen to have any vegetarian relatives, as I do, you can substitute the chicken with tofu. My sister says it’s fabulous.)

Ingredients (Serves 2):

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of shelled pistachios
Romaine lettuce
1 avocado
2 limes
3 + 1 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Preparation:

Chop pistachios semi-fine in a food processor. Press chicken breasts into pistachio dust until coated. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet on medium high. Brown chicken breasts coated with pistachios just a couple of minutes on each side and then place them in a glass baking dish in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until not pink in the center. In the meantime, put avocado, 3 tablespoons of oil, 3 tablespoons of limejuice and 1 tablespoon of water in the food processor and process until smooth. Slice chicken breasts over a bed of romaine lettuce and top with dressing.

We usually serve the salad with a side of asparagus. Spread the asparagus on a cookie sheet, top with a bit of olive oil, some sea salt and a bit of Parmesan and stick in the oven with the chicken until asparagus is cooked, but not shriveled. Enjoy!