Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken is a delicious dinner recipe and a great way please the whole family. Tender, juicy butterflied chicken breasts with a nice crispy crust makes for the perfect protein choice!
Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken
Air Fryer Almond Chicken combines the sweetness of almonds with tender chicken. It’s a filling and robust recipe, perfect for busy weeknights.
Air Frying Chicken is a great way to sink your teeth into some crispy and crunchy fried chicken without all the extra guilt, excessive oil, and calories from a deep fryer.
I love how versatile this recipe is. Feel free to put this breading on any cuts of chicken, it will be just as amazing. You can make almond-crusted chicken strips, boneless chicken thighs, even pork chops and more with this easy recipe!
If you and the entire family like this Almond Crusted Chicken, you’ll probably like the Air Fryer Corn Flake Classic Chicken Tenders or Air Fryer Chicken Wings too! We’re all about delicious chicken recipes here!
Serve this chicken dish with your most requested vegetables such as these Air Fryer Diced Potatoes or side dishes for a healthy complete meal.
If you’re looking for more chicken breast recipes, you’ll love this tender and juicy Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken.
Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken
- We all know deep frying chicken makes it crispy, but you can achieve this same crispiness with the use of an air fryer.
- Almonds are low carb, making this a fairly healthy meal.
- The total time in the air fryer is just 12 minutes!
- You can use this chicken in so many ways! Chop it up and put on a salad or slice into chicken strips and wrap in a tortilla with lettuce and dressing. Or make it even healthier as lettuce wraps.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Almond Crusted Chicken is one of my favorite ways to serve up a quick dinner, but here are even more great ways to make chicken in the air fryer:
Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
Air Fryer Chicken and Broccoli One Pot Dish
Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas with Onions and Peppers One Pot Meal
Air Fryer Almond Chicken Ingredients
ALMONDS: You’ll chop these up into fine pieces to make the breading. It’s the ingredient star of the show and tastier than using bread crumbs!
CORNSTARCH: This is used to create the almond breading.
NATURE’S SEASONING: You can use your own seasonings, like garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, etc but I like to use this already made spice combination.
EGGS: Two large eggs. We’re making an egg wash out of these so the almonds stick nicely to the chicken.
CHICKEN BREAST: I like to fillet mine so they are nice and thin and will hold on to the almond-crusted breading easier.
OLIVE OIL SPRAY: A light spritzing will help the coating crisp up nicely.
Kitchen Tools
- Air Fryer
- Knife
- Food Processor
- 3 Bowls
- Whisk
How to Make Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken
STEP 1: Butterfly 2 chicken breasts so you’ll have 4 chicken pieces. Then trim the excess fat from the chicken breast meat.
STEP 2: Place almonds into a food processor and chop them until they are the size of fine crumbs.
STEP 3: Now make an assembly line with your bowls. Put your cornstarch and natural seasoning together in a small bowl and your crushed almonds in separate bowl. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl.
STEP 4: Coat your chicken breast in the cornstarch mixture on both sides. Then dip the chicken in your egg mixture and fully coat them. Lastly, dredge the breasts through the almonds on both sides.
STEP 5: Preheat your Air Fryer to 385 F for 5 minutes. We’re getting the air fryer really hot so the cooking time for the chicken is quick.
STEP 6: Add the coated chicken to your basket in a single layer and spray with cooking spray.
STEP 7: Cook chicken for 12 minutes or until they reach 165 F internally. Carefully remove your crispy almond crusted chicken from the air fryer basket and enjoy!
Is Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken Gluten Free?
Yes! Almond crusted chicken is gluten free because the egg wash and cornstarch act as binding agents, holding the almonds in place.
This means that there is no need for flour or breadcrumbs, which are often used in traditional recipes and can contain gluten.
This dish is perfect for anyone following a gluten-free diet or looking for a delicious and healthy alternative to breaded chicken.
Is Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken Keto Friendly?
Almond crusted chicken is not keto friendly because it contains too many carbs from the cornstarch.
To make this recipe low carb, use almond flour. Almond flour is made from finely ground almonds and is a keto-dieters best friend in the kitchen.
Why? Because it provides the same texture and consistency as cornstarch (minus the carbs) when used in recipes.
Can You Use Breading in an Air Fryer?
Yes you can!
Do you see how many Air Fryer recipes we have that involve breading different things? I think people question this so frequently because of the way the Air Fryer works by circulating hot air around the food in the Air Fryer basket or tray.
The basket also has all the holes so the air can circulate in every direction, which I does make people wonder if the breading would fall off. A little will come off, just like frying or oven baking.
Because of that, and to make clean up easier, I like to use parchment paper made specifically for the air fryer – with holes punched into it to fit the basket and act as a liner.
Tips and Tricks
Here are a few tips for making Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken:
- Always use a meat thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature reaches 165F and is safe to consume before serving.
- Using a pair of tongs to remove your cooked chicken from the Air Fryer helps so you don’t burn your fingers.
- Serve chicken with barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, ketchup, or honey mustard.
- Someone in your family can’t have almonds? Use regular breadcrumbs as your coating mix instead, just like I did in these Air Fryer Panko Chicken Thighs.
- You can easily use other vegetable oils, such as avocado oil spray or coconut oil spray.
What to Serve with this Recipe
Start with a mixed salad for an appetizer. Then keeping with this healthy theme, serve this creamy Broccoli Pasta as your side dish.
This will give you a full and healthy meal the whole family will enjoy.
How to Store
Store any leftover air fryer almond crusted chicken in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. The longer you keep leftovers, the higher chances you have of the almond coating getting soggy or falling off.
How to Reheat
To reheat any leftovers, preheat your Air Fryer again to 385F for 5 minutes. Place chicken back in the basket for 3-4 minutes.
Check doneness and warmth after 3 minutes to avoid potential burning or overcooking.
Serve up some delicious Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken with your favorite sides for your next weeknight meal. You’ll love how fast everyone devours them and how quick this easy recipe came together. It’s sure to be a family favorite dinner!
Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken
Air Fryer Almond Crusted Chicken is a delicious dinner recipe and a great way please the whole family. Tender, juicy butterflied chicken breasts with a nice crispy crust makes for the perfect protein choice!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, fat trimmed (butterfly your breasts to make 4 thinner breasts)
- 1 cup Almonds
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- Morton Nature's Seasoning
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Butterfly 2 large chicken breasts so you'll have 4 chicken pieces. Then trim the excess fat from the chicken breast meat.
- Place almonds in the food processor and chop them until they are the size of fine crumbs.
- Now make an assembly line with your bowls. Put your cornstarch and natural seasoning together in a small bowl and your crushed almonds in separate bowl. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl.
- Coat your chicken breast in the cornstarch mixture on both sides. Then dip the chicken in your egg mixture and fully coat them. Lastly, dredge the breasts through the almonds on both sides.
- Preheat your Air Fryer to 385 F for 5 minutes. We're getting the air fryer really hot so the cooking time for the chicken is quick.
- Add the coated chicken to your basket in a single layer and spray with cooking spray.
- Cook chicken for 12 minutes or until they reach 165 F internally. Carefully remove your crispy almond crusted chicken from the air fryer basket and enjoy!
Notes
See recipe post for tips, variations and low-carb options.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 302Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 348mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 29g
Nutritional values are estimates and not exact.