It’s Friday. What a week! If you’re as exhausted and pressed for time as I am during the week, you’ll love today’s recipe. It is SUPER easy, and delicious — and probably one of the only baked chicken breast recipes I will eat!
Easy Honey Baked Chicken
First, I should share that I am not normally a big fan of chicken breast recipes. I usually find them bland, dry, blah, boring, and uninspiring.
Unless it involves frying. Then I’m all in. I have a fried chicken problem, I really do. I want to eat all of the fried chicken in every restaurant in the whole world. Alas, something tells my that is not a healthy goal in life…
I digress. Back to this recipe, which calls for baked chicken breast that is actually flavorful and so tasty. And, almost like fried chicken because of the coating.
Soaking the chicken in the almond milk beforehand helps add moisture to the chicken breasts. Then I use almond meal instead of flour here, mix it with paprika, minced garlic, sea salt, cracked pepper, dunk it in an egg and almond milk bath, then twice coat these babies before baking them.
Toward the end of the baking time, simply spoon the honey soy sauce mixture over the chicken and finish baking.
So good! The honey soy sauce gives it a nice sheen and adds a little extra sweet crunch to the coating.
DIETARY DETAILS
This recipe is grain free, gluten free, and dairy free.
PALEO: you can make this Paleo by simply eliminating the soy sauce (or keep it in – read Paleo magazine’s take on soy sauce here).
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts lightly pounded to flatten and thin out
- 1 cup almond milk
- salt & pepper for seasoning
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- Optional: chopped green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Line a shallow, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly season both sides of each chicken breast, then soak in a bowl of 1 cup almond milk in the refrigerator for at 20-30 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together the almond meal, garlic, paprika, sea salt, and cracked pepper.
- In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 1/3 cup almond milk.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and dip, one at a time, into the almond meal mixture, coating all sides.
- Then using your other hand, dip into the egg and almond milk mixture. Then return to the almond meal dry mixture to coat one last time before placing on the prepared baking sheet and placing in the oven.
- Bake chicken for 20 minutes. During that time, mix together the honey and soy sauce in a small bowl.
- At 20 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and gently drizzle the honey soy sauce mixture evenly over each chicken breast.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped green onions, and serve with your choice of dipping sauce.
Shahin says
Thanks for the recipe! Looks delicious – I bet the green onion adds a nice flavor so think I might chop up a couple extra! Will add this to our menu next week!
Kristi says
Yum! I love you recipes! I’m am in serious need of fast and easy right now.
Monica Louie says
Yes! This looks so delicious! I would have never thought to soak the chicken in almond milk, but I can imagine it would make it juicier. Pinning to try!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Thanks for pinning, Monica! The almond milk does help — almost like you would use buttermilk for fried chicken :)
Biil Volckening says
Looks delicious. I do a “sticky chicken” adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. Grill up some thighs seasoned with some Five Spice, and finish with fresh lime juice, homey and sesame seeds over top while continuing to cook until caramelized. Now I have to try this recipe, too.
Amanda says
Tonight I hit up the deli section for lemon grilled chicken. Recipes like this one remind me that I probably could have saved time if I just put something together at home. My kids would love this! Thanks!
Blog to Taste says
Oh my gosh, Marlynn! You knew exactly what would catch my eye. I love honey baked anything (and by that I mean ham). Chicken breasts are also not my favorite thing, but this sound perfect!