New Food Friday #1- Almond Crusted Chicken and Black Bean Jicama Salad

Welcome to the first week of New Food Fridays. This week I tried two new recipes that I have been wanting to try for a while. I also used an ingredient that I have never cooked with before.

Almond Crusted Chicken and Black Bean Jicama Salad

One of my rules for the summer is that I try not to make dishes that use the oven. It helps keep the house a little less hot. So for this week I decided to make Almond Crusted Chicken which is done in a skillet and paired it with a cold salad (It also helped use up some of the garden produce!).

I loved both of these recipes. The chicken was flavorful and crispy. My favorite part was smelling the rosemary as it was cooking. I think my husband went back for more 3 times. The salad was refreshing- I really liked the jicama texture in there- added a little crunch. I will definitely add these to the make again list.

I used my Pampered Chef food chopper to chop the almonds up.

Almond Crusted Chicken: From BHG May 2009
Prep: 25 minutes Cook 8 minutes

4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. buttermilk
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 shallot, chopped
8 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 tsp salt
Black Pepper

1. Place one chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap. With flat side of meat mallet, pound chicken to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. Repeat with all breast halves.

2. In shallow dish whisk together egg and buttermilk. In another shallow dish combine almonds, panko, rosemary and salt. Dip chicken breast, one at a time, in egg mixture, turning to coat. Allow excess to drip off, then dip chicken pieces in almond mixture.

3. In 12 inch skillet cook chicken, in hot oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until no longer pink. Turn halfway through cooking. Remove chicken from skillet, keep warm.

4. In same skillet cook shallot in drippings for 3-5 minutes until just tender, stirring frequently. Add spinach adn 1/4 tsp. salt; Cook and toss about 1 minute, until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle with pepper.


This next dish uses an ingredient I have never cooked with before, the Jicama. I have tasted it before, but never cooked with it. The jicama is a root vegetable with a crisp texture like a potato or a pear. The flavor is more sweet though and I think it tastes exactly like fresh sweet peas. Mostly eaten raw, jicama is good in salads, coleslaws and fruit salads.

Here is the Jicama I bought.

And what the inside looks like.

Black Bean and Jicama Salad Prepared- Yummy!

Black Bean Jicama Salad:From Chef Alli's (www.ChefAllis.com)

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 cup diced, peeled jicama
2 roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped (I used 8 cherry tomatoes from the garden)
2 green onions, minced
2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. salsa
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1. In large mixing bowl combine beans, corn, jicama, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.

2. In seperate mixing bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients; pour over vegetables and beans. Let season for 1-2 hours before serving.