This is how to change a humble breast into a show stopper, with this Dukkah Crusted Chicken Breast. While you’re at you get a nice boost of healthy fats from a variety of nuts and seeds. Dukkah is an Egyptian nut and spice blend that is super simple to make at home. You can use it on so many things- elevate your hummus, add some to a delicious olive oil and dip your bread in- but today it’s chicken.
If you are going to use your dukkah for dipping and such, you would toast all the components to get those oils and flavors activated. Since I am going to be roasting the chicken there is no need to. So a quick blitz in the food processor is all it takes.
After the nuts and seeds are processed into a nice textured crumb, I added some parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Then a quick stir to get everything evenly incorporated.
If your breasts are super plump like mine, take a second and slice into two thin pieces. After that, pound them out into an even thickness to insure proper cooking. Fear not, this only takes a quick minute and I find it magical.
Before dipping the breasts in the dukkah you first want to dip them into something that will assist in getting the seeds to stick. Classically you can use a beaten egg, or mayo- I happen to have a bit of aioli left over and used a brush to paint that onto the breasts. Please note: after dipping the raw chicken into the Dukkah the remainder must be discarded.
After all that dipping, onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and into the oven it goes. I used my air fryer for thi. Since the breasts are so thin it took only 10 minutes. Not only does it save time not having to preheat the oven, but when something is this thin I like to keep a close eye on it and the air fryer is easier for that.
What you end up with is a simple but flavor packed dish. It’s elegant enough for a party, and easy enough for a Tuesday. Serve it up with the side of your choice. I made a delicious Sticky Cashew Rice that was just perfect. That recipe will be posted soon, so I suggest signing up for the emails to get that recipe as soon as it is posted.
I hope you give this Dukkah Crusted Chicken Breast a try. It’s one of my favorite things to do- making something uncomplicated and simple sublime. Be sure to check out my Instagram or Tiktok accounts to see the video!
Preheat the air fryer to 400, or your oven to 425 To make the dukkah, place all the ingredients, except the parmesan, into a food processor. Blitz and pulse into a rough crumb like consistency. Place on a large shallow plate. Add the parmesan and mix to evenly incorporate. Between to pieces of plastic wrap pound the chicken into an even thickness. Using a pastry brush, paint on the mayonnaise, then place the chicken on top of the dukkah and pat to get good adherence. Place the chicken onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Roast in the air fryer for 8 minutes, then flip and roast an additional 2-4 depending on the thickness of your chicken. The crust should be toasted and golden. In a traditional oven roast for 15 minutes, flip and roast an additional 5 minutes or until done. Serve with your favorite sides.
Ingredients
Instructions