I want to do a post after these 30 days on what I think about Whole30 – the good, the bad, the ugly (in case anyone cares!). But one of my biggest takeaways thus far is that there’s a lot of cooking involved…if you don’t want to eat boring, bland food.
ANOTHER meal of grilled/baked meat and a grilled/roasted vegetable? Yawn. No wonder people give up on eating healthfully, right? Gimme some flavaaaa, yo.
We spent our first week cooking out of the Whole30 cookbooks, and we’ll certainly be revisiting them as many recipes look great. Some recipes look less than great, and some border on not being recipes at all. Perhaps it has a little bit of everything to appeal to all people? Let’s go with that.
Some people, like my mother-in-law, are perfectly happy eating the same or very similar foods day after day. Not I. That alone is the fastest way to me throwing up my arms and moving on. What can I say? I love GOOD food!
When I pondered some flavorful, filling dinner options this concept came to mind. I coupled the Whole30 concept with my knowledge of almond flour from my second cookbook…and voila! It has loads of healthy fats in the pecan coating and a flavorful, yet Whole30 compliant creamy sauce to accompany. No shortage on flavors with this dish! (Have I mentioned lately how much I love coconut milk?)
Why so much chicken? My husband asked the same. This dish reheats really well, particularly in the oven. And if you’re following Whole30, you’re probably in the same boat as me in that you want to re-purpose leftovers and not have to cook, from scratch, EVERY meal. AMEN.
- 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp capers
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg + 1 Tbsp water
- 1¼ cup pecans
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil, divided
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Fit wire cooling racks over two baking sheets, mist with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small pot over medium heat, combine the coconut creme, lemon juice, and capers. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for ~30 minutes or volume is halved and sauce has thickened. Whisk often.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the egg and water in a shallow dish; set aside. Pulse the pecans in a mini food processor or food prep until coarse and the consistency of gravel; transfer to a shallow bowl. To the pecans, add the almond flour, dried thyme, garlic salt, and black pepper; whisk and set aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts width-wise to create to two thinner breasts. Dredge the chicken first into the egg and then into the pecan mixture, coating both sides.
- In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot, cook chicken 3-4 minutes per side and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining coconut oil and chicken.
- Bake chicken for 8-12 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with lemony caper sauce.
Just discovered your blog. Thanks for the inspirational recipes and info. I’ll try this amazing caper sauce over some type of crusted fish (maybe Cod or Tilapia) Cheers and happy eating!
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Enjoy, Dominique! Thanks 🙂