Pili Nut Chicken (Edit recipe)

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Buttery, dreamy, satisfying, addicting: so many things to say about pili nuts! They are the perfect coating for this chicken, providing a perfectly golden and caramelized flavor. Serving this chicken dish with a kiss of lime juice makes all the flavors come together. It’s the perfect dish you can basically prep ahead of time and cook in flash for a family or guests. The micro fruit salad is certainly optional, but adds such a burst of color and sparkles with the drizzle of lime juice too. It's a variation of a salad from our friend May, over at Intuitive Food Design. So perfect here!

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PREP TIME

15 minutes

COOK TIME

15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

10

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut in half horizontally
.5 tsp Sea Salt

Coating

1.5 cups Raw Unsalted Pili Nuts, up to 2 full cups as needed
.5 tsp Sea Salt, if pili nuts are unsalted, omit if not
2 Tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Cassava Flour
2 whole Eggs, room temperature
.25 tsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil, or more as needed to cook chicken

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Process

Cook Mode

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with a sprinkle of salt on both sides and set aside.
Chop pili nuts, cilantro and ½ tsp salt with all together until you have a nice small chop on those tasty pili nuts. I’ve tried using a food processor to do this, but these luscious nuts are so buttery, that they release their oils fast, so take the time and chop up the old fashioned way. Once you have a nice fine texture, add the cassava flour and toss about to get a nice coating on the mixture. Should have pretty flecks of green from the cilantro! Place in a shallow bowl/plate and set aside and reserve a small amount for garnish before you dredge that raw chicken in it!
In another shallow bowl/plate, whisk up eggs and fish sauce until well combined, and set aside.
Set up your assembly line! Dip a piece of chicken in the egg/fish sauce mixture then place in the pili nut mixture and press to make sure you’re getting the whole piece coated. Carefully place on a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat up cast iron skillet over medium heat, add avocado oil and let warm. Carefully place 2-3 pieces of chicken in pan and cook until pili nuts are golden brown. Flip carefully with a thin metal spatula and cook until other side is golden brown and chicken is done. It’s best to have the heat a little bit lower as these nuts can burn fast if the heat is up too high. Take your time, you want that chicken done on the inside before those nuts get too dark.
Once chicken is done, remove from pan and place in a warm oven. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Serve with purple cauli mash and lime wedges, and reserved nut crumble for garnish. Micro fruit salad is optional but super dreamy!

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About This Recipe

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	779
Fat:	79 g
Carbohydrates:	5 g
Protein:	25 g
Cholesterol:	64 g
Sodium:	642 mg
Fiber:	0 g
Sugars:	0 g
Sugar Alcohol:	0 g
Calculated per serving.