Baked Chicken with Creamy Cashew Sauce
This baked chicken with creamy cashew sauce is a Healthyish riff on traditional chicken parmesan. This chicken breast recipe is easy to make and delicious.
Ingredients
Chicken / Cheese / Herbs
- 2 lbs. chicken breasts, about 4 breasts, pounded
- pinch kosher salt, season the chicken
- few turns cracked black pepper, season the chicken
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil, saute the chicken
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
Cashew Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter,
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced, about 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons garlic, sliced, about 2-3 cloves
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight / drained
- 1 cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 ounces, with the juice
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes , optional
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 saucepan
- 1 baking dish
- 1 non-stick skillet
Instructions
The Night Before
- Soak unsalted cashews in a small bowl with enough water to cover them. If soaking overnight, place in refrigerator and drain off all water in the morning, making sure cashews are soft in texture. If soaking cashews in the daytime, leave them in room temperature water for 5-6 hours and then drain.
Prepare the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pound and season the chicken breasts with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Pounding them will help them cook quickly and evenly. Option to butterfly for even faster cooking. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, saute the chicken breasts for 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove pan from the heat.
Prepare the Sauce
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grab a large saucepan and place it over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Once hot, but not smoking, add the onions and garlic. Sweat the onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent (not browned).
- Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes and the drained cashews to pan. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring gently. Add kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. (For a little spice, throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes, too.)
- Transfer ingredients to a blender and combine them on high until the sauce is smooth and creamy (no chunks). Pour sauce back into saute pan and warm over low heat. Let the sauce reduce to a thickness of your liking. If sauce gets too thick, add in a bit more chicken stock to thin it back out.
Assemble and Bake
- Next, pour 2-3 ladles of cashew cream sauce into the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top of the sauce and sprinkle them with the shredded mozzarella. Wrap dish in foil.Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through. (varies with size of breasts) If the chicken is butterflied and very thin, you may only need to bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove the foil and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes until cheese gets extra crispy on top. Remove the dish from oven and garnish with fresh Italian parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 564kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 57g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 151mg, Sodium: 604mg, Potassium: 1310mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 797IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 102mg, Iron: 4mg