My sister Ainsley has told me for years how much she loves this salad from (of all places) The South Beach Diet handbook. It calls for 1/2 cup of pistachio nuts, and the thought of how annoying it would be to crack that many shells kept me from trying this. (If I were popping the nuts in my mouth, I’d be fine with it.) Last week I bought some deshelled pistachio nuts for another recipe (expensive) and thought it’s now or never to try this salad!
First you finely grind the nuts in a blender or Cuisinart and press the chicken breasts into the nuts to coat. After sauteing the chicken for a few minutes to brown, you pop them in the oven to finish cooking. The dressing of avocado, onion, lime juice and oil is pureed in the same blender. The sliced chicken is laid over lettuce and topped with the rich tasty dressing. Delicious, healthy and from a diet cookbook!
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, finely ground
1/2 +1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. + 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1 head romaine lettuce
Dressing:
1 tsp. grated sweet white onion
1 large ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. water
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the nuts in a pie plate with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Press the chicken into the nuts. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a skillet and cook the coated breasts, 2 minutes per side. Place the breasts in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 160 degrees and the juices run clear.
Heat the remaining Tbs. of oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the diced onion, 1/4 tsp. of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook until the onion is browned.
Line 4 serving plates with lettuce. Slice the chicken breasts and arrange 1 breast on top of the lettuce on each plate. Serve with the dressing.
To make the dressing: Puree the onion, avocado, oil, lime juice, and water in a blender. Serves 4.
Note: The recipe doesn’t mention what to do with the browned onions, but I assume you scatter them over the chicken.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m with Ainsley! We’ve been making this for years and even my kids liked it when they were still at home. I get the shelled pistachios at Trader Joe’s. And keep them in the freezer. The leftover chicken is good on any salad the next day.
I love hearing this! I will go right now and put my pistachios in the freezer. Thanks Yvonne!