Pistachio Crusted Chicken With Strawberry Basil Salsa

My work has been insanely busy lately so it's not suprise I felll asleep on the couch at 9:30 while attempting just a bit of "me time".  I woke up at midnight to Chopped on TV. Of course instead of dragging myself to bed I sat there and watched the whole episode. One of the "secret ingredients" that they had to incorporate into their dish was pistachios. I went to bed with pistachios on the brain....I woke up in the morning with an idea for Pistachio Crusted Chicken With Strawberry Basil Salsa.

Here's What You Need:
3-4 boneless chicken breast
40z shelled pistachios
egg
Strawberries
Basil
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil

Here's What You Do:
Preheat oven to 375. Put pistachios into the food processor and pulse until crumb-like mixture forms. Whisk egg in a bowl with a splash of water. Create a "crusting" station by dipping the chicken into the egg wash and then rolling it in the pistachios, pressing them to stick. Put the chicken breasts into a pan with non-stick cooking spray and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes covered. Uncover and drizze with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes more. While the chicken is baking, make the salsa by slicing the strawberries and cutting the basil into strips. Drizzle with balsamic. Top the chicken with the salsa and a dash of salt and pepper. (Don't feel guilty about the fat in the pistachios-it's good fat!)

Kid Tip:
I cut the chicken into small pieces and served it alongside plain strawberries. My three year old exclaimed, "Mom! I ate all my chicken!" That warrants a popsicle! My 15 month old threw his entire dinner on the floor, but that is his m.o. these days...

http://www.skinnymommy.com/