An easy almond chicken tenders recipe, adapted from Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Table cookbook. This is a dairy-free, gluten-free almond chicken tenders recipe that’s extra easy and healthy!
I am proudly basic about many things, but a big one is TV. And that means I love Fixer Upper just as much as the other huddling, shiplapping masses elbowing their way through Target for an artisanal salt shaker.
Are you a Fixer Upper fan or does the whole phenomenon drive you nuts? And have you seen their new cookbook?
It’s called Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering, and it. is. everywhere. The Magnolia Table cookbook sold a crushing 169,000 copies in just its first week on sale–let’s just pause to focus on how insane those numbers are.
And you know what? I love it.
I love to see smart business women succeed, especially when they stay true to themselves. Plus, the book is gorgeous. I can’t remember a softer, simpler, more serene book design that’s come out in the last 5 years. Granted, if color is your jam, all things JG might feel a little too whitewashed. But I loves me some white.
The Magnolia Table cookbook recipes surprised me, though. They weren’t what I expected–maybe you’re a better diviner of what TV stars really eat than I am (bless you for that skill), but I was pleasantly surprised about a few things about the Magnolia Table cookbook recipes.
(Click here to read my full cookbook review of Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines.)
But of all the Magnolia Table cookbook recipes, the one that called to me loudest was Joanna Gaines’s Almond Chicken Tenders recipe, which with a few tweaks, hit that perfect trifecta of easy + healthy + simple that I love.
3 ways to make Joanna Gaines’ Almond Chicken Tenders recipe (and other Magnolia Table cookbook recipes) healthier + simpler:
- Make it gluten-free. The original almond chicken tenders recipe calls for ½ cup almond flour and ½ cup all-purpose flour. I cut the AP and made it 1 cup almond flour, because it’s gluten-free, paleo, higher protein, and lazy person alert: did you know it’s easier to measure one thing instead of two? That’s some culinary math for you right there. And yes, you could do the same swap for many of the non-baking recipes in the book, or even use your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour mix.
- Halve the butter. I know, I love butter, too. But butter goes straight to my butt and makes my stomach hurt sometimes, so REALITY CHECK. (Reality sucks.) But the good news is that this almond chicken tenders recipe really doesn’t need that much fat, so we’re gonna be just fine. And the better news is that you can substitute ghee for the butter if you’re dairy-free.
- Skip the parsley garnish. Because I don’t know about you, but I can never use up all my leftover parsley. And picking leaves off stems is just UGH. I might quit parsley for the rest of my life, in fact. Instead, skip this most thankless of tasks and cook green beans and tomatoes in the same buttery skillet you used for the almond chicken tenders. Two side veg > one fussy garnish.
Almond Chicken Tenders recipe: A Magnolia Table cookbook recipe
This almond chicken tenders recipe was adapted from Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering by Joanna Gaines
Almond chicken tenders recipe
An easy, healthy almond chicken tenders recipe that's also gluten free and dairy free! Adapted from Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Table.
Instructions
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In a large, shallow bowl, mix the almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and black pepper. Season the chicken on both sides with salt then coat with the almond flour.
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In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add half of the chicken and cook on both sides until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Wipe the skillet and repeat with the second batch of chicken, adding an additional 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
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(If you’re using parsley, now’s the time to pick the leaves off the stems, chop, and set aside so you can make it look pretty at the end.)
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Wipe out the skillet. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until foaming. Stir in the almonds and cook until toasted, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and drizzle over the chicken. Garnish with the parsley, if you’re going that way.
Make it healthier: Serve the almond chicken tenders in butter lettuce cups with green beans and cherry tomatoes blistered in the same buttery skillet.
For more cookbook recipes, check out:
Once Upon a Chef, the Cookbook by Jennifer Segal
My favorite Middle Eastern cookbook of the year:
