Almond Crusted Chicken with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, coarsely ground
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 tsp canola oil, divided
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup diced shallot
• 1/3 cup strawberry preserves
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray and put it aside. Slice each chicken breast horizontally all the way through, like a butterfly cut that keeps going, so you have two pieces from each breast. If any piece is thicker than about 1/2-inch, use a meat mallet to gently flatten it to nearly that thickness.
2. In a gallon size resealable bag, add the panko bread crumbs, almonds, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste, using about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add one piece of chicken to the bag at a time, seal it, and shake until coated, pressing lightly where needed so the crumbs stick.
3. Warm 2 tsp oil in a large non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Add two chicken breasts and cook until the underside turns golden, about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Lift the chicken, pour in 2 more tsp of oil, then turn the chicken over and brown the second side. Do the same with the remaining two chicken breasts.
4. Move the chicken to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the 350 degree oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 – 15 minutes, and the internal temp should register 165 degrees on a thermometer. While it bakes, make the Strawberry Balsamic Sauce.
5. For the sauce, warm 1 tsp oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened. Stir in the strawberry preserves, balsamic vinegar, and chicken broth, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat a bit, and simmer, stirring now and then, until it has lightly thickened, about 5 – 6 minutes. Spoon the warm sauce over the chicken.