Tender hazelnut chicken breasts glazed with apricot jam, a light, easy and delicious savory hazelnut recipe.
Have you ever used hazelnuts to make a savory recipe? I don't do that very often. I make this delicious hazelnut chicken and the Hazelnut Dumplings for soup often enough, but otherwise, I cannot think of anything else.
Yet, hazelnuts are absolutely amazing on top of those tender, moist, and slightly sweet chicken breast pieces. Definitely a must-try recipe!
What do you need?
- Chicken: boneless, skinless breast pieces, about 200 g/ 7 oz each, a little more or less is fine.
- Hazelnuts: whole, unroasted hazelnuts.
- Jam: apricot jam, about 5-6 tablespoons or as needed.
- Cognac: totally optional, you can definitely leave it out.
Tips for making hazelnut chicken
- Choose the right baking dish, the chicken pieces should fit inside snuggly, but there should not be much space left between the meat pieces. If there is, too much of the glaze will seep to the bottom of the dish.
- If your hazelnuts still have the skin on, remove as much as possible of it after roasting the nuts. Remove to a large plate, let stand until cool enough to handle, then rub them between your palms to remove as much of the brown skins as possible, you don't have to remove every bit of it. Chop after roasting.
- The aluminum foil used to cover the dish during baking should not touch the contents of the dish. Place it loosely on top, so that it doesn't touch the meat and the nuts.
How to serve?
Serve the hazelnut chicken with rice or baguette. A simple green salad with yogurt dressing will make the meal complete.
More chicken in the oven:
Turmeric Chicken with Honey Glaze
Glazed Hazelnut Chicken
Tender hazelnut chicken breasts glazed with apricot jam, a light, easy and delicious savory hazelnut recipe.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 782kcal
Ingredients
- 4 portions chicken breast about 200 g/ 7 oz each
- 7 oz whole hazelnuts unroasted, 200 g
- 2 small onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Cognac optional
- 5-6 tablespoons apricot jam, heaped
- fine sea salt and pepper
- chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
- Season: Pat dry the chicken portions, sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in a shallow oven dish, close to each other, there should not be any space in between the chicken breasts, otherwise, some of the glaze will seep to the bottom of the pan.
- Roast the hazelnuts in a pan without adding any fat until fragrant. Remove to a large plate, let stand until cool enough to handle, then rub them between your palms to remove as much of the brown skins as possible; you don't have to remove every bit of it. Chop the hazelnuts roughly.
- Make topping: Chop the onions finely. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions until golden. Add the hazelnuts, stir well for a couple of minutes, then add the Cognac and the apricot jam. Mix well and pour this mixture over the chicken.
- Bake: Cover the dish with aluminum foil, ensure that the foil doesn't touch the chicken, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the glaze is sticky.
- Serve: Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately with green salad and baguette or rice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chicken breast | Calories: 782kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 34g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 309mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g
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Angie@Angie's Recipes says
wow look at that golden nutty topping!! I am drooling!!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Lovin all your hazelnut recipes and this one is no exception. Love how tender and juicy this chicken breast looks. Apricot jam and hazelnut sound like a great pairing. Happy Holidays my friend.
Sissi says
Beautiful dish, Adina! And such an excellent way to use up hazelnuts someone offered us (I hope my family doesn't realise I haven't used even half of what they kindly gave me...).
I hope you have spent wonderful Christmas and wish you a happy new year!
Agness Walewinder says
I actually didn't know that chicken could go well with hazelnuts. Nice to know. How about other nuts such as peanuts? Is it still delicious?
Adina says
I have never tried this particular dish with peanuts, but I have cooked with peanuts before and I've always liked it.... Let me know if you try it with peanuts.:)
grace says
this looks and sounds delicious, adina! i love hazelnuts and the addition of apricot preserves really seals the deal. 🙂
Allie says
I am loving all these uses for hazelnuts Adina! What a great topping with this chicken and the apricot jam. So delicious. This is a beautiful meal. XO
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Sweet and crunch…this is not your average chicken dinner. Yum!