Chicken or Pork Chops Zander

Cyrano · 01-13-2008, 10:39 PM

Here is one for folks who can't have gluten or casein in their diet, who miss Shake & Bake-type chicken and/or pork chops.

6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or center cut, thick pork chops
2 eggs, extra large or jumbo preferred
Poultry seasoning
Onion powder
Black pepper
Salt
Additional spices to taste (e.g., sage, basil, oregano, red pepper, paprika)
Almond flour (preferred) or raw almonds, 1 lb.
1 gallon food storage bag, zipper type

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Shake salt onto the bottom of your cooking pan(s) to prevent meat sticking.

Put almond flour into food storage bag. (If you do not have almond flour, put your pound of almonds into the blender and grind down to powder, scraping the pitcher frequently and regrinding as necessary until the almonds are powdered; then transfer to food storage bag.) Add one tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, plus any additional spices you like; then seal and shake up bag thoroughly to mix spices with almond flour. Sniff almond flour-spice mixture and adjust spicing if desired to your taste. When satisfied, set half the coating mixture aside.

Break two eggs into shallow dish or bowl and beat with fork or whisk to consistency of scrambled egg mixture. Add a dash of water before whisking to make mixing easier.

Coat meat completely with egg mixture. Shake off excess egg. One piece at a time, put meat into food storage bag, seal bag and shake until meat is coated. As each piece comes out of the bag, put it into the cooking pan. (I strongly suggest rinsing and drying your hands after each piece of meat to make handling the bag and its zipper easier. The combination of egg and almond flour mix is sticky.)

You will notice the coating mixture begins to clump after three or four pieces. Add in enough of the set-aside coating mix to enable you to continue coating the meat. When all the pieces of meat are coated and in the pan, discard any remaining coating mix and the remaining beaten egg.

Cook the meat in the oven for 60 minutes before checking for doneness. Meat is cooked when it is white all the way through. Feel free to adjust the cooking time and temperature based on known performance of your oven.

If done correctly, the meat will be juicy and have a subtle almond flavor. I've served this dish to many people and everyone who has had it raves about it, particularly celiacs who can't have anything with wheat or gluten in it. As the people who have eaten this also includes medievalist chefs who are very snobbish about their food, I think this recipe is a winner. Try it and let me know what you think.

troy2000 · 01-19-2008, 09:31 PM

I was thinking the almond flour sounded like kind of a medieval thing, Cyrano. Sounds good; wonder if my local health-food store has almond flour? For the price they'd want, I might be better off making my own...my nephew and dad have a flour grinder they use for whole-wheat flour.

Why is it called chicken or pork zander? Last I heard, zander was another name for a pike-perch. do people cook them that way also?

01-13-2008, 10:39 PM	#1
Cyrano Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York Posts: 8,220	Chicken or Pork Chops Zander Here is one for folks who can't have gluten or casein in their diet, who miss Shake & Bake-type chicken and/or pork chops. 6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or center cut, thick pork chops 2 eggs, extra large or jumbo preferred Poultry seasoning Onion powder Black pepper Salt Additional spices to taste (e.g., sage, basil, oregano, red pepper, paprika) Almond flour (preferred) or raw almonds, 1 lb. 1 gallon food storage bag, zipper type Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Shake salt onto the bottom of your cooking pan(s) to prevent meat sticking. Put almond flour into food storage bag. (If you do not have almond flour, put your pound of almonds into the blender and grind down to powder, scraping the pitcher frequently and regrinding as necessary until the almonds are powdered; then transfer to food storage bag.) Add one tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, plus any additional spices you like; then seal and shake up bag thoroughly to mix spices with almond flour. Sniff almond flour-spice mixture and adjust spicing if desired to your taste. When satisfied, set half the coating mixture aside. Break two eggs into shallow dish or bowl and beat with fork or whisk to consistency of scrambled egg mixture. Add a dash of water before whisking to make mixing easier. Coat meat completely with egg mixture. Shake off excess egg. One piece at a time, put meat into food storage bag, seal bag and shake until meat is coated. As each piece comes out of the bag, put it into the cooking pan. (I strongly suggest rinsing and drying your hands after each piece of meat to make handling the bag and its zipper easier. The combination of egg and almond flour mix is sticky.) You will notice the coating mixture begins to clump after three or four pieces. Add in enough of the set-aside coating mix to enable you to continue coating the meat. When all the pieces of meat are coated and in the pan, discard any remaining coating mix and the remaining beaten egg. Cook the meat in the oven for 60 minutes before checking for doneness. Meat is cooked when it is white all the way through. Feel free to adjust the cooking time and temperature based on known performance of your oven. If done correctly, the meat will be juicy and have a subtle almond flavor. I've served this dish to many people and everyone who has had it raves about it, particularly celiacs who can't have anything with wheat or gluten in it. As the people who have eaten this also includes medievalist chefs who are very snobbish about their food, I think this recipe is a winner. Try it and let me know what you think.

01-19-2008, 09:31 PM	#2
troy2000 Banned Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 14,553	I was thinking the almond flour sounded like kind of a medieval thing, Cyrano. Sounds good; wonder if my local health-food store has almond flour? For the price they'd want, I might be better off making my own...my nephew and dad have a flour grinder they use for whole-wheat flour. Why is it called chicken or pork zander? Last I heard, zander was another name for a pike-perch. do people cook them that way also?