Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Honey Drizzle
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My pistachio-crusted chicken skips the breadcrumbs entirely. Ground pistachios go straight onto chicken thighs and bake up green, salty, and crunchy. Then I drizzle them with honey, which turns the whole thing sweet and sticky.
Almost every pistachio-crusted chicken recipe cuts the pistachios with breadcrumbs. Panko usually, sometimes parmesan. I don’t, as I want the pistachios to take center stage.
Ground pistachios go on alone, pressed straight onto oiled chicken. Nothing dilutes them, so the crust actually tastes like pistachio: green, faintly sweet, and properly nutty instead of just crunchy. The cut of chicken matters too. Most recipes call for breasts, often pounded thin. I find that chicken thighs stay juicy through a hot oven with no pounding and no brining, and they cost less. Then I put the honey on top after the chicken comes out rather than into the coating. That way, it stays glossy and separate, so you get sweet, salty, and crunchy as three distinct things rather than one sweetened crust.
Five ingredients, twenty-five minutes, one baking sheet. It looks like something you’d order out, and it’s mostly just pressing nuts onto chicken.
What to serve with pistachio chicken
The crust is rich and nutty, so I want something bright on the plate with it. Garlic butter asparagus is what I make most often, and the lemon in it cuts straight through the honey.
For a starch, garlic butter rice catches the honey that runs off the chicken, which would otherwise be lost to the plate.
A few other things that work without needing a recipe: a peppery arugula salad with lemon and olive oil, roasted baby potatoes, buttered orzo, or a pile of green beans blanched and tossed in butter. Sliced cold over a salad the next day is also very good, so it’s worth baking a couple of extra thighs.
Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Honey Drizzle
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup shelled, unsalted pistachios (ground in your food processor – some chunks are ok)
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Cooking spray oil
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the shelled pistachios to your food processor and blend until they're mostly ground – a few chunks are ok.⅔ cup shelled, unsalted pistachios
- Dry the chicken with paper towels and then season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil.2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Place the ground pistachios into a shallow bowl. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, bread the chicken with the ground pistachios.
- Move the breaded chicken to the baking dish. Press any remaining pistachios onto the tops of the chicken and then spray the chicken with cooking oil.Cooking spray oil
- Bake the chicken for 15-18 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the chicken is cooked, drizzle the honey over the top and serve right away.¼ cup honey
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Looks amazing but would I be able to use chicken breast instead?
Sure! You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time. Chicken breasts take about 20 minutes to cook.
This looks delicious! I’m going to try making it for dinner tonight.
Thanks, Shareba! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Oh my word this sounds like prime comfort food! Pinning for future deliciousness.
Hope you and the bambino are doing well. I think you are in the home stretch?!?!?!
It totally is!
Yes, we are in the home stretch … one more month to go!!