Today when Matt Swaim, Sonrise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, chatted about pistachios (Genesis 43:11 when Jacob sent his sons with money and food gifts for the Egyptian leader, who was Joseph), I realized how much I love this eating this nut, especially when it’s in season during the holidays here.
Did you know that legend says the Queen of Sheba demanded that all the pistachios grown were for her and her court only.
Pistachios have an ancient food history, as well, especially among people of the Mediterranean/Middle East. It’s one of my favorite nuts, and today the recipe for pistachio crusted chicken fills the bill. I hope you try it!
We don’t buy the colored pinkish shelled pistachio nuts anymore – in fact I haven’t seen them for a long time. The shell is naturally a tan color, and when the nuts ripen, the shell is open. So look for open shells when you buy pistachios in the shell.
And keep pistachio nuts in the freezer if you don’t use them often. Keeps them more fresh.
PISTACHIO CRUSTED CHICKENEnough for 3-4 chicken breastsIngredientsSalt and pepper2 cups chopped pistachios1 cup bread crumbs1/4 cup each: Dijon mustard, olive oil, honeyInstructions
Preheat oven to 475. Mix nuts and bread crumbs together. Separately, mix mustard, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper together. Dip chicken into mustard mixture to coat, the coat with pistachio mixture. Place onto sprayed baking sheet. Lower the temperature to 375 right away. Bake until done and coating is golden, about 20 minutes or so.
About Eating 