Almond Chicken

This is a really great dish for a quick weeknight supper. Serve it up with a little rice pilaf and your favorite green vegetable, and you can have dinner on the table in less than half an hour! And it is very delicious: creamy, nutty, and tender. It's one of my favorites.

Almond Chicken
Yield: 2 large or 4 small portions

1 lb thawed chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 TBS butter
2 tsp lemon juice
2 TBS brandy
1/4 cup half & half cream
salt & pepper to taste

In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the almonds until they are nicely browned. Remove from pan to let them cool. Try to put them onto a paper towel or something flat where they can spread out and crisp up as they cool.

Add butter to skillet, keep heat at medium-high and add chicken. The trick here is to leave the heat high enough that they brown nicely but low enough that they stay tender and moist. When they are nicely browned but still just slightly pink in the middle, add the lemon juice, brandy, and cream. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cream has thickened slightly and the chicken is just done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return almonds to the skillet and stir to mix.