Here’s a tasty chicken dish made with an unusual ingredient — almond pulp. After making Homemade Almond Milk, I was left with a cup or so of soft, moist almond pulp. Wanting to make the best use of this ingredient, I was struck by the idea of including the soft, moist almond pulp as a panade in a meatloaf.

This protein packed meatloaf echoes the fabulous flavors of Chicken Bastilla – using dates for a touch of sweetness, savory onion, and cinnamon and saffron for fragrance.  (pardon the photos — we ate this before I could get a good shot)  Enjoy!

Chicken Almond Loaf

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 1/2 LB boneless skinless chicken breast, coarse grind*
1 cup fresh almond pulp
2 eggs
four medjool dates, pitted and diced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground dry turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground saffron
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Heat a frying pan over medium heat until hot.  Add 2 TB olive oil and sauté the diced onion until softened and lightly browned.  Set aside.

Heat oven to 375.

Mix together the chicken, almond pulp, sautéed onions, eggs, dates, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, and black pepper until combined.

Oil a 4 X 5 X 9 inch loaf pan with the remaining oil.  Place the chicken mixture into the oiled pan and pop into the hot oven.  Bake until golden brown on the top, and the loaf is set and cooked through – about 45 minutes.  After baking, remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes or so to set up.  The loaf has a slightly loose texture, so use care when serving to preserve the shape of each slice.

*I used my food processor to grind the chicken breast meat to the texture I wanted.  Very easy to do — just cut the meat into large chunks, then pulse in a food processor to a coarse grind.