If you're one of the people who realized off the bat that this is a healthy recipe and said, "No way; That's just not for me," I have to advise you to reconsider. One, this tastes great. Two, it's quick to put together. Three, it's easy to put together. Four, a fourth point shouldn't be necessary. Just give it a shot.
Just like you, I have a busy life (believe it or not) so sometimes making food for the blog is daunting-- let alone cooking for myself. Sure, I like to get fancy and creative as often as possible, but sometimes I'm looking to eat something quick after work that takes about as much effort as microwaving a freezer meal or heating up leftovers. I don't have time to waste when I'm hungry.
So, obviously the best solution in said scenario is to be both creative and fast, which usually results in me playing Frankenstein with ingredients in my refrigerator. There isn't much I won't try to throw together, so it should be no surprise that one day the idea of combining hummus and chicken hit me.
The first time around, I made more of a hummus-sauce and enjoyed it with my chicken breast, but there was something texturally off about it. After a brief internet search, I found Gimme Some Oven's version, which uses the hummus to form a crust on the chicken. I tweaked the recipe ever-so-slightly to suit my taste, but it's an extremely versatile recipe, so do with it as you wish. You could add vegetables on top, use different kinds of hummus, add pine nuts, cook it over sliced red bell pepper-- the world is your easy-to-make and delicious oyster.
By the way, I served mine with a quinoa-spin on tabbouleh. I simply made an instant pack of flavored quinoa (I told you, we're shooting for quick and easy here!) Chopped up mini cucumbers, grape tomatoes, scallions, and lots of parsley, and mixed it together with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper to taste. You can serve the Hummus Crusted Chicken with any side dish, though, (or none at all) and it'll work. It's just one of those things.
Try it out and let me know what you think!
Hummus Crusted Chicken
Description
This Hummus Crusted Chicken is good for you and great-tasting! Perfect for a quick but tasty meal that you can tweak to your taste!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup hummus of your choice (I used chipotle hummus)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a medium-sized baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken breasts in the dish. Using a spoon, scoop the ½ cup hummus into a measuring cup to avoid contaminating the rest of the hummus from the raw chicken. Put the remaining hummus away, and spoon hummus from the measuring cup on the chicken. Spread it around until the breasts are evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the minced garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and red chili powder on top of the chicken (or whatever seasonings you choose to use). Squeeze one lemon half over each chicken breast.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the hummus has crisped. Serve immediately.
Morgan says
Sorry to hear that, JD! I never had that issue with chicken made this way before-- what kind of hummus did you use, out of curiosity? I usually use flavored hummus such as Roasted Red Pepper or Chipotle, so perhaps if you used an unflavored hummus that might have something to do with it?
sammckinnon says
I just tried this recipe tonight and it was delicious:) I am a college student so these kinds of fast easy meals work great for me. Thank you!
Morgan says
Sorry I didn't see this comment before for whatever reason, Sam! That's great to hear! I ate a lot of Ramen in college, so I totally understand where you're coming from =)
Morgan says
Sam, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it. Good for you for cooking in college-- putting any time at all into food is difficult when you have so much going on with school and a social life! Thanks for letting me know how it went!
Glitzy says
This is SO GOOD. I used garlic hummus and added more garlic to it. Very tasty. Will make this again
Morgan says
Garlic hummus sounds like it'd be awesome! I'll have to try it that way sometime. Thanks for sharing!
Jacqui says
Marinate the chicken breasts with a little evoo, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper for at least 30 minutes. It smells to die for while it is cooking.
Morgan says
That sounds right up my alley, Jacqui, especially if you use roasted red pepper hummus! Thanks so much for the advice!
June Rasheed says
Love to make this. What is the chicken served with. Pasta or quinoa?
Morgan says
In this picture, I had made the Hummus Crusted Chicken with a side of Tabbouleh. Pasta or quinoa would be great, too!
Sarah says
I was searching for a healthy crusted chicken recipe and came across this recipe. I have most of the ingredients except lemon. I have the roasted red pepper hummus. I will be trying this tonight and let you know how it turns out.
Jacqui says
I think the lemon makes a difference. I didn't have lemon so I used a lime the first time and it was good. I would definitely add the lemon.
Sarah says
Thank you, Jacqui. I bought some lemons. Also, I'm going to marinate the chicken in evoo, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.
Amanda says
So this is just perfect for gluten free eaters who miss having a crush on their chicken!
I gave this a try last night. I seasoned the chicken breasts with just some salt, pepper and paprika then slathered them in roasted garlic hummus (and of course splashed liberal amounts of lemon juice.) for the veggies, I tossed some cauliflower and broccoli in olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and more hummus. It was absolutely delicious and will be making again.. Tonight. This time I will get some cilantro jalapeño hummus from trader Joe's mmm (Cumin, chili powder, Cilantro, lime juice.. Ahh sounds so good)
Morgan says
I'm glad you liked it, Amanda! Your veggie side sounds great, too, thanks for sharing =)
Joy says
That looks absolutely amazing but sadly I don't eat meat. Maybe I will try and substitute with tofu so I don't miss out.
Morgan says
I can imagine it working well on portobellos as well!
Marie says
I made this and the hummus slid off the chicken and ended up on the side of the baking dish 🙁
Christina Aleman says
Thanks for these recipe. I'll will try this recipe this weekend for a weekend family bonding.
Christina Aleman says
I think this is a good recipe. Thanks.
Brigid says
I love to pair this with your loaded mashed cauliflower. They pair perfectly.
Mari says
Let me just say this was delicious! I went exactly by the recipe and used roasted garlic hummus.