This Nutraw Pistachio Bar is made with only 5 ingredients!! It’s got dates, pistachios, almonds, coconut oil and green cardamom, all organic. That’s it! This is a way healthy energy bar that’s gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free and dairy-free. What more (or less) could you ask for?

It’s, of course, delicious to eat all by itself, so what was I going to do with it in a recipe?

My mind kept on going back to crunchy crusts on things and how much I love them and how frustrating it must be for gluten-sensitive or gluten-intolerant people because crunchy crusts are hard to come by for them.

So I made up this recipe with chicken thighs that is just delicious! It’s a yogurt-based marinade with garam masala, star anise, garlic and honey. So I guess it’s a bit Middle Eastern?

I love garam masala because it’s a ready-made, terrific spice mix.

I used chicken thighs because they are my favorite and very forgiving in cooking, unlike white meat. I bought thighs with the skin and bones, and I just removed all the skin. I couldn’t find thighs with the bone and no skin, can you? Apparently, they don’t make that combination in the stores that I shop at. It’s either bones and skin or no bones and no skin. Anyway, I felt that skinless thighs would absorb more of the luscious flavor from the marinade.

As the Nutraw Pistachio Bars are thick, yet soft, I rolled them out with a rolling pin in thin sheets, cut them into rectangles and placed them on the skinless thighs to make a super healthy crust.

This was DELICIOUS and definitely a recipe I will repeat. The pistachio bar coating got crispy and browned nicely, just as I had imagined. The chicken was super juicy, tender and flavorful, a tiny bit sweet, but not too much. Super yummy.

I love marinades because you do all the work beforehand. Make this with LOVE on a Sunday, marinate overnight and then your dinner on the workday Monday will be a breeze.

Happy cooking!!

YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN WITH NUTRAW PISTACHIO CRUST – serves 5 – 6

8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs, washed and paper towel dried
¾ cup plain, whole milk, Greek yogurt (unflavored)
2 Tbs. olive oil plus more for slicking the roasting pan
Juice of one lemon
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
20 grinds of black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs. garam masala
2 star anise
1 Tbs. honey
2 ½ Nutraw Pistachio Bars

MAKE THE MARINADE the day before you want to serve this dish. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, coarse sea salt, black pepper, minced garlic, garam masala, star anise and honey.

Trim the fat from the chicken as you remove the skin. Wash and pat dry with paper toweling. Place the thighs in a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade in the bag. Get as much air out of the bag as you can, and zip it closed. Massage the marinade around all the thighs. (sounds sexy, no?)

Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight. Every time you open the fridge, flip the bag over and massage again so all those wonderful flavors can get everywhere.

WHEN YOU’RE READY TO COOK, take the chicken out at least 30 minutes before you plan on putting it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the chicken is shaking off its chill, place the Nutraw Pistachio Bars on a wooden cutting board and roll them into thin sheets with a rolling pin. Cut into 8 rectangles.

Slick a rimmed baking sheet with a little olive oil. Remove the thighs from the bag and place them on the pan with what was the skin side, up. Cover each thigh with a rectangle of the pistachio bar.

Roast for 30 – 35 minutes until chicken is tender and done.

Place the chicken on a platter and let rest for 5 minutes and while it’s resting, scrape and pour all the lovely juices and drippings from the roasting pan into a small saucepan, whisk together and boil for 2 – 3 minutes to make a light sauce.

To plate, put a tablespoon or two of the warmed sauce on a plate and place the chicken thigh on top, so your pistachio topping stays crispy. Serve with LOVE!! Enjoy!

Discover more exciting products to inspire your cooking in our next MARY’s secret ingredients box! The spring box mails on March 25^th and they are selling fast. There’s only a limited number of them, so order now and be the cook everyone LOVES!!

As my good friend, Marie said, “Good cooks never lack friends!!”