Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. You don't have to line your sheet or use cooking spray but I find this helps prevent almond crust from sticking to the sheet (and it keeps it on the chicken where we want it)! Plus, cleanup is a snap.
Now slice both chicken breasts in half, lengthwise, to create 4 thinner cutlets. Place cutlets in a Ziploc bag and pound them with your fist or a meat mallet. About 15 seconds per piece will do, there's no need to pound them super thin. 2 8 ounce (1 pound total) skinless boneless chicken breasts
Add cool water to a large bowl and salt heavily. I typically add 2-3 tablespoons of kosher salt, though any kind of salt will work. Stir gently until it dissolves completely, then add chicken cutlets, ensuring meat is completely submerged.
Place chicken in the refrigerator and allow it to soak/brine for at least 15 minutes. You can also brine chicken overnight if you want to make things easier for yourself and plan ahead for the next evening.
While cutlets are brining, combine flour and spices in a medium bowl or on a plate. Whisk until well incorporated and set aside.
⅓ cup flour, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon onion powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
Next, measure whole, raw almonds into a food processor and puree until crumbly. I like leaving some texture/larger chunks, rather than blending until super fine. Transfer crushed almonds to a plate or bowl and set aside.
1 cup raw almonds
Measure egg and water into a bowl and whisk vigorously to create an egg wash, and once again, set this aside.
1 large egg, 2 tablespoons water
Now remove your chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel.
Cover chicken in flour and spices, then dip in egg mixture. Finally, coat each cutlet with almonds. You can gently press crushed almonds into chicken with the back of a spoon, if desired. This can help nuts to stick better, but it's not necessary.
Line chicken with almond coating on your prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden with internal temp of 165°F. I always use a food thermometer to avoid overcooking, which will surly lead to dry chicken. Allow to rest, then plate and enjoy!