Chicken Coated With Pecans And His Honey Sauce Recipes

PECAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate and set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse the pecans until they form fine crumbs (but don't over-process or they will turn into pecan butter). Place the mixture in a large, sturdy ziptop bag.
• To the bag, add the breadcrumbs, basil, salt, and pepper. Seal the top and shake to combine.
• Place the chicken on a cutting board and cover it with a large sheet of plastic wrap. With a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or your fist, pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. They need not be super thin-just flatten the middle so that the chicken is relatively flat and will bake more evenly.
• Working one chicken breast at a time, dip the chicken in the egg wash, then place in the ziptop bag and shake to coat with the pecan mixture. Gently press the pecan mixture so that it sticks to the chicken, then lay the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the chicken. Bake until the chicken reaches 160 to 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a plate and let rest 5 minutes. Chicken is considered cooked at 165 degrees F, but I like to remove mine several degrees early and let the carryover cooking to finish the rest (this ensures the chicken breast is juicy and does not overcook).
• While the chicken bakes, prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, both mustards, honey, salt, and cayenne. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
• Enjoy the pecan crusted chicken hot, with the dipping sauce.

HONEY PECAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in a medium bowl and pour buttermilk on top. Refriegrate for 1 to 4 hours.
• Combine flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne in a shallow bowl.
• Drain off buttermilk from chicken and toss chicken pieces in flour mixture to coat. Let chicken pieces sit for 20 minutes.
• Pour 1/2 inch oil into a large pan. Heat oil until hot. It should sizzle when you drop a pinch of flour in it.
• Fry chicken just until browned. Remove to paper towels to drain. Place in a 9-inch square baking dish.
• In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add honey, cayenne, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook and stir until thickened some. Stir in pecans.
• Pour honey mixture over chicken pieces. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

PECAN CRUSTED CHICKEN TENDERS WITH HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (go easy -- you don't want a paste). Add the panko, 1¼ teaspoon salt, sugar and cayenne pepper and pulse a few more times to combine. The panko should be broken down slightly but not finely ground.
• Set up three large shallow dishes in an assembly line. Place the flour in the first dish; beat the eggs in the second dish; and place the pecan/panko mixture in the third dish. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to hold the breaded tenders, and place at the end of the assembly line.
• Season the chicken tenders with the remaining teaspoon salt. Working with one tender at a time: dredge first in the flour, shaking off any excess; dip in the egg to coat evenly; and then dredge in the pecan/panko mixture, pressing down to make the coating adhere. Try to use one hand for the dry breading (the flour and pecan/panko mixture) and one hand for the wet (the eggs) -- otherwise, your hands will end up a mess. Place the breaded tender on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining tenders.
• Heat about ⅛-inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil heats up, line another baking sheet with paper towels (this is for the finished tenders - the paper towels will absorb any excess oil).
• When the oil starts to shimmer, add half of the chicken tenders and cook for a few minutes on the first side until golden brown. Using tongs, flip the tenders and cook until the second side is also golden, 1-2 minutes Adjust the heat as necessary so the tenders don't burn. Transfer the cooked tenders to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the oil, wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, and then repeat with the remaining tenders.
• Make the sauce by combining the mayonnaise, mustard and honey in a small bowl. Serve alongside chicken tenders.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. No need to defrost; put the chicken tenders on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through and crisp, about 25 minutes. (Flip the chicken halfway through baking.)

HONEY-PECAN CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness. Sprinkle with seasonings., In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat; brown chicken on both sides. Cook, covered, until chicken is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes, turning once. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pecans. Cook, covered, until chicken is glazed, 2-3 minutes.