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These panko and pecan crusted chicken breasts are one delicious bite full of flavor and crunch. Served with a honey mustard dipping sauce, they are oven baked for maximum crunch.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Chicken breasts: Use skinless and boneless chicken breasts for this recipe. Cut them into smaller bites or use chicken tenders.
- Greek yogurt: The chicken breasts are coated in the yogurt. This helps to get the crusting to stick, but the acid in it also helps to make the breasts tender and juicy.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard is mixed in with the yogurt and adds a subtle tang to the chicken. You can use yellow mustard for a milder flavor.
- Honey: Honey adds a nice hint of sweetness and helps to balance out the dijon mustard. Use a natural honey for the best flavor. Maple syrup would also work as a good substitute.
- Pecans: The chicken is coated is finely chopped pecans. They add a lovely nutty flavor and crunchy texture. This recipe would also work with other nuts like walnuts or almonds.
- Breadcrumbs: Use panko breadcrumbs for the crunchiest texture, but regular breadcrumbs work well too!
- Spices: Salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper.
How to make pecan crusted chicken
- Mix together the yogurt, Dijon mustard and honey.
- Coat the chicken in a yogurt mix and let marinate.
- Toss together the pecans, breadcrumbs and seasonings.
- Scrape off excess marinade from the chicken breasts and coat in the pecan mix.
- Place the chicken on a lined baking sheet and spray with oil.
- Bake until cooked through and browned. Serve with a honey mustard dip.
Tips for making the recipe
- Don’t skip the marinate step. Marinating the chicken for at least 15 minutes or overnight helps to tenderize it and enhance the flavor.
- Pound your chicken breasts if they are thick. They should be about ½ inch thick. If your chicken breasts are large, you can also cut them in half to ensure they cook through fully.
- Chop the pecans into fairly small pieces. If they are too large they may fall off of the chicken. Quickly break them down by pulsing in a food processor.
- Use an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken is fully cooked through. It should register at 165F in the thickest part of the breast. If the pecan crust is browning too quickly, you can cover them loosely with foil.
Frequently asked questions
The yogurt marinade gets chicken breasts really nice and tender and they don’t dry out. You can easily make this pecan crusted chicken with chicken tenders too, and serve them as a dip, and the recipe will also work well with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Just be aware that the cooking times will vary.
The chicken can be marinated overnight, and once crusted, you can keep the breasts covered in the fridge for a day. Once cooked, leftovers will keep well for up to 4 days and can be reheated at 350F for 15 minutes until warmed through.
This pecan crusted chicken is really delicious served with the simple honey mustard yogurt sauce, and it’s perfect to serve with salad, vegetable and potato sides. Try it with:
Baked Fries
Roasted Cabbage
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Green Beans
This pecan crusted chicken is one delicious and easy recipe, and is sure to get you out of your chicken dinner rut! Simple ingredients, but packed full of flavor and texture, every bite is so tasty!
More chicken recipes:
- Breaded Air Fried Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Rosemary Lemon Roasted Whole Chicken
- Sweet Browned Butter Chicken
- Spatchcock Chicken
- Pesto Chicken
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Skillet Cilantro Chicken
If you try this healthy-ish feel good Pecan Crusted Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
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Pecan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- ½ cup Greek yogurt plus 2 tablespoons divided
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard plus 2 tablespoons divided
- 4 tablespoons honey divided
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about ½ inch thick
- 1 ½ cups pecans finely chopped
- 1 ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix ½ cup yogurt, ¼ cup Dijon, and 2 tablespoons honey. Add chicken and let sit at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.
- In a shallow dish toss together pecans, breadcrumbs, kosher salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper.
- Remove chicken from yogurt mixture, scraping off excess marinade and add to shallow bowl with pecan mixture. Press firmly to adhere pecan mixture, turn breast over and repeat so all sides of the chicken are completely covered.
- Transfer coated chicken to prepared baking sheet and repeat process with remaining pieces of chicken. Add remaining pecan mixture to top of chicken and press down even. Coat with cooking spray.
- Bake chicken in oven until cooked through, flipping halfway through, about 20-25 minutes total.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl stir together remaining 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, remaining 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey. Season to taste.
- Serve chicken with honey mustard sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I tried your recipe yesterday for the first time. It was delicious! My family loved it. I will definitely be making it on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Yay! I’m so happy you and your family loved the recipe, Angela! You’re so welcome!!