Pecan Crusted Chicken

Sharlene~W's Note:

This chicken is nice and crunchy with just a tiny little bite from the cayenne. Enjoy it alone, topped with honey-mustard dressing or atop a salad (See Salad Greens With Honey-Mustard Dressing). Cooking time includes the 20-30 minutes chicken dries between breading and cooking. This recipe is from Cuisine at Home magazine.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 -3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6-8 ounce)
• 2 egg whites
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 lemon, juice of

Bread Crumb Mixture

• 1 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, zest of, minced
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Saute in

• 3 -4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Prepare chicken breasts into cutlets, cutting into thirds and gently pounding to an even thickness of 1/2 inch (easier and cleaner if done between two layers of plastic wrap).
2. Blend egg whites, cornstarch, and lemon juice with a fork in a wide, shallow dish; set aside.
3. Combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, zest, pecans, and seasonings in another wide shallow dish.
4. Crust chicken breasts by dipping both sides of prepared chicken into egg white mixture. Then applying crumbs to both sides, patting them on as much as possible. Transfer to a cookie rack to air-dry on both sides for 20-30 minutes. (This will set crust so it will stay on chicken and crisp up nicely).
5. Sauté chicken in oil in a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on bottom. Turn carefully with a spatula and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking. This should take about 8 more minutes. Don't overcook, you don't want it to dry out.

Reviews

[bschuck22]

This is a FABULOUS recipe, however, like the other reviewers, triple up on the spices. The chicken is VERY tender and has a nice crunch to it because of the panko bread crumbs and pecans. After frying in olive oil, I baked them in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. (just to make sure the chicken was cooked thoroughly!)

[Rachel's Home Recipes]

I made this and it came out good but it lacked something in the final outcome. I think that it could of used some garlic. But I still got rave reviews for it.

[artistclogger]

Loved the flavor--cooked it in the oven instead of in a pan, using 1 tbsp oil in pan, one in "liguid dip" and one spritzed over the top after they were rolled in the crust. Due to lack of ingredients I used lime juice instead of lemon, omitted salt, and used a whole egg rather than two whites. Very good! It baked at 350 about 23 minutes to perfection.