Pecan Crusted Chicken

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.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 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.