Pecan Crusted Chicken is tender, juicy chicken breasts coated with chopped pecans and panko breadcrumbs, served with a homemade honey mustard sauce. Adding the crunch from pecans and panko gives these chicken breasts somewhat of a fried texture, but baked in the oven. And then, the honey mustard sauce perfectly complements the chicken! (The sauce is SO GOOD, I could eat it on its own!) You can also make this in an air fryer. For another flavorful chicken recipe, try my Bang Bang Chicken, too!
Ingredients
Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs would also be delicious. Keep in mind that the cooking time and texture might be slightly different when using chicken thighs, but the flavors and overall concept of the recipe should still work well.
Mustard: Dijon mustard is used in both the coating of the chicken and in the honey mustard sauce. You could get away with using yellow mustard if that is all you have on hand.
Hot Sauce: You will notice I used hot sauce and cayenne pepper to coat the chicken. (I also used cayenne pepper in the sauce.) You could definitely leave those ingredients out of the recipe if you don’t like any heat to the dish. Or, simply reduce the amounts.
Pecans: Finely chop the pecans in a food processor or even a blender. You could chop them up by hand, but that would take quite a bit of time and effort. You could also buy pecans that have already been chopped.
Panko: Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb that is lighter and will stay crispier longer. Look for panko in the Asian food aisle of the grocery store. You could use regular bread crumbs in a pinch, but the chicken will have a different texture.
Dipping Sauce: This honey mustard sauce is so delicious and is made with just four simple ingredients–dijon mustard, mayonnaise, honey, and cayenne pepper. You could leave out the cayenne pepper if preferred.
What To Serve With Pecan Crusted Chicken
Pecan-crusted chicken is a flavorful and slightly indulgent dish that pairs well with a variety of sides to create a well-rounded meal. Here are some suggestions for side dishes to serve with your pecan-crusted chicken:
- Roasted Vegetables like carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans, or asparagus
- Wedge Salad
- Mashed Potatoes
- Cornbread
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Sure! The honey mustard sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Once you have the chicken coated, you can store it in the refrigerator up to overnight before baking. It’s a great way to have a meal ready to be cooked after a long day!
How to Store Pecan Crusted Chicken
Once cooked, pecan-crusted chicken can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last up to 2 days. I recommend storing it without the honey mustard sauce so the chicken doesn’t get soggy.
Pecan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ⅓ cups (145 g) pecans, finely chopped
- ¾ cup (81 g) panko breadcrumbs
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup (60 g) Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup (58 g) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F* and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Top the baking sheet with a wire rack sprayed with cooking spray.
- Pound chicken to an even thickness. Pat dry with paper towels and season on all sides with salt and pepper.
- To a shallow dish, whisk together flour, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- To a second shallow dish whisk together egg, hot sauce, and mustard.
- To a third shallow dish, add finely chopped pecans and bread crumbs.
- Working one at a time, dredge the chicken breast in the flour mixture making sure to evenly coat all sides, shaking off the excess. Then, dip the chicken in the egg mixture, followed by the pecans and breadcrumbs mixture, pressing evenly into all sides.
- Place the chicken on the wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. (Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts.)
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
- In a small bowl combine Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, honey, and cayenne pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Serve with the cooked chicken.
Notes
- Follow the instructions up to when you place the coated chicken into the oven. Instead, place the chicken into the basket of your air fryer. (Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to work in batches.)
- Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray and set the air fryer at 360°F.
- Bake for a total of 12-13 minutes, flipping over the chicken halfway through cooking. After flipping, spray the tops of the chicken. Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
This is such a fun way to serve chicken. The pecans give it a nice crunch on the outside and the dipping sauce brings a sweet tang to the dish that people love!
Elizabeth
This might be my new favorite way to prepare and eat chicken! The crunch from the pecans and panko is so satisfying. And, the honey mustard sauce is out of this world delicious!!! Make this!
Annabelle
Wow! This is delicious, especially with the honey mustard sauce. I would 100% recommend making this!
Selena
I don't usually love taking the time to dredge chicken, but this recipe is so worth it! I loved the crunch of the pecans and breadcrumbs and the flavor of the honey mustard sauce just brings it all together.
modified, I left out the hot pepper. in the oven right now, smells wonderful. went together really well, easy to prepare. I’ve had a bag of pecans in the freezer for a while just waiting for a recipe! can’t wait to take a bite.
What would you recommend to serve as a side dish to complement the chicken ?
There is a section in the blog post that addresses this and provides links to recipes:
What To Serve With Pecan Crusted Chicken
Pecan-crusted chicken is a flavorful and slightly indulgent dish that pairs well with a variety of sides to create a well-rounded meal. Here are some suggestions for side dishes to serve with your pecan-crusted chicken:
Roasted Vegetables like carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans, or asparagus
Wedge Salad
Mashed Potatoes
Cornbread
Roasted Sweet Potatoes