Tonight’s dinner is mostly healthy with a little bit of decadence. This is the point in the clean January I start to lose my mind, so I bend a little bit to make the rest of the day/week/month happen. It has a little sugar and a little bourbon (the alcohol is cooked off) which leave the protein-packed chicken dinner with something a bit sweet and special. Don’t worry, it’s really not too sweet!
I will say this is a winner of a chicken dish for my family – they just love the crunch on the outside, the moist chicken on the inside and the flavors throughout. The finely chopped pecans are almost like a breading in themselves, so if you are going totally carb free, just add more pecans and no bread crumbs. This works too! Just smoosh those powdery nuts on the chicken. 🙂
We ate this with some sweet potatoes and broccoli, but you can easily enjoy it with any side you love. The possibilities are endless. Happy cooking!
Bourbon Pecan Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 (8-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 teaspoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions, for garnish
- Toasted pecan pieces, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir together the pecans, bread crumbs, and salt in a bowl. Spread the mixture out on a plate. Whisk together egg and milk in a bowl. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then dredge in pecan mixture to coat.
- Heat oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until browned on 1 side, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until middle reaches 165 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, Dijon, bourbon, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the burner, and whisk in the 3/4 cup of unsalted butter one piece at a time (do not return to the heat).
- Arrange the chicken breasts on a large serving plate. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with green onions and pecans. Enjoy!
Season Generously 