Bourbon Pecan Chicken

This recipe is all about Fall comfort food.  Pecans and butter and bourbon and brown sugar, and oh yeah - chicken, too.  Incidentally, those are also all of Bo's favorite things.  So, making this earned me major points, hurrah! :)

But, really, this recipe feels fancy enough to serve guests, but isn't so overly complicated that you'd be stressed out in the kitchen while they were at your house.  It turns out moist and flavorful and is a fantastic way to bring chicken breasts out of their boring rut.  I hope you love it too!

Enjoy!




Bourbon Pecan Chicken
heavily adapted from Allrecipes

chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. finely chopped pecans
3/4 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. milk

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil

sauce:
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. bourbon whiskey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small saucepan, whisk together all sauce ingredients except the butter and set aside.

Place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper over chicken breasts and pound with a mallet to an even 3/4" thick.  Cut each chicken breast in half to make 4 pieces total.

Stir together the pecans and bread crumbs in a shallow dish.  Pour milk into a bowl.  Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and allow excess to drip off.  Place into pecan and crumb mixture, pressing firmly to coat with crumbs on each side.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Place the coated chicken breasts in the pan and fry each side until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Put skillet with chicken into the oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the sauce over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil one minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in remaining 1/4 c. butter until melted.  Serve chicken with sauce.  Makes 4 servings.

Ingredient Lineup:

Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and allow excess to drip off.

Place into pecan and crumb mixture, pressing firmly to coat with crumbs on each side.

Pan fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes each side.

 

This is fantastic served alongside a side salad with Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

I'm betting that this bourbon sauce would be amazing drizzled over mashed potatoes too!