Pecan Chicken
If you’re looking for a simple dinner recipe that feels special, try my easy Pecan Chicken. Transform ordinary chicken into a delicious meal with a homemade honey Dijon mustard coating and a crunchy pecan crust.
It’s ideal for a busy weeknight, family dinners, and casual entertaining when you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. Plus, it’s budget-friendly, too.
Pin Pecan Chicken to make later.
Many of the recipes on my blog are my Mom’s. She was a great cook. I found the recipe card for pecan chicken in her collection. I love looking through her recipe box. It makes me feel close to her again. I was feeling bored with recent meals and was happy to find this recipe since I had all the ingredients.
Onion roasted chicken and vegetables is another recipe I found among her recipes. She made a lot of chicken over the years.
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Ingredients for Pecan Chicken
You need four simple and readily available ingredients for this chicken dinner recipe. The flavors are pretty classic.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard
- Pecans – Use a nut grinder to achieve the texture needed for this recipe.
I have a lot of favorite nuts. One of my favorites to cook with, and the one I use most often, is pecans. I always have pecans in my pantry and freezer. Buy pecan meal to have on hand if you don’t want to use a nut grinder. I use these finely chopped nuts in my overnight coffee cake, too.
Why you’ll love pecan chicken
- It’s ready to serve in under an hour.
- Prepare the pecan chicken in advance and refrigerate until ready to start dinner.
- Perfect flavor balance between the honey mustard and pecans.
- Pairs well with a variety of side dishes.
- Something different than always coating chicken in breadcrumbs.
Can I use something other than pecans?
If you don’t want to use pecans, you can substitute almonds. Pecans add to the buttery flavor, but almonds would add more crunch. While you could use walnuts, I think they would be too soft.
All recipes are tested in my Florida kitchen exclusively by me.
What can I serve with pecan breaded chicken?
I like serving rice or a baked potato as a starch, but a nice garden salad, green beans, or cheesy baked mashed potatoes. A slice of the world’s best cornbread would be great, too. A tall glass of strawberry iced tea finishes off the meal.
Tips and Suggestions
- Finely chopped pecans work best and give great texture to the dish. It’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner yet impressive for entertaining.
- You can prepare it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- It’s best to make the honey mustard mixture, rather than using a store-bought honey mustard. You can easily mix the ingredients in a shallow bowl or measuring cup. The homemade version is the perfect texture for dipping the chicken breasts, then dredging them in the pecan mixture.
- You may be tempted to cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, but you want the pecans to become toasty, which will add to the flavor of the dish.
- You can substitute chicken tenders or boneless, skinless thighs if you prefer.
- If your chicken to too thick, use a meat tenderizer to pound it so it’s even.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How do you serve pecan crusted chicken?
While I usually serve it just as a main dish, I do like to slice it into strips or chunks and add them to a nice salad for some protein. It’s a great summer salad with your favorite dressing. I like the Olive Garden copycat dressing.
Try these other chicken recipes:
If you’re like me and cook a lot of chicken, here are a few more family-friendly chicken recipes. Of course, my kids love fried chicken strips, and this chicken stir-fry is easy and delicious. If you want something quick for a busy night, we love this bacon and Swiss grilled chicken sandwich.
What should the internal temperature of chicken be?
Using an instant read thermometer, cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a comment and 5-star review on the recipe card below. If you really love this recipe, please share it on your social media!
Pecan Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 cups finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Flatten each piece of chicken to 1/4" thickness. Set aside.
- Combine honey and mustard, mixing well, in a small bowl and spread on both sides of chicken. Dredge chicken in pecans. Arrange in prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 – 40 minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is tender.
I have pecans, too. This looks so good. Perfect for dinner or even sliced over crisp greens for a salad.
Oh my goodness Ellen this looks so amazing! I bet the “breading” is so crispy and delicious. I love pecans, and this is a delicious way to use them!
I’ve got a ton of pecans from a few of our events, including pecan meal. This would be the perfect way to use it!
Such a yummy way to change-up chicken dinner! I used to make a similar recipe quite frequently and need to bring it back into rotation.
Yum! I love the idea of pecans, honey, and mustard with chicken! Sounds tasty.
This really makes me wish B.O.B. Bob was not allergic to pecans. I’ll have to wait until he goes out of town and treat myself!
Why do I never think of using chopped nuts for breading? And I happen to have an abundance of pecans in the pantry right now. This will be on the menu this week.
Pecans are one of my favorites too! What a great option for those on a gluten free diet.
I bet the honey/mustard/pecan combo is out of this world! Your mom was a smart lady 🙂
That definitely is low maintenance!
Oooh, I’m doing this asap! I love pecans and the fact that this was your mom’s makes it even better!
Oh, I just made honey mustard baked chicken tonight! I should have added the nuts! Next time! I love my moms recipes- I wish I had more of my grandma’s- It is so nice to have these for memories and carrying on of traditions~
Yum! The flavors in this chicken sound incredible and so easy to put together. I love that pecan topping. Definitely perfect for autumn.
Oh my, thanks for sharing one of your Mom’s recipes Ellen. That makes it very special.
I still have a freezer full of pecans so this can be on next week’s menu.