Pecan and Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce
Pecan Cornmeal Crusted Chicken is a simple and delicious dinner for weeknights. Lean chicken breasts are coated in cornmeal and pecans, then served with a homemade honey mustard sauce.
This is one of the most satisfying dishes I have made in a while, and it kind of came about by accident. Catfish was on sale for $3.99 the other day and I originally made the pecan cornmeal crust for that, but when I had some leftover, I decided to try it with one package of the 10 pounds of chicken breast I had in the fridge as well (it was $1.99/pound for boneless skinless chicken breasts!!! I couldn’t help myself!!!) When I tasted the pecan and cornmeal crusted chicken, I decided I liked it better than the catfish, but there was something missing. It needed some sort of sauce.
I made a cream sauce with what I had on hand, but no, it didn’t work. Too rich. I needed something tangy. Balsamic reduction maybe? No. Then it hit me…HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE. Honey mustard sauce goes very well with chicken to begin with, but honey and pecans also go beautifully together. The whole thing is just a match made in heaven, and this has got to be one of my favorite ways to make chicken.
Pecan and Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
For the honey mustard sauce:
- 1/3 cup dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Get your pecans chopped up into small pieces either by using a knife and cutting board or taking them for a spin in the food processor. Make sure the pieces are pretty small, as bigger pieces will have a hard time sticking. Place the pecans into a breading bowl, and whisk in the cornmeal and cayenne pepper to combine.
- Trim any excess fat or skin off the chicken breast. Beat the egg with a fork until the yolk and egg white have blended, then dip the chicken in the egg wash. Season the chicken with salt and pepper (and plenty of it), then coat them with the pecan cornmeal mixture.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the tops, and bake the chicken breasts on a sheet pan for somewhere between 20-35 minutes, since baking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Cook them to 155 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
- For the Honey Mustard Sauce: Whisk together the mustards, olive oil, and honey, and season with salt and pepper. Now taste it. Is it too sweet for your liking? Add more mustard. Is it too tangy? Add more honey. Drizzle over your chicken, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
18 Comments on “Pecan and Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce”
well I am going to attempt this for the hunting cabin it sounds great and I am sure the guys will devour this in the typical deer hunting fashion what would you make as a side dish ? any suggestions acorn squash , peas carrots or corn ???
Acorn squash would be delicious! Did you see my Maple Butter Roasted Acorn Squash that I posted recently? https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/maple-butter-roasted-acorn-squash/ Corn would be delicious with this too! Some glazed carrots would also be nice. Have fun on your hunting trip!
This recipe sounds delicious and I would love to try it this week for my family, but some of us don’t eat eggs. Do you think I could omit the egg wash altogether. Is there a substitute you could suggest?
Thanks
Hi Sarah, the egg is just needed to get the toppings to stick, so you can definitely try something else instead. Something like a thick greek yogurt would work, or even mayonnaise. I have done both and they work well with helping the toppings stick. Good luck!
I made this recipe last night and let me say, the sauce is absolutely delicious! Two questions: 1) Do you always season AFTER egg wash? I thought it was before?; 2) I have trouble trying to get a thicker crust to stay on the chicken, any advice? Thanks!
Hi Nancy, You can season before the egg wash if you’d like, I just find that the salt and pepper kind of gets a little “washed off” by the egg. But you can certainly do it that way if that’s the way you’re accustomed to. As far as the crust, I suggest chopping the pecans into finer pieces. Sometimes when the chunks are too big they don’t stick well, and they fall off. Also make sure that you let the excess egg drip off very well before dipping into the pecans and cornmeal. Good luck and let me know if you have more questions!
First, you rock. I’m a friend of your brother, Andrew, and since he pointed me to your site I’ve been using it almost exclusively for inspiration. I’m a novice, though, and I just messed this recipe up! I didn’t know how much “a lot” of salt and paper meant, and I WAY overdid it. I think I essentially ended up treating it like breading which is clearly wrong. What’s the best way to do this? Sprinkle some in my hand and massage the chicken?
Of course I know who you are! Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoy the blog! So here’s the deal with salt…different kinds of salt have different levels of saltiness. In general, table salts taste more salty than kosher or sea salt. That’s why it’s hard to specify a certain amount of salt to use because it really does vary. If you don’t already, I recommend you buy a particular kind of salt and stick with it, and learn how to season properly with it according to its level of saltiness. That way you can get the seasoning perfect every time.
The best way to season things is to pinch some salt with your fingers, and sprinkle it from high above, that way it disperses evenly. I personally don’t like the “massaging it in” method just because I don’t think it’s as even as the sprinkling from high above method.
I’ve been trying for the past 5 minutes to specify a ballpark amount of salt, but man, it’s so difficult! I would say somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp per chicken breast, but I think it’s better to encourage you to start getting accustomed to sprinkling from above and being able to eyeball what is the appropriate amount…I think that is better than measuring. Sorry if that’s lame. Definitely shouldn’t be breading like you mentioned, but since chicken is bland, it usually needs a good pinch or two of salt.
Seasoning is definitely one of the most difficult techniques of cooking, but you will master it and then everything you make will be delicious =) Please let me know if you have any more questions about anything, I’d be happy to help!!!
PS a good way to practice with salt might be to pan fry some zucchini slices or something and practice seasoning those and tasting to see the different salt levels. Just an idea!
Wow, I just came across your blog and AM IN LOVE. Everything you make looks amazingly delicious. I’ve bookmarked this recipe and plan to make it this weekend. Beautiful photography too! What kind of camera do you use??
Thank you so so so much, Samantha! I really am so flattered. This has been one of my most popular recipes, so I think you will like it! For this post, I was using a dinky test production point and shoot made by Kodak, but starting with the White Velvet Cupcakes with Earl Grey Buttercream, I am using a Nikon d3100. I just got it a few days ago, and I am in LOVE with it!!!
Sounds a bit like me! I’ve solely been using my Nikin point and shoot, but it takes really awful food photography when not in natural light, haha. I as well (just a few weeks ago) upgraded myself to a Canon Rebel. Love it! DSRLs really make a difference. I can’t wait to check back to your blog to see how beautiful your photos will be with your new camera!
The best part about all of this is that I have all the ingredients!! I can’t wait to try it and let you know how it goes! Love your blog… it’s very pretty, clean, and easy to read.
Lyndi
Yes, I had all the ingredients in my pantry too! It’s so easy…and delicious. And thanks so much for the kind comments about my blog =)
This recipe looks so yummy!! I’ll definitely be trying it! Thanks
Thanks Tiffany! I hope you like it =) It’s one of my favorites!
ok I am ALL OVER this for dinner. It sounds amazing!
YAY! Let me know how yours turns out!