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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Cal/Serv:
409
Chicken breasts can be a snooze fest, but this maple pecan-crusted chicken is sure to break you out of the boring dinner blues. Cutlets are tossed in a punchy and herby maple-mustard sauce, then topped with chopped pecans and baked to juicy, crunchy perfection in this fall dinner. Each pecan-coated piece gets hit with a drizzle of extra maple mustard sauce, making this dish an immediate contender for the clean plate club. Since you’ll already have the oven on, serve this with cheesy bacon butternut squash or Makinze’s roasted broccolini for a weeknight meal you’ll be making on repeat.
Have you tried making this? Let me know how it went in the comments!
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Ingredients
- 1
(1/2") piece ginger, peeled, grated
- 4
cloves garlic, grated
- 1
lemon, zested, halved
- 2 Tbsp.
Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp.
pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp.
chopped fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- 1/2 tsp.
smoked paprika
- 4 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
- 2
(6- to 8-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup
finely chopped raw pecans
Directions
- Step 1Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°. Place a large ovenproof skillet on rack to preheat.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk ginger, garlic, lemon zest, juice from 1/2 lemon, mustard, syrup, thyme, paprika, 2 Tbsp. oil, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Transfer 1/4 c. ginger mixture to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Step 3Pat chicken dry. Halve each breast lengthwise so you have 4 pieces; season with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to bowl with remaining ginger mixture and toss until chicken is coated.
- Step 4Using an oven mitt, remove skillet from oven and pour in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil. Place pecans in a shallow dish (like a pie plate). Working one piece at a time, press one side of chicken into pecans, gently pressing to adhere. Transfer to hot skillet pecan side up. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Step 5Bake chicken until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165°, 15 to 17 minutes.
- Step 6Top with reserved ginger mixture and thyme. Slice remaining 1/2 lemon into wedges and serve alongside.
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