Pecan Crusted Chicken – Easy Recipe with Honey Mustard Sauce

Some people think eating healthy is all about baking boring chicken breasts and broccoli every night. With flavorful recipes like pecan crusted chicken, there’s no more boring chicken!

This pecan chicken recipe is easy to make, plus it’s low carb. Add your favorite keto side dish and BOOM – you’ve got a new meal your whole family will love.

Whether you’re baking for a special occasion, or you need a quick meal with simple ingredients, keep reading to learn how easy this pecan crusted chicken recipe is!

 

Pecan Crusted Chicken Ingredients

This delicious chicken dish only calls for a few ingredients: chicken, homemade honey mustard sauce, chopped pecans, and a few spices. See – easy!

While I prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts for crunchy pecan chicken, other cuts like chicken thighs work just as well. For best results on a low carb diet, always use the highest quality meat you can afford.

The honey mustard chicken sauce is a low carb dressing I always have in the fridge to use as a dipping sauce. You can either whip up a batch ahead of time, or mix the ingredients up while the chicken brines.

The ingredients for this easy sauce includes avocado oil, honey, dijon mustard, yellow mustard, and minced garlic.

The homemade honey mustard sauce gives the chicken so much flavor, so don’t try to save time with a store bought brand. Plus, this recipe uses good fats, while store bought brands use unhealthy vegetable oils.

You can use whichever spice mix you love to give the chicken breasts flavor. My favorite mix is garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Other spices that mix well with this recipe are onion powder, paprika and even a dash of cayenne pepper if you want to give your chicken a little kick.

Finally, chopped pecans replace regular breadcrumbs in this low carb pecan crusted chicken recipe. Crunchy pecans are a great way to replace breaded chicken on a low carb plan. To keep this chicken pecan recipe healthy, use raw pecans that haven’t been processed in any bad-for-you oils.

 

 

How to Make Pecan Chicken

Meal Prep:

An easy way to make this chicken extra juicy is to brine the chicken. Don’t worry – this is simpler than it sounds, and it makes for tender chicken breasts.

To brine, add 2 cups of water, plus two tablespoons of kosher salt, into a large bowl. Then add the chicken. Allow it to soak in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Once brined, carefully drain the water and place the chicken on a cutting board. Trim any unwanted fat and set aside.

While the chicken brines, make the homemade honey mustard sauce and set aside.

Then, use a nut chopper to chop the pecan crumbs. Use the coarse side of the chopper since you want crumbs, not fully ground pecans. If you don’t have a nut chopper, you can also use the back of a measuring cup to press on the pecans.

Finally, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

 

Bake Chicken:

When you’re ready to bake, add the chicken into a shallow dish. If the chicken is uneven, slice the breasts into chicken cutlets or pound with a meat mallet to ensure an even thickness.

Season each piece of chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Use a brush to coat the chicken with the creamy honey mustard sauce, and flip again to coat the chicken pieces on the other side.

Finally, give chicken a crispy coating by sprinkling each piece of chicken with a handful of pecans. (Chopped, of course). Then place chicken into the preheated oven until fully cooked.

The cook time should take 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken is. Use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

To keep the chicken juicy, allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing into the pecan crusted chicken.

 

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tips

• While you may be tempted to swap the avocado oil for olive oil, that’s not a great idea since the chicken cooks at high heat. Olive oil has a low smoke point, which doesn’t make it suitable for high temp baking.
• For more flavor, do not ground the pecans into fine crumbs. Keep some bigger pieces in the pecan mixture to keep this recipe crunchy.
• Since you coat the chicken in honey mustard, a nonstick cooking spray isn’t necessary for this delicious recipe.
• You can slice chicken into smaller pieces to turn these into keto pecan crusted chicken tenders.

 

Recipe Wrap Up

This baked pecan crusted chicken recipe is one of our family favorites – and for good reason!

I love this delicious dish since it’s a healthy low carb meal that helps me reach my goals. My family loves it because the chicken has so much flavor that it doesn’t taste like a healthy meal their mom is forcing them to eat.

Serve pecan crusted chicken with extra honey-mustard dressing. Save leftovers for a quick and easy pecan chicken salad the next day!

One of my favorite sides for this simple dish is creamy garlic green beans. Another great recipe is keto mac and cheese since it’s easy to make and combines great with this dish.

Don’t forget to save this delicious pecan crusted chicken breast recipe for next time. Please share on social media too!

Keep scrolling for the oven baked pecan crusted nutrition info and recipe card.

 

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Pecan Crusted Chicken

 

More Delicious Recipes:

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Strips

Juicy Baked Chicken Breasts

Keto Pork Chops

 

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