Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Maple-Mustard Sauce

Pecans add a crunchy-sweet flavor to this quick and healthy oven-baked chicken.

By: Jodie Shield, RD

Get cracking! April is National Pecan Month and the perfect time to try recipes featuring this delicious and healthy nut. Pecans are so good and good for you, too. That’s because pecans are loaded with antioxidants, heart-healthy fats, dietary fiber and 19 other vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, vitamin A, and calcium.  In fact, studies have found that eating a handful of pecans every day (about 1 ounce or 20 halves) offers health benefits such as lowering blood cholesterol, promoting brain health, helping people lose weight. This tasty recipe for Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts is my new favorite. I love to serve it with a Maple-Mustard Sauce, but feel free to eat it as is or with your favorite sauce. The best part about this recipe – it takes only minutes to make and bake. For more tasty recipes featuring pecans, check out my Time To Eat Healthy app available from the iTunes store.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast with Maple-Mustard Sauce

4 Servings

 Prep time = 20 minutes

Cooking time = 30 minutes

Ingredients:

¾ cup pecans, chopped

¼ cup dry whole wheat bread crumbs

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon paprika

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard plus 1 tablespoon for the sauce

¼ cup maple syrup

Steps:

1. In shallow bowl, combine pecans, bread crumbs, thyme, and paprika; set aside.
2. Dip chicken breasts into mustard making sure it is well coated. Then roll chicken breast in pecan mixture.
3. Place chicken in greased baking dish. Bake uncovered at 375°F for about 30 minutes or until juices run clear.
4. While chicken is cooking, combine maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard together. Remove chicken from oven and drizzle with sauce.
5. Note: I like to microwave the sauce for about 45 seconds before drizzling it over each of the chicken breasts.

Nutrition Information (for chicken breast and 1 tablespoon of sauce): 330 calories, 25 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, 13 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 915 milligrams sodium

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