Pecan breading is used to coat the chicken breasts before they are fried in a skillet. Before serving, a thick bourbon sauce is then drizzled over them. My mother sent me this wonderful dish, which she got from a high-end restaurant in New York. It’s worth dying for. ENJOY!!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ½ cup dry bread crumbs
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- ¼ cup clarified butter, melted
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 ⅔ tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
- ½ cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- Stir together the pecans, bread crumbs, and 2 tablespoons of clarified butter. Spread the mixture out on a plate. Press the chicken breasts into the mixture to coat on both sides. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the coated chicken breasts in the pan, and fry on both sides until nicely browned and chicken meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes per side.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the Dijon mustard, brown sugar, bourbon, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then remove from the burner, and whisk in the 3/4 cup of unsalted butter one piece at a time. Do not return to the heat.
- Arrange the chicken breasts on a large serving plate. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and sprinkle with green onion.
- Please note differences in ingredient amounts and servings when following the magazine version of this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 486 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 134 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Sodium | 537 mg |
| Sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 33 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I have made this several times over the past 5 years, my kids devour it and it every time and ask for it weekly. I only use 1 stick of butter in the sauce though, it still turns out plenty rich.
We’ve made Pecan Chicken many times before. I was hoping this was a little different. It did not disappoint. That sauce was unreal!! I used the butter straight up also. Used the leftover sauce, that I intentionally hid so they wouldn’t eat it all , 2 days later on ribeye steaks! A definite keeper!
I cut this in half;so used 2 chicken breasts cut lengthwise into 4 slices; used walnuts instead of pecans; the sauce is scrumptious for sure. You may find you need a lot more dipping mixture. -I used the full recommended ingredients for the 4; there is no way it will coat 8 chicken breats…I did not clarify the butter and just used melted butter which worked fine. I definitely recommend it.
I made this first for my wife and I, then with our teenage kids and last night as a nice meal for my in-laws. – I doubled the sauce using Eagle Rare Bourbon this most recent time, had a little left over. It was a hit. Chef Joy notes 2-mins fried each side then finish in the oven, I did a tad more but 2-3 should be perfect depending on your heat. I did not do the oven finish the first two times it was pretty blackened. – We prepped most everything, sauce with everything but the butter, ready to go, and the chicken was prepped to fry. Fried in batches, and put all the chicken in the oven for the 15-minutes while we had our first course. Easy and fun to plate.
Really fabulous dish! I typically make more coating than recipe says because I seem to always run short. This one is pretty darn close. Family loved it, the bourbon give a good flavor but not a boozy at all.
After finding this recipe only a month ago, we have enjoyed this dish on more than a few occasions, serving to guests as well. I do not change any ingredients, however, I do lessen the amount of butter added to the sauce; I have found less butter does not impact the fantastic flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
This was really delicious! I used Italian breadcrumbs mixed with the pecans. I used some melted butter on both sides of the chicken so the breadcrumb mixture would stick to it better. I only cooked the chicken in the pan a few minutes on both sides then baked it til done. My husband loved it! Served it with rice and baby peas sautéed with leeks.
Excellent dish. My wife rarely takes seconds but made an exception for this. I had to make two minor changes because I was out of dark brown sugar and plain bourbon. So, used light brown sugar and honey bourbon.
Awesome
Excellent! I used regular mustard and salted butter. To get the nuts/flour to stick, I didn’t add the butter to the mix. I melted it and dredged the chicken in the butter and then in the nut mixture. Put it in the fridge for 5 minutes to set. I did not fry it. I baked it on a cookie sheet that I sprayed to prevent sticking. Baked at 350 for 25 minutes.
I only had almonds, it was good but breasts are too boring, I think I will try it with thighs next time.
I was disappointed with this recipe. The flavour of the sauce was rich because it used a lot of butter, but the taste was just ok. Thank you for sharing it – we all have our preferences.
Amazing! I used large chicken breasts, and next time I’ll use half-breasts
I made this recipe and it is delicious. I did a little over half the amount of the mustard (because I dont like mustard). I only used 1/2 cup butter in the sauce because I only had one stick. To get the coating to stick I used flour dip, egg wash and then pecan and panko mixture (again all I had). I fried it a few minutes on each side and finished it in the oven. It was soo good. My boyfriend loved it but hated the mess I made while making it.
It’s OK. Not great. Lots of effort, dishes, and calories. Would not make again.
loved it. I’m doing Keto so I substituted pork rinds crushed for the bread crumbs and I had a side of cauliflower mash instead of mashed potatoes. I didn’t bother clarifying the butter. Still was tasty. Great recipe. will make again.
This was very tasty! Followed the recipe exactly except butterflied the breast halves as they were too thick. So, had to make another batch of coating. I pressed it firmly onto both sides and it stuck great. Used panko and chopped pecans myself in the food processor for very fine crumbs. The sauce is SO rich and tasty – wish we had some potatoes to soak it up. For leftovers, we’ll do just that!
Great recipe! It was easy to make and my wife and I loved it! I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut the recipe in half. I also used Texas pecan praline whiskey and the sauce was delicious. I will however probably use regular unflavored whiskey next time to cut the sweetness a little.
tonight was my first time making it. very yummy, BUT I made changes on the fly to the sauce since it was way too mustardy. I added another tablespoon each of bourbon and brown sugar. that made it delicious.
I liked the pecans in the coating. I doubled the sauce. I also browned the chicken in the pan and finished it in the oven. Very tasty. Will make this again.
It would be a 1 star but I swapped out the chicken for tofu and the breading for sawdust, candy corn for corn, and my recipe for the whole recipe. Seriously, is you made it as it was written, rate it as it was written! And I did! Other than”the boy” who likes thin breading or KFC, we all enjoyed it as written. I feared “the “gravy” would be worstershershersher sauce heavy in flavour but it was sweet and buttery. Served over rice, I would make this again.