pecan crusted chicken salad

Freddy loves pecans. I love chicken crusted in pretty much anything. Match made in heaven, I'll say.

This is another recipe from Cuisine at Home. It was crazy good! I served this over an "Italian Blend" of lettuce with honey mustard dressing. The magazine also included onions and mild crumbled goat cheese. Unfortunately, I was out of feta. :(

Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
Serves two

Ingredients
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half (6-8 oz)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Dipping Mixture Ingredients
1 egg white
1 teaspoons cornstarch
Juice of 1/4 lemon

Crusting Mixture Ingredients
1/2 cup coarse dry bread crumbs (I dried out a large piece of baguette)
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Zest of 1/2 lemon, minced
1/3 cup pecans
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450˚. Prepare chicken breast by halving and pounding to an even thickness (I like mine 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick). Whisk together dipping mixture ingredients in a shallow dish. Put all crusting mixture ingredients into the food processor and chop into a coarse crumb.

Dip the chicken in the egg, then the crumb mixtures. Because the crumbs are fairly coarse, they won't adhere well. Scoop handfuls of crumbs, piling them on each piece, then transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet. Air-dry chicken 20-30 minutes to help set the crumbs (I didn't worry about air-drying).

Heat the oil in an ovenproof, nonstick skillet. Saute the chicken on one side, approximately 3 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken, then transfer the pan to the oven. Roast chicken in the pan in the oven 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through.

Slice chicken and serve over a bed of greens with honey mustard dressing (below), the remaining browned crumbs from the pan, thinly sliced red onion, and mild goat cheese crumbles.


Honey-Mustard Dressing

Whisk together the following:
1/8 cup honey
1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste.