Pecan Crusted Chicken

5 from 277 votes

Simple and easy to make, this pecan crusted chicken is full of flavor and crunch. Baked in the oven, it's an effortless weeknight meal to try

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These panko and pecan crusted chicken breasts are one delicious bite full of flavor and crunch. Served with a honey mustard dipping sauce, they are oven baked for maximum crunch.

Pecan crusted chicken on a plate with honey mustard dipping sauce

Ingredients & substitutions

  • Chicken breasts: Use skinless and boneless chicken breasts for this recipe. Cut them into smaller bites or use chicken tenders.
  • Greek yogurt: The chicken breasts are coated in the yogurt. This helps to get the crusting to stick, but the acid in it also helps to make the breasts tender and juicy.
  • Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard is mixed in with the yogurt and adds a subtle tang to the chicken. You can use yellow mustard for a milder flavor.
  • Honey: Honey adds a nice hint of sweetness and helps to balance out the dijon mustard. Use a natural honey for the best flavor. Maple syrup would also work as a good substitute.
  • Pecans: The chicken is coated is finely chopped pecans. They add a lovely nutty flavor and crunchy texture. This recipe would also work with other nuts like walnuts or almonds.
  • Breadcrumbs: Use panko breadcrumbs for the crunchiest texture, but regular breadcrumbs work well too!
  • Spices: Salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper.
Ingredients to make the recipe

How to make pecan crusted chicken

  1. Mix together the yogurt, Dijon mustard and honey.
  2. Coat the chicken in a yogurt mix and let marinate.
  3. Toss together the pecans, breadcrumbs and seasonings.
  4. Scrape off excess marinade from the chicken breasts and coat in the pecan mix.
  5. Place the chicken on a lined baking sheet and spray with oil.
  6. Bake until cooked through and browned. Serve with a honey mustard dip.
6 image collage to show how to make the marinade, the breading and then putting it all together with the chicken

Tips for making the recipe

  1. Don’t skip the marinate step. Marinating the chicken for at least 15 minutes or overnight helps to tenderize it and enhance the flavor.
  2. Pound your chicken breasts if they are thick. They should be about ½ inch thick. If your chicken breasts are large, you can also cut them in half to ensure they cook through fully.
  3. Chop the pecans into fairly small pieces. If they are too large they may fall off of the chicken. Quickly break them down by pulsing in a food processor.
  4. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken is fully cooked through. It should register at 165F in the thickest part of the breast. If the pecan crust is browning too quickly, you can cover them loosely with foil.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make this with other cuts of chicken?

The yogurt marinade gets chicken breasts really nice and tender and they don’t dry out. You can easily make this pecan crusted chicken with chicken tenders too, and serve them as a dip, and the recipe will also work well with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Just be aware that the cooking times will vary.

Can you make it ahead of time?

The chicken can be marinated overnight, and once crusted, you can keep the breasts covered in the fridge for a day. Once cooked, leftovers will keep well for up to 4 days and can be reheated at 350F for 15 minutes until warmed through.

What do you serve it with?

This pecan crusted chicken is really delicious served with the simple honey mustard yogurt sauce, and it’s perfect to serve with salad, vegetable and potato sides. Try it with:
Baked Fries
Roasted Cabbage
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Green Beans

One piece of pecan crusted chicken cut in half

This pecan crusted chicken is one delicious and easy recipe, and is sure to get you out of your chicken dinner rut! Simple ingredients, but packed full of flavor and texture, every bite is so tasty!

More chicken recipes:

If you try this healthy-ish feel good Pecan Crusted Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Simple and easy to make, this pecan crusted chicken is full of flavor and crunch. Baked in the oven, it's an effortless weeknight meal to try
5 from 277 votes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 635
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray.
  • In a large bowl, mix ½ cup yogurt, ¼ cup Dijon, and 2 tablespoons honey. Add chicken and let sit at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.
  • In a shallow dish toss together pecans, breadcrumbs, kosher salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper.
  • Remove chicken from yogurt mixture, scraping off excess marinade and add to shallow bowl with pecan mixture. Press firmly to adhere pecan mixture, turn breast over and repeat so all sides of the chicken are completely covered.
  • Transfer coated chicken to prepared baking sheet and repeat process with remaining pieces of chicken. Add remaining pecan mixture to top of chicken and press down even. Coat with cooking spray.
  • Bake chicken in oven until cooked through, flipping halfway through, about 20-25 minutes total.
  • Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl stir together remaining 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, remaining 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey. Season to taste.
  • Serve chicken with honey mustard sauce.

Notes

Make ahead: The chicken can be marinated in the yogurt for up to 24 hours.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be reheated in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes til warmed through to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 635kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 46g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 110mg, Sodium: 1712mg, Potassium: 922mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 332IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 117mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Main Course

Rate and comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Absolutely delicious! Our local restaurant serves something similar but they closed down and we missed our favorite! The only thing I substituted was the dipping sauce, I served a melted blackberry jam topping on it like our restaurant. A five star rating for sure to you for this recipe!

  2. Did this tonight, my husband is a picky eater and even he ate it up. Will definitely make this again but I need to marinate the chicken for a few hours next time.

  3. Oh, wow! This was really delicious! I had to use sour cream (no yogurt), but other than that, followed the recipe to a ‘T’, using half the amount of everything, since we only needed two servings. I am always looking for ways to use pecans, since we get 10 pounds from our tree annually. So good; tender inside, with the crunchy outside coating. It’s a keeper for sure!

  4. Was surprised how moist and crunchy this came out. Next time I will marinate it even longer. Used cutlets – not tenders. Tenders would be even better !

  5. Those chicken are so delicious!!! I had to use coconut yogurt that I had in fridge….. 😂😂 Hubby LOVED it! He had chicken legs. I had tenders. So Yummy!

  6. Excellent recipe, only comment was it was “wetter” than I would like, not crispy. Any suggestions? I used olive oil spray rather than cooking spray. Still very yummy. Served on top of some Orange Rice. Very good recipe.

    1. So glad you enjoyed it. I love the flavor of this recipe so much! The yogurt batter, compared to traditional egg batter, will give it a slightly wetter result, but it should still have a nice crisp. I recommend reducing the yogurt mixture next time. Just apply a very thin layer, and that should help!

See All Comments