Coated with a crispy mixture of pecans and panko, these chicken tenders have toasty, nutty flavor in every bite.
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders
Makes About 16
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecan halves*
- 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- 2½ teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins (about 16 tenderloins)
- Blackberry Honey Mustard (recipe follows)
Blackberry Honey Mustard
- ½ cup blackberry preserves
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Spray rack with cooking spray.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse pecans until finely chopped. Transfer to a shallow dish, and stir in bread crumbs, Creole seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and paprika. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. In another shallow dish, place flour.
- Dip 1 tenderloin in egg. Dredge in flour, and dip in egg. Dredge in pecan mixture, pressing firmly to completely coat. Place on prepared rack. Repeat with remaining tenderloins.
- Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with Blackberry Honey Mustard.
Blackberry Honey Mustard
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
*We used Cane River Pecan Company Pecan Halves.
