Pecan Crusted “Fried” Chicken

I made this recently for my boss and I thought it looked really good.  It seems like a great alternative to frying chicken, it is healthy, and it was really easy to make.  The recipe was found in the Weight Watchers Just 5 Ingredients cookbook.  It has 5 or less ingredients, and doesn’t take long to cook at all.  The recipe has 6 weight watchers points per serving (4 servings).  The recipe is pretty inexpensive as well, so that is great if you are on a budget.  I would also say this is good for kids and could be a nice alternative to chicken nuggets.  You could easily cut the breast into strips and coat it like to make a more chicken ‘tender’ look.  While making this recipe I was reminded of the Pecan Trout I made not too long ago.  It was essentially the same recipe, so I guess recipe could be alternated with chicken/fish/turkey…maybe even pork.  I served this with a side of roasted broccoli and carrots, but probably any side vegetable or wild rice would be yummy.

Get your recipe ready!

Soak the chicken in buttermilk….this is a little weird looking…

Pecans!

Pecan/bread crumb mixture

Baking the Chicken

It’s done!

Pecan Crusted “Fried” Chicken

Print

Pecan Crusted "Fried" Chicken

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 4 5 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/4 finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp. Cajun Seasoning

Instructions

1. 1. Pour buttermilk into medium sized bowl. Add chicken breast. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pecans, bread crumbs, and cajun seasoning in a shallow bowl or dish. Remove 1 chicken breast from buttermilk, let buttermilk drip off, and then dredge the chicken into mixture, coating both sides. Repeat with remaining chicken. Lightly spray chicken on both sides with non-stick spray.
3. 3. Spray a large oven-safe nonstick skillet with non-stick spray and set over medium/high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to over and bake until chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes (depends on the thickness of your chicken).

Recipe Notes

FYI: Most skillets are oven-proof up to 350 degrees. If you aren't sure about yours, wrap the handle in aluminium foil twice. Or you can just transfer the chicken to a baking sheet (I did this because all my chicken didn't fit in the skillet at once).
Nutritional Information per serving (4 servings): 153 calories, 9 grams of fat, 32 grams of protein. 6 Weight Watchers points per serving.

Pecan Crusted “Fried” Chicken