Pecan Crusted Chicken

Chicken that tastes like fried chicken, but isn't fried?! I can handle that... (FYI, I have a pretty serious aversion to frying things. It's not healthy - I'd rather have dessert if I'm not going to be healthy - and it stinks up the house and makes a huge mess... but it just tastes so darn good!) Needless to say, my brother (who has the palate of a 5 year-old) loved this chicken. In his words, "I ... actually LIKE this!" If that seal of approval isn't enough to convince you, maybe the pictures will do the trick:

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Greens dressed with homemade Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Honey Butter

My dear friends, while this recipe takes a tad more time than the average recipe, it is a culinary showstopper. It tastes amazing, is very healthy, takes little effort, and it fills you without making you feel stuffed. (Translation: leaves room for dessert!!) If you make nothing else, try the honey mustard dressing - it is so easy and so much better than any other honey mustard out there! (Except for Rush Street in Kingsport, of course.) This meal serves 4, but it is easy to scale down portions or add extra servings as necessary.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and pounded slightly
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
2 tsp. cornstarch
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 c. ciabatta breadcrumbs, toasted in 200* F. oven for 10-15 minutes
3/4 c. very finely chopped pecans
1/2-1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of each chicken breast half with salt and pepper. Set up a dredging station (I use pie tins or shallow dishes):

1) Flour
2) Egg whites, corn starch, and lemon juice, whisked together
3) Breadcrumbs, pecans, and cayenne

Dip each chicken breast half in flour, shaking off excess. Next, dip in egg white mixture (make sure chicken is well-coated), then into breadcrumb mixture. Put chicken breasts on a paper towel-lined wire rack to rest for 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 350* F. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium/medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, sear chicken breasts for about 3 minutes on one side. Turn chicken and put into oven for 5-7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven (do yourself a favor and put a towel on the handle of the hot skillet to keep yourself from burning your hand!), and serve immediately.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 c. honey
3 Tbsp. dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. finely minced shallot
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together all ingredients in a shaker. (Don't put the honey in the shaker first - it will take a lot more effort to get it off the bottom!) For an extra treat, dress a big bowl of greens with this dressing, and slice and serve chicken on top of the greens. The chicken is surprisingly good with this dressing.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Honey Butter

4 sweet potatoes, washed
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1-2 tsp. honey, or to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste
Pinch salt

Heat oven to 450* F. Wrap potatoes in foil and bake for about an hour, or until fork-tender (depends on thickness of potatoes). Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. (This is the perfect time to turn down the heat and put the chicken in the oven.) Meanwhile, mix together butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Split potatoes and serve with 1 Tbsp. butter.

Delicious AND Easy - Part 3! Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Honey Butter!

Okay, guys, I'm giving you all the elements for a really easy and delicious, and stunning, dinner meal! First it was my Honey Wheat Rolls, and then it was the World's Most Delicious Pot Roast. Now I'm giving you a fantastic side dish - Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Honey Butter. Man, is this great! They would be great as a Thanksgiving side dish, also, as opposed to the usual Sweet Potato Bake loaded with sugar and butter, if you're trying to cut some calories in various places this holiday season. If your hubby, boyfriend, or kid isn't really into sweet potatoes, try this one on for size - s/he might be really surprised!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Honey Butter

2-4 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, melted, divided
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a very large bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp. butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Add cubed sweet potatoes and toss well. Lay sweet potatoes in a single layer on a greased baking sheet (I lined mine with foil to minimize clean-up). Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes have reached desired tenderness. (If you like your potatoes to have a crispy exterior, turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end of roasting.) Transfer potatoes to a serving platter; drizzle with additional butter if desired. Also, add more cinnamon if needed.


Here would be your time table if you wanted to make all 3 dishes together on one day. If you want to eat dinner at 6 pm:

3:30: Prepare roast; preheat oven to 450
3:45: Put roast in oven; make roll dough
4:00: Lower oven temp to 275; Allow roll dough to rise for 1 hour
5:00: Shape rolls and allow to rise
5:25: Begin preparing potatoes
5:35: Take roast out of oven and cover with foil; Raise oven temp to 400; put potatoes in oven
5:45: Raise oven temp to 425; put rolls in oven (The higher temp won't hurt the potatoes)
6:00: Take rolls and potatoes out of oven, slice roast, and enjoy!

(And while it looks like a lot of prep and time in the kitchen, it really isn't - there's only about 30 minutes of prep total for some very delicious and homemade items. It's mainly oven time, where you can be getting lots of other things done, and a lot of the things happen at one time which minimizes running back and forth to the kitchen!)