A Louisiana Twist on Chicken Tenders

If you’re looking for a delicious and easy-to-follow recipe, then look no further than Louisiana Cookin’s delicious recipe for Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders. This dish is perfect for a weeknight meal or entertaining guests. This dish is perfect for a summertime picnic or potluck. It’s also great for a quick and easy weeknight meal. The chicken tenders are coated in homemade pecan breading and then fried to perfection. They’re served with a sweet and tangy blackberry honey mustard dipping sauce that provides the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins (about 16 tenderloins total)
  • 3 large eggs (whites and yolks)
  • 1 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups of pecan halves
  • 1 cup of panko Japanese bread crumbs
  • ½ cup of blackberry preserves
  • ⅓ cup of Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup of honey
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
  • ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 2 ½ teaspoons of Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika

Directions

  1. You’ll want to begin this delicious recipe for pecan-crusted chicken tenders by preheating your oven to 400°F. Ensure that there’s a rack inserted into the middle of the oven to even cook temperatures throughout. As your oven is preheating, you’ll want to place a wire baking rack on top of a baking sheet. Consider putting a layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil beneath the rack to catch any drippings and ensure that you don’t have to wash the sheet tray afterwards. Spray the wire baking rack with cooking spray afterwards.
  2. Next, you’ll want to prepare your three-bowl dredging station. So, take a food processor and in the work bowl you’ll want to pulse your 2 cups of pecan halves until they’re finely chopped. Transfer the finely chopped pecans to a shallow dish and stir in your bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and Creole seasoning. Mix this all together so that the ingredients are well-incorporated. In a separate shallow dish, place your flour for the dredging, and in a medium-sized bowl whisk your eggs.
  3. Once you’re ready to prepare your chicken tenders, you’ll want to dip one tenderloin in the egg bowl, dredge it in flour on both sides, dip it into the egg bowl again, dredge it in the pecan mixture, and press the pecan mixture firmly to the tenderloin on both sides to completely coat it. Lay the tenderloin on the prepared rack and repeat this process for the remaining tenderloins.
  4. Once the oven is prepared, you’ll place your wire rack of chicken tenderloins into the oven and bake them until they are golden brown. This should take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete, and you can serve it along with your favorite dipping sauce or the following blackberry honey mustard.
  5. You can achieve the delicious blackberry honey mustard by whisking your ½ cup of blackberry preserves, ⅓ cup of Dijon mustard, ¼ cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a medium-sized bowl until these ingredients are all well-combined.
  6. You’ll then strain this bowl of mixed ingredients through a fine-mesh sieve and either serve alongside your pecan-crusted chicken tenders or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
  7. Enjoy!

 Note:

There are a few things that go great with pecan-crusted chicken tenders. One option is to serve them with a side of roasted vegetables. Another option is to pair them with a fresh salad. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with serving them alongside some delicious mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, or honey-glazed carrots. These all have similar cooking methods and will cook in about the same amount of time as the chicken. If you want to switch things up, try serving the chicken with a simple salad or some steamed rice.

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