Pecan-Crusted Chicken
with chard / roasted butternut squash / mushrooms
Featured in January 2017, this pecan-crusted chicken has great flavor and crunch, particularly when paired with sweet roasted butternut squash. We love the addition of garlicky chard and mushrooms to round out this hearty Paleo meal.
Ingredients
- Butternut squash - 3 cups, cubes (look for pre-cubed to save time)
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Garlic - 2 cloves, thinly sliced
- Pecan halves - 3 oz, finely chopped or ground
- Chard, any type - 1 bunch, chopped, leaves and stems separate
- Mushrooms, any button - 8 oz, halved
- Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb, halved
- Eggs - 1
- Maple syrup - 1 tsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
- Butter - 1 Tbsp
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Squash / Garlic / Pecans - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating before continuing prep.) Prep as directed. You can chop pecans either by hand or by pulsing 8 to 10 times in a food processor. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Chard / Mushrooms - Prep as directed. Store chard leaves, chard stems, and mushrooms in separate containers. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
- Chicken - Halve and thin out with a tenderizer until roughly half as thick. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Make
- Heat oven to 375F / 191C. Spray two sheet pans with nonstick cooking spray or brush with some oil.
- Toss squash with olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. Spread squash on one sheet pan and roast in oven, stirring halfway through cooking, until squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- While squash roasts whisk together egg, maple syrup, and mustard. Dip chicken in egg mixture and then in chopped pecans to coat both sides. Place on sheet pan and bake until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
- While chicken and squash roast, heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add butter and when it melts, add mushrooms and saute until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and chard stems and saute until garlic is fragrant, ~1 minute.
- Add chard leaves and saute until chard is wilted, ~2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with some salt and pepper.
- Serve chicken over greens and mushrooms. Enjoy with roasted butternut squash on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
28 reviews
I loved the nuts and the risotto. I accidentally put too much butter in the chard so it was weirdly heavy. It also cooked down so much that 4 servings didn't seem to go very far.
0 HelpfulWe use half squash purée and half cubes and only a pat of butter, and the risotto is still incredibly rich and delicious! If you need a short cut, leaving out the nuts and popping in some dried cherries or golden raisins works beautifully too.
0 HelpfulThis was so good, and worked great in the Instant Pot (made the chard first). Used oil instead of eggs for the nuts, and used the "chard" as a topping, only I subbed a curly (lacinato maybe?) kale. Now I *slice* garlic all the time instead of mincing it. So good!!
0 HelpfulEverything in this was really good (even the chard!), though I found the texture of the nuts a little off-putting. Next time I'll just use oil instead of egg whites.
0 Helpful