Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
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An irresistibly crispy coating makes these pecan-crusted chicken tenders a hit with kids and adults alike.
I’m always excited to share dinner recipes that appeal to both my kids and me, and this gourmet twist on fried chicken tenders is a definite winner. Coated in a crunchy blend of pecans and panko, the chicken is pan-fried to crispy perfection, then served with a creamy whole grain honey mustard sauce. Since the pecans in the coating are finely chopped, even kids who aren’t fans of nuts will try them, ask for seconds, and even sneak thirds when you’re not looking (you know who you are!).
“Just made for dinner tonight and everyone in the family was a fan. The pecans add a unique and yummy flavor. Don’t skip the mustard dipping sauce – such a good complement to the tenders.”
What You’ll Need To Make Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders
- Pecans: Provide a rich, nutty flavor and add a crunchy texture to the chicken tenders when used as a coating.
- Panko bread crumbs: Add extra crispiness and texture to the outer coating of the chicken tenders.
- Salt, sugar, cayenne pepper: Season the coating mixture, enhancing the overall flavor profile with a balance of saltiness, sweetness, and a hint of heat.
- Chicken tenderloins: Ideal for making tenders of any kind, this quick-cooking part of the chicken is naturally very tender, ensuring juicy and succulent chicken with every bite.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent, helping the coating mixture adhere to the chicken.
- All-purpose flour: Used as the first layer in the breading process, creating a dry surface for the egg wash to stick to.
- Vegetable oil: Used for pan-frying the chicken tenders until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Mayonnaise: Forms the creamy base for the honey mustard sauce.
- Whole grain mustard: Provides a tangy and slightly spicy flavor to the honey mustard sauce, along with texture from the mustard seeds.
- Honey: Adds sweetness and balances the tanginess of the mustard in the honey mustard sauce.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by placing the pecans in a food processor.
Pulse until the nuts are finely ground. If they’re too big, they won’t adhere to the chicken. Just be careful not to over-mix—you don’t want a nut paste.
Add the panko, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper to the nuts.
Process until the mixture is well combined and the panko is broken down into slightly smaller flakes.
Set up a breading station with flour, beaten eggs and the pecan/panko mixture.
Season the chicken with salt. Working with one or two tenders at a time, dredge first in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Then dip in the eggs.
Then finally dredge in the pecan/panko mixture, turning and pressing on the chicken several times so that the mixture adheres. Try to use one hand for the dry breading (the flour and pecan/panko mixture) and one hand for the wet (the eggs) — otherwise, your hands will end up a gloppy mess.
Place the breaded tenders on a baking sheet.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken tenders and cook on the first side until golden brown. Watch carefully and adjust the heat if necessary. Because there are nuts in the breading, the tenders can burn if the heat setting is too high.
Flip the tenders and cook for another few minutes until done.
Place cooked tenders on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
Meanwhile, make the honey mustard sauce by mixing the mayonnaise, whole grain mustard and honey in a small bowl. Easy!
Serve the pecan crusted tenders with the honey mustard sauce on the side. The recipe makes a fair amount but you’ll be glad to have extra; they go quickly and leftovers are delicious the next day served warm and crispy over a salad. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I definitely prefer to pan-fry these chicken tenders, but you can also bake them for a healthier option. They don’t get quite as crispy and juicy, but they’re still good.
You can bread the chicken tenders up to 4 hours ahead of time. Once coated in the pecan-panko mixture, place them on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, simply pan-fry the chicken tenders according to the recipe.
Yes, the cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. No need to defrost them; simply put the chicken tenders on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 350°F (175°C)-oven until heated through and crisp, about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through baking.
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Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
An irresistibly crispy coating makes these pecan-crusted chicken tenders a hit with kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
For Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders
- 1¼ cups pecans
- 1¼ cups panko bread crumbs
- 2¼ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
For Honey Mustard Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
- ½ cup whole grain mustard
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (go easy -- you don't want a paste). Add the panko, 1¼ teaspoon salt, sugar and cayenne pepper and pulse a few more times to combine. The panko should be broken down slightly but not finely ground.
- Set up three large shallow dishes in an assembly line. Place the flour in the first dish; beat the eggs in the second dish; and place the pecan/panko mixture in the third dish. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to hold the breaded tenders, and place at the end of the assembly line.
- Season the chicken tenders with the remaining teaspoon salt. Working with one tender at a time: dredge first in the flour, shaking off any excess; dip in the egg to coat evenly; and then dredge in the pecan/panko mixture, pressing down to make the coating adhere. Try to use one hand for the dry breading (the flour and pecan/panko mixture) and one hand for the wet (the eggs) -- otherwise, your hands will end up a mess. Place the breaded tender on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining tenders.
- Heat about ⅛-inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil heats up, line another baking sheet with paper towels (this is for the finished tenders — the paper towels will absorb any excess oil).
- When the oil starts to shimmer, add half of the chicken tenders and cook for a few minutes on the first side until golden brown. Using tongs, flip the tenders and cook until the second side is also golden, 1-2 minutes Adjust the heat as necessary so the tenders don't burn. Transfer the cooked tenders to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the oil, wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, and then repeat with the remaining tenders.
- Make the sauce by combining the mayonnaise, mustard and honey in a small bowl. Serve alongside chicken tenders.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 2 tablespoons of oil is absorbed into the chicken tenders when frying.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: You can bread the chicken up to 4 hours ahead of time. Once coated in the pecan-panko mixture, place them on a lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, pan-fry according to the recipe. The cooked chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months. No need to defrost; put the chicken tenders on a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through and crisp, about 25 minutes. (Flip the chicken halfway through baking.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 880
- Fat: 61 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 57 g
- Sugar: 16 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Sodium: 1,061 mg
- Cholesterol: 123 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Truly delicious…..great weeknight dinner. A definite winner! Thanks. I didn’t have whole grain mustard, substituted spicy brown. The family loved it.
This sounds delicious. I’m planning on serving these at a family get together, to save time can these be breaded and frozen prior to cooking? If so, how would I adjust the cook time?
Hi Jimmie, I’d probably cook them and then freeze, as cooked chicken tenders freeze and reheat well. Hope you enjoy!
Made this recipe and it was delicious. I did not make the sauce to go with them because I am not a fan of mayo, and they were still yummy by themselves. The only issue I had was that my first batch got a little too dark, so when I did the second batch I had to really keep an eye on the oil and make sure it wasn’t too hot. Next time, and there will be a next time I will add just a little more cayenne pepper. I did the 1/4 tsp, but will make it heaping like you originally suggested.
A great choice for an easy, evening dinner. I also love the buttermilk chicken recipe, however that recipe takes a little longer (as there is an element of marinating) to prepare and also this recipe feels a little lighter (healthier?). This recipe is quick anc easy, yet also delicious. And, my husband, who is a little picky, absolutely loves these, which makes me think that they would be a good choice for any comfort eater 🙂
Love these! Great party food.
Can this chicken be baked instead of frying? Thank you.
Yes Celeste, I think they are best fried, but if you’d prefer to bake them, I’d suggest 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
If you have a convection oven, try this trick: Follow the recipe as above. Place a cooling rack sprayed with non-stick or brushed with olive oil on top of a cookie sheet or rimmed pan. Arrange the chicken on the cooling rack, and into the convection oven. This allows the chicken to “air fry” in the convection oven. This works really well with fish too.
These were delicious! And the texture was great: moist and tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside. I’m looking forward to using the leftovers in salad tonight. (FYI: I just re-used the same batch of oil without a problem.) I’ve also had great luck with your Tandoori Chicken!
This is a tasty recipe. One practical suggestion: When chopping the nuts fine in a processor, add the sugar that is added in the next step. The sugar helps preventing nut paste.
I love your recipes, Jen!
Thanks for this great recipe! I actually modified this and used it to make a fantastic snack/appetizer that my wife introduced me to in New Mexico. Instead of using chicken I used roasted green chilies…They came out perfect! If you ever want to spice things up and get away from boring old chicken trying doing the chile thing, it is amazing.
Thanks again!
I made these this evening using almonds instead of pecans, and they were delicious. We had them with a broccoli cheese soup so I omitted the 5 grain mustard sauce. The sauce sounds delicious and I will try it another time. Jenn, your recipes never disappoint!
Hi Jenn, I love all of your recipes, but this one was one of my faves! Deelish and I used the leftover chicken on salads. 🙂