Walnut-Crusted Chicken
Walnut-Crusted Chicken is a lovely addition to any table, whether it’s a bit fancy for guests or a simple Sunday family dinner. A crunchy walnut crust encasing juicy chicken and glazed with a sweet tangy honey mustard sauce makes every mouthful amazing!
This is a very textural dish…crunchy, sweet, tender…it’s got it all. Plus, the crunchy walnuts bits at the bottom of the pan need to be eaten. You’ll see what I mean!
We begin this luscious dinner by marinating the chicken in olive oil, dijon mustard, white wine, garlic and thyme. Mix them together and seal tightly in a ziploc bag. Give it a shake to distribute the marinade and refrigerate for 4-12 hours.
Combine very finely chopped walnuts, flour, salt & pepper in a shallow dish.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and dip both sides of the chicken in the walnut mixture. Coat it very well to get the crunchiest texture.
Sear the chicken in an oven-safe skillet for about 2 minutes per side. Then, transfer the skillet to a pre-heated oven and bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
The glaze takes only a minute to make by combining the honey and dijon mustard together in a small bowl.
Serve the chicken with the sauce drizzled over it and sprinkled with parsley. Feel free to pass extra sauce when serving.
This is a wonderful make ahead meal! The chicken can start marinating the day prior to make the day-of prep much simpler!
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Walnut-Crusted Chicken
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes plus chill time 4 hours
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 & 1/2 cups very finely chopped walnuts
- 1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- optional: chopped fresh parsley for serving
Honey Mustard Glaze:
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
Place the chicken, olive oil, mustard, white wine, garlic, and dried thyme in a large zipped-top baggie container. Seal shut, give it a shake to combine, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
Combine the walnuts, flour, salt, and pepper together in a shallow dish such as a 9×9-inch baking pan or a pie dish. Remove the chicken, shake off a little excess marinade and dip both sides of the chicken in the walnut mixture. Coat it really well so there’s lots of walnut coating on each.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 4 minutes, 2 minutes on each side. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through. (Chicken is considered done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the thickest part as at least 165°F.)
Whisk the glaze ingredients together and serve with chicken. Garnish chicken with fresh parsley if desired.
Chef’s Notes:
Make Ahead Instructions: You can marinate the chicken for up to 12 hours in step 1.
Walnuts: The finer you chop the walnuts, the more likely they’ll adhere and stick to the chicken. Feel free to replace the walnuts with very finely chopped pecans if desired.
Skillet: If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, simply use a regular frying pan and transfer seared chicken to a baking pan before the oven.
Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction
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