Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

Main Dishes

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

I’m on the hunt for new chicken recipes. We’ve been eating more poultry than usual lately due to my hubby’s weightlifting diet. While I haven’t joined him in slurping down protein shakes and chowing down on egg whites every morning, I try to keep things interesting for him at dinner by cooking a variety of chicken recipes. His hard work is definitely paying off – his favorite pair of jeans fell off the other day! I’m really proud of him and especially happy that he is now able to give me a bunch of tips in the gym. I’ve been lifting the same way since college and have always wanted to get a personal trainer to teach me some new moves, but now my hubby is knowledgeable enough to customize my workout for me! He helped me modify my squat technique last weekend and I was sore for 3 days. Every step hurt and for once we were both in need of some high-protein chicken!

This is a great chicken dish because it can be thrown together in less than 10 minutes. I just spread a mixture of lemon juice and mustard over the top of the chicken breasts, and then sprinkled a crispy topping of panko, pecans, lemon zest, and thyme on top. It’s super fast and flavorful.

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons mustard
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup panko
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Zest of one lemon, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. Mix lemon juice and mustard in a small dish. Place chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and cover evenly with mustard mixture.

Mix panko, pecans, lemon zest, thyme, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over chicken; press down into the mustard mixture. Bake at 350˚F for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 404 calories, 14.4g fat, 2.1g fiber, 57.4g protein per serving
Cost: $1.87 per serving

Corn and Cheddar Polenta Cheesecakes

I hope you’re all having a lovely holiday weekend! I’m in Iowa right now visiting my parents and so far have squeezed in a few nice runs with my Dad (with some challenging hills - yes, Iowa does have them!) and some birthday shopping with my mom. It’s just been so...

Spinach Sauce Pasta with Shrimp

Work has been more hectic than usual lately so I was trying to brainstorm ways to be more efficient when a light bulb went off and I realized that I could save a bunch of time if I started running home from work a few times a week! Not only do I get a great workout...

Cheesy Caramelized Onion Tart with a Mashed Potato Crust

When I posted the recipe for my Fiesta Potato Pie a little over a year ago, I got a lot of comments about the fact that I used instant mashed potatoes to make the crust. I know, I know, I don’t normally buy instant mashed potatoes either, but I actually developed...

Champagne Salmon with Swiss Chard Quinoa

I was super excited when my good friend Eva asked if we would like to use her family’s farm share while they visit her parents in Austria for the next few weeks. Eva is inspirational because she works full time as a pulmonary pediatrician and is raising the two...

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Whenever I think of Cajun pasta, I think of Emeril. Remember when he was on the Food Network 24/7? I became a big fan of his after visiting his restaurant NOLA in New Orleans with my good college friends Susie and Britt over New Year’s 2002. I remember enjoying a...

Crab Topped Mahi Mahi with a Lemon Sauce over Brussels Sprouts

Apolinaras recently sold one of his business ventures so I decided to whip up a celebratory meal with several of our favorite splurge ingredients – lump crabmeat and wild Mahi Mahi fillets! I made a crab cake mixture and piled it high atop the fish. Apolinaras loves...

Halloween Pumpkin Quesadillas

I apparently have a bit more Martha in me than I’ve previously appreciated because when I stumbled upon some habanero lime flour tortillas at Trader Joe’s the other night, my eyes got wide with excitement and I squealed, “they’re orange, they have bright orange...

Caramelized Shallot and Crispy Sage Macaroni and Cheese

Happy Halloween! We’re currently putting the final touches on Apolinaras’ costume and I’m hoping I can convince him to let me post a few pictures, but I don’t want to push my luck too much. I’m very excited that I even convinced him to dress up - this is only his...