Walnut Crusted Chicken Breast – It’s all About the Nut Glue

I almost never order a nut-crusted entrée in a restaurant, since they usually use a sugary glaze to hold them on, and/or feature a too sweet nut, like pecan, or macadamia. That’s not an issue here; since we’re going with buttery, subtly bitter walnuts, held on with a very savory “nut glue,” made with a garlic and mustard base.

I like this approach so much better, especially since it allows me to do a little bit of a sweet pan sauce, featuring honey, which is a classic pairing with both walnuts and mustard. Above and beyond the ingredients in your nut crust, the protection this layer of deliciousness provides can actually make a boneless, skinless chicken breast seem like it was just carved off a freshly roasted carcass. As long as you don’t overcook it, that is.

I caused a little stir on Twitter yesterday, when I said (in so many words) that you don’t need to cook chicken breast to 165 F. internal temperatures, as the FDA would like you too. I said, accurately I believe, that 150 F. is plenty hot enough, as long as it holds the temperature for at least five minutes. I think it’s so much better that way, but I’ll leave that up to you, and your probe thermometer. Regardless of how long you cook it, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Servings:

For the “nut glue:”

4-6 cloves finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

For the rest:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)

salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

For the pan sauce:

all the pan drippings

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons honey

- Roast for 25 minutes at 375 F., or until an internal temp of 150 F.

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