Walnut Crusted Chicken

Walnut-Crusted Chicken is an easy dinner idea you can use for chicken tenders or chicken breast. I like to pair the tenders with a colorful salad for a new lunch idea, or add your favorite dipping sauces and watch the kids dig in!

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 755kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the chicken tenders:

1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders thawed if frozen
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups walnuts ground (ground first, then measured)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

For the dressing:

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons honey to taste
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

8 cups mixed baby greens or your favorite mesclun mix
2 medium pears firm-ripe, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pomegranate arils or dried cranberries
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
1/4 cup red onion very thinly sliced

Instructions

To make the chicken tenders:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg, Dijon mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a second shallow bowl, combine the ground walnuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Working with one tender at a time, dip the chicken into the dish with the egg, shaking off any excess. Then dip into the ground walnut mixture, pressing gently so the walnut coating adheres well. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tenders.
Bake until golden brown and the temperature reaches 165 degrees on an internal thermometer, about 20 5o 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving on salads.

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, rosemary, and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store covered in the refrigerator until assembling the salad.

To assemble the salad:

In a large bowl or serving platter, combine greens, sliced pears, pomegranate arils, feta cheese, and red onion. Or, compose salads in four individual servings plates.
Top with cooled chicken tenders. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

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