These Pecan Crusted Chicken Cutlets are the perfect healthy weeknight dinner. Easy to make, paleo, Whole30, keto, gluten free + so full of flavor! This is a quick meal everyone will love!
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I really try not to play favorites with any recipe that I come up with.. but this might be one of my best ones yet.
This Pecan Crusted Chicken is everything you could ever want in a dinner. They’re perfectly crunchy, jam packed with flavor, done in under 30 minutes, and they unintentionally are gluten/grain free + Whole 30 friendly. (Yea – you read that right!!).
Chicken cutlets are one of my favorite things to eat. I mean… hello.. coated in breadcrumbs and fried up to golden brown perfection? How could you not love them?!
Why We Love Pecan Crusted Chicken
This Pecan Crusted Chicken recipe is just like a chicken cutlet, but better! We love it for a few reasons:
- Baked, not fried – Not only does this make this chicken better for you.. buuuut your house won’t smell like oil for days!
- Gluten/Grain Free– Traditionally chicken breasts are coated in bread crumbs, but we’re using nuts here which make these paleo/Whole30 and keto friendly
- Easy – literally just mix, dip and bake.. no need to stand over the pan frying!
Ingredients for Pecan Crusted Chicken:
To make Pecan Crusted Chicken you’ll need:
- chicken breasts
- pecans
- an egg
- salt/pepper
- garlic powder
- fresh rosemary (optional)
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
You’re also going to want to have a good food processor, parchment paper and some nice baking sheets.
If you can’t find chicken cutlets near you, you can make them out of regular chicken breasts. Simply butterfly them and place the butterflied breasts in between plastic wrap. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until thin and tender.
How to make Pecan Crusted Chicken:
Making pecan crusted chicken is surprisingly easy.
- Pulse your pecans, herbs, and spices in a food processor. This helps your pecan mixture get the perfect crust consistency.
- Assemble chicken breasts, pecan mixture, and eggs.
- Dip your chicken breasts in your egg mixture
- Immediately dip in pecan mixture. You might have to press down to get the crust to really stick to it.
- Lay coated chicken on a parchment lined baking sheet
- Bake until brown and crisp! Soooo yummy!
Pecan Crusted Chicken Sauce Recommendations:
These healthy chicken cutlets are great on their own… but even better with a sauce. Here are some of our favorites for serving with them!
- Buffalo sauce (get the recipe from my Healthy Buffalo Turkey Meatballs)
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- Healthy Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Ranch – we love this one from Sir Kensington’s, this homemade Ranch, or Avocado Ranch!
Substitutions for this Pecan Chicken recipe:
You can swap out a few things in this pecan chicken recipe. Here are substitutions I’ve tried.
Nuts: You can sub walnuts or cashews for pecans
Rosemary: You can omit rosemary if you don’t like it, or sub in thyme
Meat: You can use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts. You can also check out our Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders or Whole30 Cashew Coconut Chicken Tenders recipe! You can also try this recipe with chicken thighs or cod. I personally haven’t tried it – but I think it would work!
Storing/Reheating Pecan Crusted Chicken
Storing: You can store pecan crusted chicken in the fridge for 4 days. These chicken cutlets also freeze super well! I like to store them in a stasher bag and lay flat in the freezer after baking them.
Reheating: To reheat I bake in my toaster over for 350 from frozen or refrigerated for about 5-10 mins!
Healthy Side Dishes to serve this Pecan Crusted Chicken with:
These Pecan Crusted Chicken Cutlets go well with pretty much anything, but here are some of my favorites to serve them with!
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Garlic Rosemary Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Healthy Baked French Fries
- Healthy Green Beans Almondine
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
- Crispy Garlic Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Other healthy dinner recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
- BBQ Chicken Meatloaf
- Italian Pork Tenderloin Sheet Pan Dinner
- Whole Roasted Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Healthy Orange Chicken
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Love chicken? Check out our favorite healthy chicken breast recipes!
Pecan Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (approx 6 cutlets)
- 1.5 cups Diamond Nuts Pecans
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
- In a food processor, pulse pecans, rosemary, and dried spices until they are a finely ground texture. Be careful not to over pulse (see photo for guidance on texture) Set pecan mixture aside in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together egg and milk.
- Take chicken breasts + coat in egg mixture, then immediately coat in pecan crust mixture.
- Place chicken on parchment paper
- Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, flipping at the 15 minute mark
Video
Notes
- Nuts: You can sub walnuts or cashews for pecans
- Rosemary: You can omit rosemary if you prefer, or sub in thyme
Brittany says
This is DELICIOUS! The flavor is awesome, and it looks fancy, but is not hard to make. I did use some fresh garlic when I made it, because I happened to have some, and I LOVE garlic. I 100% recommend this, and already sent to everyone I know.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Brittany!! And love the addition of the fresh garlic – that sounds awesome!! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
Sarah K says
This was an easy and a recipe full of flavor. I was very surprised how crispy it was. I could even just roasts the pecans and spice mixture to just snack on. So yummy. Thanks for sharing. Always looking for great whole30 reviews
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Sarah! I’m so glad you liked it! That’s such a good idea with the pecan/spice mixture – I think I need to try that!!
Rose says
My husband and I did Whole 30 a couple of years ago and are about to do it again! I love finding recipes that are basic like this, and are full of flavor. Pecans are delicious and I always have them on hand for my cooking and baking. Thanks for your recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Glad you like the recipe!!
Nicole says
This chicken is the bomb! Love a good, CRUSTY dish- seriously! The crust gets so crispy yet the chicken is juicy! This is easy and delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like it, Nicole! I love how crispy the chicken gets too!
Viv says
This recipe was so good and easy! I used pecan meal & it came out with a nice crispy crust with tons of flavor. This recipe is basic and brings the flavor so it’s a nice go-to for busy weekday cooking.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Viv! Thank you!!
Christine says
Excellent chicken! Recipe it was super easy to follow and the crust was amazing! A must try!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Christine! Glad you liked it. Next time try the – the crust on those is delish too!
Karly Falkenburg says
So easy and surprisingly good. Garlic was delicious in it!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Karly!
Donna McCrimmon says
Did anyone use more than 1# of chicken?? It doesn’t seem that much for 6 servings.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Donna – This recipe serves 4 people. The chicken is pounded very thin and breaded in nuts, resulting in a pretty filling meal!
Annette says
This was so good!! I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful it was. It will definitely become a dinner regular.
Lisa says
This recipe is so good and very hearty! I don’t usually like baked chicken but this was awesome! So much flavor- yum!
Sue says
Excellent chicken! Will definitely make it again
esther says
made this a few nights ago and it was delicious and so easy! will definitely be adding this to the rotation!