Chicken tenders are great but these pecan crusted chicken tenders may give normal chicken tenders a run for their money. The ground pecans create a crunchy, almost buttery crust that surrounds juicy chicken tenders. We love trying new ways to cook chicken and these pecan crusted chicken tenders earned themselves a spot in our meal prep routine! These pecan crusted chicken tenders may sound intimidating but we promise they aren’t. Once you grind the pecans into a fine crumb (using a blender, food processor, or by hand), you simply mix them with almond flour or flour of your choice, and seasonings. Next, dip the chicken in egg wash, the pecan mixture, and pan fry. That’s it!
Why you need to make these chicken tenders
There are many reasons why these pecan crusted chicken tenders are so good. First of all, they’re easy to make. Who doesn’t like easy recipes?! Second, they taste great. This is also a huge plus, right? The pecans become crunchy and buttery as they cook in the pan, and form a fantastic crust around the chicken. Third, they reheat well. Yes, we just said our chicken tender recipe reheats well. The almond flour + pecan crumb mixture keeps the chicken juicy and from drying out. We recommend toasting them up in the oven for 10 minutes or so.
Pecan crusted chicken tenders Q&A
We let the chicken sit in our kitchen sink or on the counter (still wrapped) while we prep the ingredients. This lets the chicken get close to room temperature before cooking, thus allows for even cooking. Doing this will keep the chicken juicy, assuming you cook it for ~3-5 minutes per side. There may be nothing worse than dry chicken!
You want to blend/process/chop the pecan halves until they are a fine powder (like sand) with some small pieces still visible.
You can either put the tenders back onto the pan to finish cooking or bake them in the oven for a few minutes! We love using tenders as opposed to chicken breast because they are smaller and thus cook faster and more uniformly.
This is a sign the oil is too hot! We will splash a tiny amount of water into the oil before starting to cook the chicken to test if it’s hot enough. You want to hear a nice sizzle to know it’s ready. If the oil is too hot and the breading burns, turn the heat down.
If you’ve never heard of Tony Chachere’s, it’s a salty seasoning used quite frequently in Louisiana. It’s essentially used on any and everything, and we can see why. We highly recommend getting some if your local grocery store carries it and trying it in this recipe (obvi), scrambled eggs, shrimp, rice, the list goes on! If you don’t have any or can’t find it, you can make your own version or use whatever spice blend you prefer!
How we like to eat the chicken tenders
The ground pecans get nice and toasty in this breading, giving it a buttery flavor that is SO good. Pro tip: toss the leftover pecan mixture into the pan and cook it with the chicken. It turns into little salty pecan crispies that were delicious and we definitely saved them to snack on. These pecan crusted chicken tenders are cooked until perfectly golden brown and crispy. We love eating them on their own with a little honey mustard dipping sauce, tossed in a salad or wrap, or with roasted veggies and potatoes!
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PrintPecan Crusted Chicken Tenders
These pecan crusted chicken tenders are crispy, crunchy, and have a great pecan flavor! We love dipping them in honey mustard or tossing in a salad. Switch up your normal chicken recipe for this pecan crusted version!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 tenders 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2lbs chicken tenders
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tsp seasoned salt (like Tony Chachere’s; plain salt will work too!)
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder (or normal chili powder)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable or other neutral oil
Instructions
- Pull chicken out of fridge and let sit on the counter (keep it in its packaging) while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Place pecans in a food processor or blender and blend until fine crumbs with some small pieces.
- Mix pecan crumbs, almond flour, salt, and chili powder in a shallow bowl.
- In a separate bowl, scramble eggs.
- Place a large plate or baking sheet next to the pecan mix. Dishes should be in this order: egg, pecan breading, baking sheet.
- Pour 1/4 cup oil into a pan on the stove and turn on medium heat.
- While oil is heating, dip chicken tender in egg wash then coat in pecan mix. Place on plate/baking sheet and repeat until all tenders are well coated.
- Line a clean plate or baking sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil after they finish cooking.
- Add chicken to pan (as many will fit without touching). Cook 3-5 minutes each side until fully cooked. Adjust heat as necessary so chicken doesn’t burn. You may need to cook in 2 batches and use remaining 1/4 cup of oil for second batch.
- Once tenders are cooked, place on plate/baking sheet lined with paper towels.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in air-tight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Serve warm with honey mustard!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tender
- Calories: 219
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 610
- Fat: 19
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 2
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 13
- Cholesterol: 65
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