Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders

Back in the good old days when we would have lunch catered in at work, we would have pecan chicken from a local cafe. Dinner tonight was inspired by that memory. I served the chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon and Potato-Sour Cream Gratin (I'll post these recipes tomorrow). To finely chop the pecans, I used this contraption I bought at a yard sale years ago for just that purpose. However, I didn't want the pecans to have all the same texture, so I chopped a handful of them with a knife. The prep and cook time totaled about 30 minutes.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders
3/4 cup pecans
Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Salt and black pepper
Buttermilk
1 package chicken tenderloins
Vegetable cooking spray

1. Finely chop 1/2 cup pecans and coarsely chop 1/4 cup pecans. Combine in a shallow dish. In another dish, combine panko, salt, and pepper. Place buttermilk in a third shallow dish.
2. Roll each chicken tenderloin in the panko mixture. Dip in buttermilk. Roll in pecan mixture. Place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.