Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Mustard Sauce

I impulsively bought a Food & Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook a couple of weeks ago that I saw while I was waiting in line at the grocery store. I felt a little guilty buying a book next to the bubble gum, but I reasoned the purchase as acceptable because I have TONS of chicken in my freezer that I don't know what to do with it all. After perusing the book the day I purchased it, I spotted this recipe and I have been dying to make it ever since. I finally had time today and went for it. I was even bold enough to have my neighbors come over for dinner to taste my experiment.


Ingredients
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cayenne
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~1 1/3 lbs in all)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grainy or Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1) In a food processor, pulse the pecans with the cornstarch, thyme, paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne until the nuts are chopped fine. Transfer the mixture into a medium bowl.
2) Whisk together the egg and the water in a small bowl. Dip each chicken breast into the egg mixture and then into the nut mixture.
3) In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes longer.
4) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, parsley, a pinch of cayenne, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve the chicken with the mustard dipping sauce.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-11 minutes
Serves: 4

On a scale of 0 to 5, I give this chicken a 4.5. It was awesome. Period. I can't think of a way to make this recipe better in fact. To prepare for people coming over for dinner, I prepared the chicken coating and mustard dipping sauce several hours before dinner. So when the neighbors got here, all I had to do was place the chicken on the stove. The chicken took about 12 minutes to cook. (6 minutes on each side). It tasted moist and the nutty crust was delicious. The mustard dipping sauce complemented the chicken wonderfully. However, the chicken by no means needed the mustard dipping sauce. It was moist enough on its own to eat alone. The sauce was just an added bonus. I will definitely make this recipe again. It was easy, fast and delicious.