Pecan Crusted Chicken with Cranberry Goat Cheese Sauce
I have another festive recipe for you all to enjoy, although this one is healthy enough to be a regular weekday meal! Instead of breading the chicken, you coat it in plain yogurt (calcium! protein!) and roll it in a mixture of rosemary and ground pecans (healthy fats!) I love any recipe with rosemary, because I can just run outside and grab a sprig from our giant rosemary bush which was pretty much the reason we bought this house. The flavors of the cranberry goat cheese sauce goes really well with the chicken. The goat cheese sauce will solidify if you keep leftovers; you can either reheat it on top of the chicken, or serve the chicken cold over a salad and crumble the cranberry goat cheese over top. I can attest that both are great options!
Pecan Crusted Chicken with Cranberry Goat Cheese Sauce
Adapted from Running to the Kitchen
Ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup plain fat free yogurt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine pecans, 1 sprig of rosemary leaves, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Transfer mixture into a shallow bowl.
- Place yogurt in a shallow bowl.
- Coat each piece of chicken in the yogurt then place in the pecan mixture and press down into the pecans until fully coated on each side. Place the chicken on the baking sheet.
- Bake chicken until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of breast.
- While the chicken cooks, combine cranberries with the water, remaining sprig of rosemary leaves and honey in a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Simmer mixture until most of the liquid cooks off, about 5-7 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the goat cheese and stir until melted. Add a splash of water if necessary to thin out into a sauce-like consistency.
- Serve chicken topped with sauce.
Serves 4
