Crunchy Nut Encrusted Chicken Tenders

Awhile back, I made some really delicious spicy peanut encrusted chicken tenders.  They were full of great flavors and texture, and the recipe was even featured in CVS' Reinventing Beauty magazine (see page 61).  But for some reason, I haven't tried this recipe again.  On Monday night, I found that I had all of the ingredients on hand and I decided to try my hand at making this dish again but with some small changes.

First, I de-thawed a package of chicken tenders from the freezer.  I trimmed the fat off the tenders and set it aside.

I then put a cup each of shelled walnuts, dry roasted peanuts and sliced pecans in my food processor.  For some reason, I had a lot of different types of nuts in my pantry and I was happy to finish off the package of peanuts and walnuts.  I pulsed the nuts in the food processor until they were of a similar texture as coarse breadcrumbs.

Next, I put together a liquid base to help the breadcrumbs adhere to the chicken tenders.  I decided to use mustard again and added several tablespoons of each type of mustard.  I also added a few tablespoons of hot sauce to add some heat.

The mustard and hot sauce mixture was pretty thick so I added a half teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and vegetable oil to loosen it up.

I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees and then marinated the chicken tenders in the mustard mixture.  Once the chicken was nicely coated, I dredged it in the mixed nut mixture.  I placed the chicken on a parchment-lined baking tray and put it in the oven for fifteen minutes. 

I turned the chicken over and baked it for another fifteen minutes and did a quick low broil for a few minutes to get a nice crispy texture.

The chicken tenders were quite simply awesome!  You couldn't taste any of the mustard flavor but you could definitely taste the underlying heat of the hot sauce.  I ate it with a side salad of romaine lettuce and leftover white bean truffle dip.  Bret also whipped up a quick spicy dip for the chicken tenders with more hot sauce and light Caesar dressing.  

We made a ton of crunchy nut encrusted chicken tenders so we each brought some for lunch the next day and split the last tender while we were cooking dinner on Tuesday night.

Because it is easy to make, super healthy and full of lots of flavor, I'm definitely going to remember to make this dish more often in my kitchen!

What recipe is long overdue for a repeat appearance in your kitchen?