blue cheese pecan chicken;
I’ve been on a blue cheese kick lately! I find my tastes come in cycles sometimes. But this blue cheese pecan chicken is going in the regular rotation. With a toasty, satisfyingly crunchy crust and a tangy white wine blue cheese butter sauce, this recipe has it all! I shared a simple blue cheese steak sauce a few weeks back. The sauce in this recipe builds on that simple elegance with a buttery layer of white wine flavor. It’s simply scrumptious.
First things first though, let’s start with the chicken for the blue cheese pecan chicken. I often suggest to butterfly chicken for thinner cutlets in chicken recipes, but this is a recipe where I advocate for leaving your chicken breasts chunky. I think the pecans and the intensity of the sauce stands up to the chicken and helps keep it juicy and flavorful. Of course the layer of rosemary buttery goodness helps too.
Then onto the pecans. How do you chop your nuts? By hand, or in a food processor? I generally go for a food processor, but I use this tiny one so sometimes I’ll have to do a couple batches, especially for this recipe because we want lots of roasty toasty pecans! I will be the first to admit that we pressed the pecans into the chicken breast…and then piled the rest of it high for baking. There’s something so heavenly about the smell of toasted nuts. You can never have too many.
And then—ah, yes. The blue cheese sauce of the blue cheese pecan chicken. If you’re a wine drinker then I highly recommend the wine reduction for the sauce. It adds an extra complexity and flavor and ties the dish together with the chicken. But if you’re not a fan of wine or wine flavors, then just leave it out! It will essentially be my blue cheese steak sauce, all cheese and packing a PUNCH of flavor even without the wine.
For recipes like this blue cheese pecan chicken, I always like to mention that if blue cheese is too strong for you, a great substitute is Gorgonzola. Gorgonzola is still a blue cheese, but it has a milder and sweeter flavor. It’s a better transition cheese if you’re not into the sharp intensity of aged blue cheese. A gateway cheese if you will.
All said and done this recipe for blue cheese pecan chicken is a great meal with complex flavors and has a little bit of something for everyone. With the buttery, juicy chicken, heavenly toasted pecans, and a sharp and tangy blue cheese sauce, what’s not to love? Try serving this meal with some milder side dishes to let the chicken really be the star of the meal. Try these pao de queijo or brazilian cheese puffs or greek rice (spanakorizo).
secrets to success;
- Chop those nuts and then chop some more! Just kidding, the recipe is perfect. But make sure to pile all the nuts high on the chicken. They’ll be all toasty toasty and help you get nuts in every bite.
- Not a fan of white wine or trying to make a family meal serving kids? Try chicken stock instead for the rosemary butter sauce and simply omit it from the blue cheese sauce. I promise it’ll be plenty delicious still!
- Leave the chicken breasts whole (as opposed to butterflying or pounding them thin). I find that the rosemary butter sauce helps cook the chicken to a perfectly juicy result.
Looking for other dinner recipes?
- Another family favorite is this rosemary cream chicken
- Try protein-packed tofu alfredo for a delish dish you can feel good about serving for dinner.
- Love toasted pecans? Try this pecan crusted trout.
blue cheese pecan chicken;
Ingredients
pecan chicken;
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc)
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1½ cups pecans roughly chopped
blue cheese sauce;
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup 2% milk
- ¼ cup dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, add the ½ cup dry white wine, 4 Tbsp butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary. Microwave in 30 second increments until butter is melted then give the mixture a quick stir.
- Lay the two chicken breasts in a 8" x 8" pan. Brush the butter sauce liberally over each chicken breast and then season each with salt and pepper.
- Top each chicken breast with a layer of chopped pecans, pressing your hand over them to make sure they adhere. Top with any remaining pecans (it's fine to pile them up a bit).
- Bake the chicken at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through.
- Add the ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup dry white wine, ¼ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper to a small sauce pan. Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and reduces by one third.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in half of the ⅓ cup of blue cheese. For a chunkier sauce reserve the second half, for a smoother sauce, add the entire ⅓ cup here. Cook and stir an additional few more minutes until cheese is melted and incorporated. Remove from the heat. For a chunky sauce, add in the reserved half of the blue cheese and stir to combine.
- Serve chicken warm from the oven, and drizzle with the blue cheese sauce.
