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These air fryer pecan crusted chicken strips are highly addictive.
The Perfect Air Fryer Chicken
It’s my belief that the best way to cook chicken is in an air fryer since it comes out perfectly every time.
I didn’t think chicken could get much better until I made these air fryer pecan crusted chicken strips. Wrong again! But it was delightful being wrong because these chicken strips are the ultimate in tasty. They’re so tasty that maybe you’d be better off making double the recipe because they will disappear very quickly.
About disappearing quickly, I know what I’m talking about here. I promised them to a neighbor who’s been too busy lately to cook. Trust me, I almost ate them all but did manage to save enough of them so her and her hubby had dinner for that evening.
Go Nuts
I would imagine that any nut would work here. So, if you don’t have pecans but have walnuts, by all means use them.
You must grind the nuts into the texture of dry breadcrumbs otherwise you’ll have a tough time getting them to stick to the chicken.
Although I made these into strips which is essentially finger food that kiddos (and adults) love, you can do whole boneless skinless breasts or thighs with this coating.
An Egg Wash With Flavor
Most often, an egg wash is simply something done to meats and/or vegetables to get a crumb coating to adhere.
It certainly does that in this recipe, but this one is also loaded with flavor. You’ve got the great taste of Parmesan (I usually substitute Romano because it’s bolder) and a little zing from Dijon mustard.
Now, the egg wash mixture will be a bit gloppy and lumpy, but don’t be put off by it. Just carry on as if those lumps were not there–don’t shake them off the chicken! That’s where much of the yummy flavor comes from.
The Recipe
Air Fryer Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3 medium
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- Oil for spraying
Coating:
- 1/2 cup pecans very finely processed
- 1/2 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry and cut each breast into 1/2-inch/1.2 cm strips.
- Whisk together the eggs, cheese and mustard. In a large bowl.
- Combine the coating ingredients and place on a large plate or in a plastic bag; whichever is more convenient
- Toss chicken strips in the egg mixture then coat with the crumb mixture.
- Place the prepared chicken in the air fryer, spray with some olive oil and cook at 400F/200C for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
- To prepare in the oven, place the prepared strips on a greased rack, spray with some olive oil and cook at 425F/220C for 15 minutes.
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