Cooking Done Light

If you know anyone who has grown up in the South, but has since moved elsewhere, they will all tell you the same story: Southern food is AMAZING – and once you have had it, you miss it terribly when it is gone. Unfortunately, (although it truly is delicious) Southern food is definitely not healthy fare by any means. Bacon grease, lard, butter, ham hocks, heavy cream, deep frying – you name, they use it!! Luckily, this pecan encrusted chicken has all of the delicious flavor of “down home Southern cooking” without all of the calories and fat. I like to make a little extra of the honey/bourbon/soy mixture in a separate bowl to drizzle over the chicken right before serving – but it is equally yummy either way.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup whole wheat panko (crushed cornflake cereal will work well also)

3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon bourbon (or cooking sherry), optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (this will make clean-up easier, you could also spray the pan with cooking spray if you don not have foil).

Put the pecans in a food processor and pulse them until very finely chopped. In a large shallow bowl (or on a paper plate) combine the panko (or crushed cornflakes) and stri to mix well. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, and bourbon (if using), and mix well. Dip each chicken into the honey mixture to coat well, then dip into the pecan/panko mixture to coat each breast with the crumbs. Arrange the chicken breasts on the baking sheet in a single layer and lightly mist them with cooking spray. Bake for 5 minutes, then turn breasts over and bake for another 5 minutes (until golden brown). Serve with roasted red potatoes, steamed brown rice, fresh steamed veggies, all-natural applesauce, or oven baked fries.

Makes 4 servings. Per Serving: 284 calories, 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 11 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 2 g added sugar (from the honey), 35 g protein, 206 mg sodium, 73 mg cholesterol.