Pecan-Encrusted Chicken w/ Pesto (or Tapenade)

This was one of those rare recipes I found and made that actually turned out to be pretty yummy! I like that it doesn't use a million ingredients, and has just a few simple steps. This recipe comes from the book Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD.

Ingredients:

2 four oz chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 large egg
1/4 cup coconut milk or dairy milk (I used coconut milk.)
1/2 cup ground pecans (I accidentally bought walnuts instead, and it was still yummy!)
3 tbsp grated Parmesan
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons pesto, tapenade, or caponata (I used pesto.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

2. Lightly beat the egg with a fork in a shallow bowl. Beat in the milk.

3. Stire together the ground pecans, Parmesan, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.

4. Roll the chicken in the egg, then in the pecan mixture. Place on a microwaveable plate and microwave on high power for 2 minutes.

5. Top with pesto, tapenade, or caponata.

White Chicken Chili - my latest obsession!

On the opposite side from Whitney's Bison chili, has to be my winter warmer White Chicken chili. Just talking about the toppings makes my mouth water! The recipe has a lot of chopping, but it is well worth it!

Ingredients:

• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans white beans
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 medium poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 limes, juiced, plus lime wedges, for serving
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Sour cream, for topping
• Tortilla chips, coarsely crushed, for topping

Rinse, drain and mash the two cans of beans and set aside. 

Heat a dutch oven on the stovetop over med-high heat and add the oil. Combine the peppers, onion and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, then season with salt and pepper. Add the cumin, coriander and chili powder (you can use regular if you don't have ancho), and saute 1 more minute to toast the spices. 

Add the chicken broth/stock, and juice from the limes. I also zested the limes last time, but (as Tyler knows) we love a lot of lime flavor. Bring this all to a simmer and then add the beans. Let this simmer/reduce for about 20 minutes (until about 2/3 of broth is reduced), then add the shredded chicken. Make sure to eat some of the delicious chicken while you are shredding it. We don't always add cilantro, but if you do, now's the time. Warm it through so the chicken is heated up and then serve!

I always serve with sour cream and the LIME flavored Tostito's brand chips---soo good! 

It also makes for great leftovers!  ENJOY!