Looking for a lighter meal loaded with flavor? This walnut crusted chicken with a mustard sauce is fantastic served over spinach. Instead of breading the chicken with breadcrumbs I crusted walnuts in the blender and used them to bread the chicken. The result was crunchy chicken with a nutty flavor that perfectly complimented the ground mustard sauce.
While the mustard sauce is made with milk, the rest of this recipe is paleo (meaning that it doesn't have carbs, sugar, or dairy). I served this chicken in a spinach bowl with sautéed mushrooms, dried cranberries, and roasted butternut squash. I loved how the sweetness of the squash contrasted with the slightly bitter spinach and the stone ground mustard. The chicken and mustard sauce could also be served with quinoa or rice.
I chose to use a Stone Ground Mustard because I love its strong flavor, and it is one of the varieties of mustard that doesn't have sugar added. You can choose to use any mustard you like.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Walnuts
- 2 thin cut Chicken Breasts
- 1 Egg
- 1 ½ tablespoons Butter
- 2 teaspoons Flour
- ¾ cup 2% Milk
- 3 tablespoons Mustard
- Served with:
- Spinach
- Butternut Squash
- Dried Cranberries
- Sautéed Mushrooms
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by placing the walnuts in a blender and blend on the chop setting until the walnuts are evenly crumbled into small pieces.
- Pour the crumbled walnuts into a shallow bowl, and crack the egg into another. Use a fork to beat the egg.
- Dredge the chicken in the walnuts, lightly pressing the nuts into the chicken to help them stick. Then dredge in the egg, and dunk in the walnuts again.
- Melt ½ tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes until the nuts have browned. Then flip the chicken, add the butter and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes while to prepare the sauce.
- Prepare the sauce by melting the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and let the butter and flour mixture cook for 1 minute while whisking.
- Add the milk and whisk it into the flour mixture. Bring to a slow and steady boil, and let boil for 1 minute while whisking constantly. Then add the mustard and stir until incorporated into the sauce.
- I also sautéed some mushrooms and roasted diced butternut squash. I filled bowls with spinach, topped it with the mushrooms, the squash, and some dried cranberries. Then I added the chicken and poured the sauce over.
