This walnut-crusted chicken served with honey mustard glaze is altogether wholesome and savory, crisp and saucy, and very easy to make. It’s everything you want dinner to be, whether you serve it as a casual meal or for a special holiday gathering.
I make this dish every spring season and over the years, I’ve perfected the recipe to help ensure the coating sticks AND doesn’t taste soggy. The toasted walnuts, tender + juicy chicken, and tangy-sweet honey mustard are made for each other, and it’s truly versatile enough for all occasions:
It’s fancy enough for company and holidays. Spruce it up with fresh parsley and serve it with homemade biscuits, rice, steamed vegetables, and/or a fresh leafy salad.
It’s also simple, yet special enough for a Sunday dinner with just the family.
Finally, this walnut chicken makes for a quick, low-key meal on weeknights. And any leftovers keep like a dream—a quick reheat in the oven brings the crisp coating back to life.
Walnut-Crusted Chicken: What to Expect
Texture: Served warm out of the oven, you’ll enjoy crunchy chopped walnuts, tender juicy bites of chicken, and sticky sweet glaze with every delicious mouthful. If you crave texture, this recipe totally delivers. FYI: those browned crispy walnut bits at the bottom of the pan are the best part. Don’t leave them behind!
Flavor: This is a balanced dish. The seasoned chicken, the nutty walnuts, and the tangy sweetness of the honey mustard glaze work so well together. The white wine in the chicken marinade adds depth of flavor, but if you’d like to skip the wine, you can replace it with chicken stock. And feel free to replace the walnuts with pecans.
Ease: This is a recipe for cooks of any skill level. Marinate the chicken, coat it in the nut mixture, and then bake. Serve with a 2-ingredient glaze.
Time: Set aside about 30 minutes for hands-on prep, plus at least 4 hours to overnight for marinating the chicken. For an even quicker chicken dish (no marinating required), try my skillet apple cider chicken.
Don’t Skip Marinating the Chicken
Before coating the chicken in walnuts, you’ll want to marinate it for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours. The marinade combines olive oil, Dijon mustard, dry white wine, garlic, and dried thyme, and serves 2 purposes:
It adds delicious flavor to the chicken.
It helps the walnut coating stick.
If you don’t want to use wine, you can substitute low-sodium chicken broth.
After marinating, you’ll coat the chicken in walnuts, flour, salt, and pepper.
Success Tip: The finer you chop the nuts, the more they’ll stick and stay on the chicken. Be sure to cut them up extra fine.
Sear & Bake the Walnut Chicken
Sear the chicken before baking it. Why are you doing this? First, it locks in the marinade’s flavor. It also helps ensure the walnuts stick to the chicken, and adds a delightful crunch, too.
Transfer the seared chicken to the oven and bake.
Success Tip: Make cleanup a breeze with an oven-safe skillet that can handle all the cooking, from searing to baking. I use an oven-safe skillet in the same way for lemon thyme chicken, cilantro lime chicken, and garlic chicken.
While the chicken bakes, whip up the glaze by mixing Dijon mustard and honey together. If the walnut-crusted chicken were an ice cream sundae, the honey mustard glaze would be the very necessary whipped cream + cherry on top—it just completes the whole dish!
Serve With:
If you need ideas for side dishes that pair well with walnut-crusted chicken, here are some of my favorites: homemade biscuits or dinner rolls, brown or wild rice, steamed vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, or broccoli, and/or a spring greens salad.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family has over the years. A familiar dish can remind you of home, but only the best can take you there.
This walnut-crusted chicken served with honey mustard glaze is altogether wholesome and savory, crisp and saucy, and very easy to make. The dish pairs wonderfully with steamed vegetables, rice, and/or a spring greens salad.
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, mustard, white wine, garlic, and dried thyme together. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
In a shallow dish such as a 9-inch square baking pan or a pie dish, combine the walnuts, flour, salt, and pepper together. Remove the chicken, shake off any excess marinade, and dip both sides of the chicken in the walnut mixture. Make sure each side is generously coated.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet* over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 2 minutes, 1 minute on each side. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 15–20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through. (Chicken is considered done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the thickest part as at least 165°F (74°C).)
Whisk the glaze ingredients together and serve with chicken. Garnish chicken with fresh parsley, if desired.
Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. You can reheat on the stove over medium heat, in the microwave, or in the oven.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: You can marinate the chicken for up to 12 hours in step 1.
Walnuts: The finer you chop the walnuts, the more likely they’ll adhere and stick to the chicken. Feel free to replace the walnuts with pecans, if desired.
Skillet: If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, simply use the skillet you have and transfer seared chicken to a parchment paper-lined or silicone baking mat-lined baking pan to bake.
This recipe is a 20+ year family favorite, tweaked over the years and originally from an old Bon Appetit magazine issue.
