Pecan Chicken with Blue Cheese Sauce

This recipe for Pecan Chicken with Blue Cheese Sauce is, by far, one of the best chicken recipes I've ever made! I found the original recipe in Taste of Home: Recipes Across America cookbook and played around with it to make it my own, adding some rosemary to the sauce along with some white wine. The results got a huge thumbs up from my husband, and he's not even that much of a blue cheese lover...until now 🙂

With this recipe, the chicken stays incredibly moist and tender on the inside, and the pecan coating gives it a light crunch and lovely mix of textures. The creamy blue cheese wine sauce with a hint of rosemary drizzled over the top takes this chicken dish to beyond fabulous!

PECAN CHICKEN WITH BLUE CHEESE SAUCE     {PRINT THIS RECIPE}

Serves: 4         Prep Time: 10 minutes        Bake Time: 30-35 minutes

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup dry white wine
½ stick butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chopped pecans

For the sauce:
1 cup half and half
¼ cup dry white wine
⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Place the chicken breasts into a 9x13 pan.
-In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and add in the wine, garlic, brown sugar, and fresh rosemary.
-Brush the butter sauce liberally over each chicken breast and then season each with salt and pepper.
-Using your hands, pat the chopped pecans onto the top of each chicken breast, pressing to adhere.
-Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes or until the juices run clear.
-Meanwhile in a small sauce pan, bring the half and half, white wine, salt and pepper to a boil over medium.high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens and reduces by one third.
-Reduce the heat to low and stir in the blue cheese. Cook and stir an additional few more minutes.
-To serve, plate the chicken and drizzle with the blue cheese sauce.

I'd like to pair this post with some wedding wine glasses I'd painted a few years ago for a client who was getting married during the Christmas season. Since the aroma of rosemary reminds me so much of pine trees, I thought it would make for a wonderful tie-in. Oh, and don't forget the wine 🙂

If there is ever anything I can paint for you, please don't hesitate to contact me!     Kudos Kitchen By Reneé ~ Where food and art collide on a regular basis!

Until we eat again,