Last week we were venturing outdoors without a jacket, going on bike rides, and even digging for worms (which leads me to a question…do worms hibernate? There were *none* in our soil). Then midweek, a storm passed through and our approaching-70 weather returned to the typical Ohio-in-February chill.

I am itchin’ for spring, so I made this recipe for dinner. This is not your typical baked chicken tenders recipe. I have seen many an iteration of chicken tenders’ recipes, and tried many myself, experimenting with different coatings and spices. However, the lemon zest, pistachios, and honey give this chicken recipe a sublime hint of spring.

Even more exciting for me, as a parent, the coating of these chicken tenders features whole grains, ground flax seed, a very healthy nut, and honey, which is a good source of antioxidants. Try finding that in your typical restaurant chicken tender!

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken Tenders

1/3 cup pistachios, chopped into very small pieces
1 cup corn flakes, crushed
2 tablespoons of ground flax seed (optional)
Zest of one lemon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pound of chicken breast tenders (these cut down the prep time significantly, as you do not have to cut the chicken breasts into pieces)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the pistachios, corn flakes, flax seed (if using), lemon zest, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.

In a large bowl, mix the honey and lemon juice. Place the chicken into the honey and lemon juice mixture, stirring well to fully coat each piece of chicken.

One by one, remove a piece of chicken and dredge it in the corn flake mixture, flipping to ensure a full coating. You may have to gently press the chicken in the mixture to get it fully coated.

Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the center is no longer pink.

Serves 4.

Spring will be here before we know it,
SPC