Delicious & Easy Walnut-Crusted Chicken
I have admittedly gotten lazy with my chicken breasts lately. Life’s felt a bit nuts and I’ve been really focused on easily upping my protein intake (a.k.a. ode to the grilled chicken breast). So this delicious walnut-crusted chicken was a welcome treat—while still being SO easy!
What’s great about this recipe is that it feels quite fancy, but it’s shockingly simple and still very healthy. It has blitzed walnuts (so more protein and healthy fats), and then I use a high-protein, flavorful gluten-free flour (Bob’s all-purpose).
There’s an optional sauce that’s delicious and adds a great tangy-sweet element. But if you’re trying to keep your sugar intake down (or are just lazy), the walnut-crusted chicken is still awesome without it.
The coating is really simple…I played around with adding red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick, but they didn’t really stick so it wasn’t worth it.
My only complaint is that it’s hard to keep the coating on the chicken when you flip it and serve it, but honestly it’s so yummy that the aesthetics just don’t matter as much to me. Ha…just put that sauce on there 🙂
I like to cut my big fat chicken breasts into more manageable tenders, but don’t like buying the chicken tenders at the store (texture is bleh).
In a large bowl (or large Ziploc, my preference), whisk the olive oil, mustard, white wine, garlic, and dried thyme together. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (up to 12 hours).
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Get your walnuts blitzed really fine, or they won’t stick to the chicken.
In a shallow dish such as a baking pan or a pie dish, combine the ground walnuts, flour, salt, and pepper together.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off any excess, and place it in the flour-walnut mixture. Make sure each side gets generously coated, and pat it down to help it stick.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet (like cast iron) over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 1 minute on each side…be as careful as possible when you flip them to try and keep the coating on them.
Transfer the skillet to the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and bake for 15–20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through (I go with 145 F at the thickest part for chicken breasts, and closer to 165 F for chicken thighs).
If you’re using the glaze, whisk the glaze ingredients together and serve over chicken, garnishing with fresh parsley if desired.
Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Just be warned, they’re still delicious but the coating gets QUITE soggy so it’s not quite the same experience.
Other easy chicken dinners you’ll love:
Adapted slightly from Sally’s Baking Addiction
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Delicious & Easy Walnut-Crusted Chicken
These walnut-crusted chicken breasts are SO delicious and shockingly easy...a perfect weeknight dinner, or something fancy for a dinner party. It's a great, healthy, high-protein meal option, and can be easily made gluten-free (I always make it that way!).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for the pan)
- 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup of dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 3/4 cup of very finely chopped/blitzed walnuts
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose or whole wheat flour, OR gluten-free (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground
- Optional: Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup of honey
Instructions
- I like to cut my big fat chicken breasts into more manageable tenders, but don't like buying the chicken tenders at the store (texture is bleh).
- In a large bowl (or large Ziploc, my preference), whisk the olive oil, mustard, white wine, garlic, and dried thyme together. Add the chicken, turning to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (up to 12 hours).
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). - In a shallow dish such as a baking pan or a pie dish, combine the walnuts, flour, salt, and pepper together. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off any excess, and place it in the flour-walnut mixture. Make sure each side gets generously coated, and pat it down to help it stick.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet (like cast iron) over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear for 1 minute on each side...be as careful as possible when you flip them to try and keep the coating on them.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and bake for 15–20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through (I go with 145 F at the thickest part for chicken breasts, and closer to 165 F for chicken thighs).
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together and serve over chicken, garnishing with fresh parsley if desired.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. They're still delicious though the coating gets soggy.
Notes
- I like to use Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF flour, as it has more protein and flavor than the 1:1 baking mix version
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