Pecan Chicken Tenderloins with Cinnamon Honey Butter

This pecan chicken tenderloin recipe is this tastiest I've ever had!  The coating is a combination of pecans, sesame seeds, bread crumbs, and spices.  The chicken comes out really tender from the oven.

I immediately thought today's song should be the first jazz song I learned and performed when I was 10 years old: "God Bless the Child."  The third verse has a line that includes "crust of bread," so naturally, it fits here with this marvelous pecan crust on the chicken! So here is "God Bless the Child" sung by Billie Holiday.

PECAN CHICKEN TENDERLOINS

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon water

Dash Tabasco® Sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon honey mustard

1 cup pecan pieces

1 cup bread crumbs

½ cup sesame seeds

1 teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds chicken tenderloins

1. Prepare two large flat baking sheets by spreading each with 1½ teaspoons of olive.  Set aside.
2. Put flour in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Put the eggs, water, Tabasco® Sauce, and mustard in a small bowl and whip with a fork.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, stir together pecans, bread crumbs, sesame seeds, basil, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.
5. Cut chicken tenderloins into two slivers.
6. Set the bowls of flour, egg mixture, and pecan mixture in a row to the left of the slivered chicken tenderloins.
7. In assembly line fashion, dredge each tenderloin piece in flour, then the egg mixture then the pecan mixture.
8. Place on baking sheets so that they do not touch.
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
10. Bake for 5 minutes.  If chicken looks white rather than pink, remove from oven and turn each piece over.  Return to oven.
11. Bake for 5 more minutes.  If crust is crispy and the chicken is cooked, white and moist, remove from oven.
12. Serve with Cinnamon Honey Butter.

CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

6 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, place butter and stir it slightly.  Add honey and cinnamon.  Stir but leave some butter clumps.
2. Serve chilled.