Last month we were extremely lucky to have Basil Hayden's Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey sponsor our One Year Anniversary party in Brooklyn. We were even LUCKIER to have a little extra bottle of Basil Hayden's to keep for ourselves!
I like a nice strong cocktail as much as the next girl, but because I've always got food on the brain, I chose to use my half of the bottle for cooking instead of drinking. What you'll see below is the result of a lot of experimentation annnnd a few singed eyebrows!
A huge thank you to Basil Hayden's for partnering with us to bring you a fabulous episode and a great party!
INGREDIENTS
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, flattened and sliced into tenders
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup Basil Hayden's Bourbon
2 cups pecans
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
Sauce
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup Basil Hayden's Bourbon
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp grainy mustard
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp hot sauce
PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper. Beat with a mallet or rolling pin until thin. Use a chef's knife to slice each breast into 3 to 4 long pieces and set aside.
Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add whiskey. Add all chicken pieces to egg and let sit 10 minutes to coat.
Place pecans and crackers in a food processor and grind until very fine. Add salt and pepper and set aside in a large bowl. When chicken is ready, dip each tender in the pecan mixture, coat thoroughly, then set it on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake coated chicken tenders for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
While chicken is baking, start on your sauce! Mince shallots. Heat a pan on medium high, add butter and oil and saute shallots. Once lightly brown, add the bourbon. BE CAREFUL! It'll flame up!! When the flame has died, add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Let reduce by half before turning down the heat and finishing with cream, mustard, honey and hot sauce.
Serve sauce over chicken and/or store together in fridge for up to a week!
Basil Hayden's® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 40% Alc./Vol. ©2010 Kentucky Springs Distilling Co., Clermont, KY.
Follow EconomyBites on Twitter: www.twitter.com/econobites
Q: Exactly how does the flavor of the whiskey become imbibed in the sauce if you burn off the alcohol?
A: It doesn't... and This recipe is a waste of whiskey.