Pecan-Crusted Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

With only an hour to think up and make dinner, I wanted something fun and fast, but not filled with fat or fried food. So I made up this recipe and it was pretty tasty!

1- 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. flour
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper (about 1 tsp each)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. buttermilk (or milk)
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
1 c. chopped pecans
Vegetable spray

Cut chicken into long strips (I cut the breast in half crosswise and then made strips). Set aside. In 3 large bowls (pie pan size) set up your breading station. In the first bowl, put the flour, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary and mix well. In the second bowl, put the two eggs, buttermilk and dijon mustard and stir until well blended. In the third bowl, mix the panko bread crumbs and pecans.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a large baking dish, place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Spray the paper well with vegetable spray. Now, start making your chicken fingers. Make a few pieces at a time. First dip and coat in flour, then in the egg mixture and finally in the pecan-panko mixture. Be sure to cover it completely. Place on parchment paper so that each "finger" has room to move (in other words, don't crowd the chicken). Use a second baking sheet if needed. After all the chicken is made (you may need to add more panko and pecans, depending upon how well it covers), spray the top of the chicken with the vegetable spray and bake for about 15 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

Turn chicken and bake another 5-7 minutes until chicken is brown and juices run clear. Serve with honey-mustard dipping sauce (recipe below).

Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/3 c. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1/3 c. raw honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. Hellman's mayo
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Serve in a small bowl and dip your chicken fingers. I think this sauce is finger-lickin' good! :)