Shelly's Recipe

FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH HONEY PECAN SAUCE

Category: Chicken

2 cups buttermilk
5-6 dashes Tabasco sauce
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Place buttermilk in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add Tabasco and squeeze to combine. Add chicken breasts, seal the bag and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Drain chicken pieces and discard marinade. Combine flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a zip-top or paper bag and shake to combine. Add chicken breasts, one at a time, shaking to coat well before adding another chicken breast. Set aside.

Heat 3 inches of oil to 350-375 degrees in a Dutch oven. Add several of the chicken breasts, being careful not to crowd them. Fry on one side for several minutes, until golden. Turn and fry on the other side. Remove one chicken breast from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined platter. Insert an instant-read thermometer and if the temperature reads 170 degrees, remove the chicken breasts to the platter to drain and continue with the remaining breasts. If not, return to the oil and fry for a few minutes more, checking a breast for temperature until 170 degrees is reached. (Can keep warm in a 200-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.)

Honey Pecan Sauce

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
12 ounces honey
3/4 cup Creole mustard
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat through. Place the chicken breasts on dinner plates and drizzle with sauce.

Makes 8 servings.