Honey Walnut Chicken

This Honey Walnut Chicken with goat cheese is made with chicken breasts, buttermilk, walnuts, flour, thyme, garlic powder, and honey. 

I love chicken because it is so versatile. This creation was one for the books. This is an elegant and tasty dish that is perfect for date night, or having a dinner party. The chicken has such a crispy herby crust and a juicy inside. The melted goat cheese is a must!

This dish will go well with a glass of Pinot Grigio, sauvignon blanc or chardonnay. I PROMISE this will do the trick! You can’t go wrong with my Air Fried Coconut Chicken or my Air Fried Chicken Fries.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Chicken breast
• Buttermilk
• Walnuts
• Flour
• Thyme
• Garlic powder
• Honey
• Butter
• Goat cheese

See recipe card for Honey Walnut Chicken quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and the buttermilk. 

In a food processor, add the walnuts, thyme, and garlic powder and pulse. Add the contents in a shallow dish along with the flour and mix. 

Dredge the chicken through the walnut mixture and press down to adhere. Place the coated chicken on the baking dish and repeat with the rest. Bake in the oven for 17-22 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. 

Meanwhile, make the honey sauce when there are about 5 minutes left for the chicken. In a small saucepan on low heat, pour the butter and the honey into the saucepan until it melts.  Take the chicken out, and pour HALF of the honey mixture in. Put a piece of goat cheese on each chicken piece and put the chicken back in for another 5 minutes. 

When the chicken is done, pour the rest of the honey mixture on the chicken. Garnish with the extra sprigs of thyme and enjoy!

Substitutions

 Walnuts: If you do not have walnuts, you can always use chopped pecans - whatever you prefer! 

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can just use 1 scant cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. 

Thyme: Thyme goes so well with the honey mixture, but you could use rosemary as well. 

Honey: Use good quality honey for this recipe. 

Butter: I loved using salted butter but feel free to use unsalted butter and adjust the salt yourself. 

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
• Deluxe - add some honey mustard into the sauce for a nice kick.

Check out this Honey Harissa Chicken.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or frozen for up to three months.

Top tip

Make sure to have a meat thermometer on hand to see if you reached 165°F.

Honey Walnut Chicken

---

• Author: Maxine Dubois
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

This Honey Walnut Chicken with goat cheese is made with chicken breasts, buttermilk, walnuts, flour, thyme, garlic powder, and honey. 

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound of large chicken breasts
• ½ cup of buttermilk
• 2 cups of chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ½ cup of honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 ounces of goat cheese

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and the buttermilk. 
2. In a food processor, add the walnuts, thyme, and garlic powder and pulse. Add the contents in a shallow dish along with the flour and mix. 
3. Dredge the chicken through the walnut mixture and press down to adhere. Place the coated chicken on the baking dish and repeat with the rest. Bake in the oven for 17-22 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. 
4. Meanwhile, make the honey sauce when there are about 5 minutes left for the chicken. In a small saucepan on low heat, pour the butter and the honey into the saucepan until it melts.  Take the chicken out, and pour HALF of the honey mixture in. Put a piece of goat cheese on each chicken piece and put the chicken back in for another 5 minutes. 
5. When the chicken is done, pour the rest of the honey mixture on the chicken. Garnish with the extra sprigs of thyme and enjoy!

Notes

• Some of the walnuts may be thicker and more difficult to stick on, so top each chicken with the thicker walnuts.
• The amount of time to bake depends on the thickness of the chicken
• Leave the goat cheese on longer if the cheese doesn't melt

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 332.1
• Sugar: 0.1 g
• Sodium: 216.8 mg
• Fat: 7.2 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 6.7 g
• Fiber: 1.0 g
• Protein: 57.1 g
• Cholesterol: 137.9 mg

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.