Pecan Crusted Chicken with Spiced Orange Butter and Roasted Acorn Squash

One of my favorite parts of fall is the food that comes along with it.

As we head into the cooler months, the desire for slow-cooked, comfort food seems almost unbearable.

I absolutely love that first night of spicy chili on the stove top, and I definitely can’t resist anything with apple, pumpkin or pecans.

One of the myths about comfort food is it has to be bad for you, and it takes all day to prepare.

Don’t get me wrong, I love grandma’s gooey pecan pie just as much as the next Southerner, and a slow-cooked stew certainly is something to be savored.

However, there are ways to make food that’s comforting and nutritious that doesn’t take all day.

It’s all about textures, colors and flavors. Paying attention to the appearance and contrast of colors and textures on your plate is actually important, since we really eat with our eyes first.

This Pecan Crusted Chicken with Spiced Orange Butter gets a great crunch and flavor from the pecans and richness from the spiced butter.

It is easy enough for a midweek meal, but fancy enough for entertaining on the

weekend.

The chicken is also baked instead of pan fried, so you won’t have to stand over the stove all night.

Serve it up with maple-roasted acorn squash, and you may just have a new favorite family meal.

Acorn squash is a beautiful, tasty dish that is also relatively inexpensive.

I can’t think of a simpler yet satisfying fall-themed side dish.

Because the chicken and squash are cooked at the same temperature, you can actually get everything on the table at the same time, with very little clean up.

Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
2 acorn squash, seeded and quartered
2 Tbls olive oil
1 Tbls butter, melted
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Arrange quartered squash cut side up in a baking dish
3. Brush with oil and butter, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, salt and pepper
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until flesh is tender and slightly browned

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Spiced Orange Butter
Ingredients:
6 chicken cutlets
2 cups pecans, very finely chopped with a food processor if available
A few dashes of hot sauce
1 cup buttermilk (You can use 1 Tbls of white vinegar or lemon juice in cup of milk as a substitute)
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
3 Tbls butter, at room temperature
1 Tbls orange zest
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray
2. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce then place chicken in the mixture
3. Put chopped pecans in a shallow dish with salt and pepper
4. Place chicken in pecans and slightly press down to help pecans stick
5. Place each coated chicken cutlet in baking wrack and lightly spray the tops with cooking spray
6. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through
7. While chicken bakes, combine butter, orange zest, chili powder, cinnamon, and pinch of salt and pepper until thoroughly combined
8. Once chicken is done, place a small spoon full of butter on top of each hot
chicken cutlet