I’ve had quite a busy few weeks as I have been traveling non stop for the last 3 weeks. In fact, I’ve been in 2 countries and 9 cities and gone coast to coast and it’s been an absolute blast! Half of that was a trip down to Jacksonville so I could attend an in person meeting and in return, traveled around the north Florida area visiting friends and family.  Then drove up back up to Atlanta to fly out to Seattle the following morning for a fun getaway with the hubby!  It was definitely a trip to remember as we went off the beaten path and even stayed in a tree house for part of the trip! The day after I returned I drove down to Orlando to celebrate my sister’s birthday and also pick up my cat as my mom graciously watched him so I wouldn’t have to board him while I traveled. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to taking a few weeks before having to drive or fly anywhere again.

But while we’re ont the subject of travel, one of my favorite places to visit for weekend getaways is Savannah Georgia. I’ve been there several times, including for my 21st birthday, my 26th birthday and for a friends bachelorette party, but it will always be special to me because that is the place Robert proposed and the place we went the day after the wedding for a “mini moon”.

On our most recent visit, we went to the Olde Pink House and I ordered pecan crusted chicken breast that came drizzled with blackberry bourbon sauce and it was so tender and juicy and flavorful I knew I had to recreate this so I wouldn’t have to go all the way down to Savannah to eat it again.

All you need for this is 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, 1/2 a cup of heavy cream, 1 large egg, 1 cup of pecans, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup flour, 4 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper, and 1 cup blackberry preserves and 1 cup red wine.

The first thing you want to do it cover the chicken breasts in saran wrap and then pound them until they are 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Alternatively, you could also cut them in half and roll with a rolling-pin to create evenness (this is my preferred approach as it helps with portion control and in return leaves plenty of yummy leftovers).

Then, chop up the pecans so they are finely ground. You can buy them already ground up, but I find that it is cheaper if you just chop them yourself. I’m all for manual labor if it saves some money!

Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, and pecans in one bowl, and the egg and cream in another bowl. Whisk the eggs and cream together.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then dip it in the egg mixture and shake off any excess. Then dredge it through the flour/pecan mixture and be sure to coat thoroughly on both sides.

Lightly cover the bottom of a skillet with oil and heat over med-high heat. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes on both sides.

Remove the chicken from the heat and finish cooking in the oven at 350° for 15 minutes.

While the chicken finishes cooking in the oven, make the blackberry sauce by combining red wine and the blackberry preserves. and cooking until heated over medium heat. As pictured below, I have also made this with whole blackberries instead, as I already had these on hand and they needed to be eaten. I added a cup of blackberries and a couple of tablespoons of sugar and then reduced down until the desired consistency (I left mine slightly chunky but you could cook longer and even blend to get a syrup consistency) before adding the red wine. If you don’t like the seeds or the chunkiness, I recommend just using the seedless preserves.

Once the chicken is cooked, drizzle the sauce over it. The nuttiness of the pecans and the sweet and tangy blackberries paired with the juicy chicken is heavenly. I like this served over mashed potatoes.

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Pecan Crusted Chicken 

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons oil

1.) Cover the chicken breasts in saran wrap and then 
    pound them until they are 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick OR 
    cut them in half and smooth with a rolling-pin
2.) Chop up the pecans so they are finely ground
3.) Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, and pecans in one 
    bowl, and the egg and cream in another bowl
    Whisk the eggs and cream together
4.) Season the chicken with salt and pepper 
5.) Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and shake off any
    excess
6.) Dredge it through the flour/pecan mixture and be sure 
    to coat thoroughly on both sides
7.) Lightly cover the bottom of a skillet with oil and 
    heat over med-high heat. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes
    on both sides
8.) Remove the chicken from the heat and finish cooking in 
    the oven at 350° for 15 minutes.

 

Blackberry Sauce

1 cup blackberry preserves
1 cup red wine

1.) Combine the blackberries and red wine and heat over 
    medium heat until warm
2.) Drizzle over the cooked chicken just before serving