Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Honey Drizzle

Preheat your oven to 350°F. This technique reminds me of how we coat suqaar before cooking - the double coating creates that perfect crust.

Place the butter in a 10x15-inch baking dish and put it in the warming oven to melt completely.

In a shallow dish, whisk together the buttermilk and beaten egg until smooth. This is your wet coating station.

In another shallow dish, combine the flour, ground pecans, salt, paprika, pepper, and sesame seeds. Mix thoroughly - you want every piece of chicken to get the same flavor coverage. (The ground pecans add richness like how we use ground cardamom in our xawaash blends)

Working with one piece at a time, dip each chicken piece first in the buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat completely in the pecan-flour mixture.

Place the coated chicken skin-side down in the melted butter in the baking dish.

Turn each piece to coat with butter, then arrange skin-side up. The butter should come about halfway up the chicken pieces.

Sprinkle the pecan halves over and around the chicken pieces for extra texture and visual appeal.

Bake for 75 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.

Serve immediately with warm honey drizzled over each piece. The sweet honey balances the savory pecan crust beautifully.