Preheat oven to 400ºF (205°C). Carefully slice the chicken breast in half horizontally so that you end up with two thinner breast cutlets. Working one at a time, place a chicken breast cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with a meat pounder or back of a frying pan into even thickness, about 1/4-inch, and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
Arrange the asparagus in a tight single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the asparagus, so they’re evenly coated in the oil and seasonings and in a single layer. Roast until crisp-tender, 12 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF (150°C).
Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, stir together half of the Dijon mustard, one-fourth of the heavy cream, and the water.
Place the chopped pecans in a shallow bowl.
Dip the chicken into the Dijon cream, then into the chopped pecans, turning and pressing gently to evenly coat each chicken piece with pecans.
In a nonstick sauté pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 3 minutes per side, 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to an 8-inch square pan, then bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, deglaze the sauté pan with the remaining heavy cream, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken with the Dijon cream sauce and roasted asparagus.
Super tasty. Love the mustard cream sauce (I made a little extra 😁)with the pecans. Not difficult and looks gourmet. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts because that’s what i had and it worked out just fine. Next time, I’ll chop the pecans more finely.