Description
Pretzel Crusted Chicken is a crunchy, flavorful dish featuring tender chicken breasts coated in crushed salted pretzels and spices, fried to golden perfection, and served with a creamy cheddar Dijon mustard sauce. This recipe combines the satisfying crunch of pretzel crust with a rich, cheesy sauce that elevates the chicken to a delicious main course perfect for any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pretzel Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8-10 oz each)
- 4 oz salted pretzels
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- Neutral oil for frying (about 1/2 inch in skillet)
- Fresh parsley for serving
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Butterfly each chicken breast to make 4 thinner pieces. Place one piece between plastic wrap and flatten evenly with a mallet to uniform thickness.
- Make Pretzel Crumbs: Put salted pretzels in a food processor and pulse until mostly fine crumbs with some chunks for texture.
- Mix Flour Seasoning: In a shallow dish, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper; mix well.
- Whisk Egg: In a separate dish, whisk the egg until smooth for coating.
- Prepare Pretzel Coating: Place the crushed pretzel crumbs in a third dish for breading.
- Heat Oil: Add about 1/2 inch of neutral oil to a heavy skillet and heat to 350ºF over medium heat.
- Coat Chicken: Dip each chicken piece first in the flour mixture to coat completely, then in the egg, and finally press into pretzel crumbs ensuring full coverage.
- Fry Chicken: Fry in hot oil without overcrowding the pan, about 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking tray.
- Keep Warm: Place fried chicken in the oven set to the lowest temperature to keep warm while frying remaining pieces.
- Make Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and mustard, cooking until slightly thickened. Stir in cheddar cheese by handfuls until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Plate the pretzel crusted chicken topped with the cheddar Dijon sauce and garnish with minced fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- The sauce is slightly thick but not overly thickened; avoid cooking too long to prevent graininess.
- If you don’t have a food processor, place pretzels in a sealed bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten chicken evenly for uniform cooking.
- Maintain oil temperature at 350ºF for proper frying; too low causes greasy chicken, too hot burns crust.
- Keep cooked chicken warm in a low oven to serve all pieces hot together.
- This recipe can be adapted using gluten-free pretzels for gluten intolerance.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
