I can’t remember when or where I first heard about pretzel chicken. It was a long time ago. I remember putting it on my mental to make list, and over the past few years, it kept getting pushed further down. Not for any particular reason, I knew I would love the dish, but because we never seem to have pretzels and chicken in the house at the same time. To make this dish last night, I had to pry the pretzel bag away from my son and husband. There’s no other salty snack they seem to like better than crispy pretzels, except maybe for big soft pretzels.
To make the chicken, I ground up pretzels in the food processor, and then used them as breading. I fried the chicken to make them extra crispy, and then served them with a honey Dijon mustard sauce. I added a simple spring mix salad and dinner was done.
Yield: Serves 4
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 cups pretzels, ground in the food processor (until they are the consistency of bread crumbs) (sourdough pretzels work best)
Vegetable oil for frying
Sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Combine mustard and honey for sauce. Mix well and set aside.
2. Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Combine eggs with spices in a large bowl. Mix well and add chicken.
3. Add pretzel crumbs to a large bowl. When oil is hot, bread chicken and fry in oil until deep golden brown. Chicken should be firm and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Place on paper towels or cooling rack after removing from oil.
