Description
Pretzel Crusted Chicken is a crispy and flavorful dish featuring tender chicken breasts coated with crushed salted pretzels and a blend of savory spices. Fried to golden perfection and topped with a creamy Dijon cheddar sauce, this recipe combines crunchy texture with rich cheesy flavor, making it a crowd-pleaser perfect for dinner.
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 for 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 Chicken: Butterfly each chicken breast to create 4 thinner pieces. Place each piece between plastic wrap and gently flatten with a mallet until even thickness is achieved.
- Crush Pretzels: Place the pretzels in a food processor and pulse until mostly fine crumbs with some larger pieces remain.
- Mix Flour Coating: In a shallow dish, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Whisk Egg: In a separate dish, whisk the egg thoroughly.
- Prepare Pretzel Crumbs: Place the crushed pretzels in a third shallow dish for coating.
- Preheat Oven: Set the oven to its lowest setting to keep cooked chicken warm.
- Heat Oil: Add about 1/2 inch of neutral oil to a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) and heat to approximately 350ºF.
- Coat Chicken: Working one piece at a time, dip chicken first into the flour mixture ensuring full coating, then into the beaten egg, and finally into the pretzel crumbs, pressing gently to adhere the crumbs well.
- Fry Chicken: Fry the coated chicken pieces in the hot oil without overcrowding for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through (about 6-8 minutes total). Transfer cooked pieces to a cooling rack over a baking tray and place in the warm oven. Repeat for remaining pieces.
- Make Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook continuously for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and then Dijon mustard. Cook until the sauce slightly thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Add shredded cheddar cheese gradually, whisking until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Plate the pretzel crusted chicken and drizzle with the mustard cheddar sauce. Garnish with minced fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- The sauce will be creamy but not super thick; avoid overcooking to prevent it from becoming grainy.
- You can use a meat mallet or heavy rolling pin to flatten the chicken evenly for consistent cooking.
- If you don’t have a food processor, place pretzels in a resealable bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Neutral oil with a high smoke point like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil is best for frying.
- The chicken can be kept warm in the oven set to the lowest temperature while frying the remaining pieces.
- Use fresh parsley as a garnish to add color and a fresh herbal note.
- Nutrition estimates account for absorbed oil and discarded breading, so actual values may vary slightly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with sauce
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
