Here I’ll share with you how to make crunchy and juicy pretzel chicken alongside a delicious bonus sauce!
I am absolute SUCKER for a bag of salted pretzels. If you’re the same and have never used them to coat chicken before, you’re in for a treat. Follow me…
Crushed Pretzels
You’ll find bags of mini crunchy pretzels in pretty much any food store, often near the crisps/nuts etc. For reference, I usually get ‘Penn State Sea Salted Sharing Pretzels‘.
To crush the pretzels, I typically use a food processor for ease. Having said that, you could put the pretzels in a zip-lock bag and use a rolling pin or mallet to crush them. In all cases, you’re looking to turn the pretzels into a coarse crumb. If you see the photo you’ll see some smaller and some larger pieces, which is what we’re looking for.
Process shots: add pretzels to food processor (photo 1), blitz into a crumb (photo 2).
Pretzel Coated Chicken
For this recipe, we’ll be using chicken breast. To coat the chicken, we’ll first want to slice it through the centre to create 4 even-sized cutlets. This will allow the chicken to cook quicker and more evenly.
To coat the chicken we’ll be going through the classic stages of flour -> egg -> crumb. We’ll also be seasoning the flour and egg just to give the chicken some ‘umph’. Nothing special! Just some store-cupboard essentials.
Process shots: slice chicken (photos 1&2), coat in flour (photo 3), coat in egg (photo 4), coat in pretzels (photo 5).
Recipe Tip
Really make sure you coat the chicken properly at each stage, especially with the pretzels. This will ensure you end up with a nice sturdy, crispy batter that won’t break apart when you cook it.
Crispy Pretzel Chicken
I did originally test this recipe by baking and also air frying the chicken. The truth is, neither came close to how delicious the chicken was when it was fried. The pretzel just ended up drying out and losing a lot of its crispiness.
Luckily we don’t need to deep fry the chicken, just shallow fry it. Enough oil to comfortably coat the base of the pan is all we need.
Once you’ve fried the chicken I recommend placing it on a wire rack. This will allow excess oil to drip off more efficiently than if you were to place it on kitchen roll/paper towels.
Process shots: add chicken to oil (photo 1), fry (photo 2), place on rack (photo 3).
Honey Mustard Sauce
The chicken is awesome by itself, but a simple honey mustard sauce really takes it up several notches. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Mayo – Full-fat for the best flavour!
- Mustard – I use a combination of Dijon and Classic Yellow.
- Honey – Of the ‘runny’ variety.
- Vinegar – I recommend apple cider vinegar but white wine vinegar will make an okay sub.
- Seasoning – I like to add a very small amount of onion and garlic powder, just to give it a little more depth of flavour.
You can absolutely change the ratios to suit your tastebuds by adjusting the mustard (for more heat), the mayo (to make it creamier) or the honey (to make it sweeter).
Recipe Tip
This sauce is perfect to make ahead of time! Just tightly store it in the fridge for 4-5 days and use when needed.
Pretzel Crusted Chicken FAQ
I’d stick with sea salt the first time and experiment from there. I have got my eyes on the sour cream and chives ones!
The chicken is definitely best served fresh! You could make it ahead of time, let it cool and tightly store in the fridge, then reheat in the oven until crisp and piping hot again. But, it won’t be quite as magical as fresh.
Nope! You can serve with any sauce you fancy. But I do recommend the honey mustard because it goes so deliciously.
Serving Pretzel Crusted Chicken
Although the pretzels are already salted, I love finishing with an extra pinch of flaky sea salt. I also love adding a few pinches of finely diced fresh chives too, for a pop of colour and flavour.
I often serve this for Dinner with a side salad and some Wedges. It also makes a really nice Lunch sliced up in a wrap too.
For more delicious coated chicken recipes check out my Cornflake Crusted Chicken, Pistachio Crusted Chicken and Dorito Crusted Chicken.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this pretzel crusted chicken shall we!?
How to make Pretzel Crusted Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
Pretzel Crusted Chicken (& Honey Mustard Sauce)
Equipment
- Food Processor or Zip-Lock Bag & Rolling Pin (for crushing pretzels)
- Small Mixing Bowl (for sauce)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- 3 Large Shallow Dishes
- Large Tray & Wire Rack
- Large Pan & Tongs (preferably cast-iron/heavy-based)
- Kitchen Thermometer
Ingredients
Sauce
- 5 tbsp full-fat Mayo
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp Classic Yellow Mustard
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/8 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder
Chicken
- 100g / 3.5oz Pretzels (see notes)
- 2x 250g/9oz Chicken Breasts
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 180ml / 3/4 cup Veg Oil (or as needed)
- Flaky Sea Salt, to serve
- finely diced Fresh Chives, to serve
Instructions
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients and adjust seasoning if needed. You can easily tweak the heat with mustard, sweetness with honey and creaminess with mayo to suit your tastebuds.
- Place the pretzels in a food processor and blitz to a coarse crumb texture. Alternatively you can place them in zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Line up 3 large shallow dishes: the first with flour, second with beaten eggs and the third with crushed pretzels. In a small bowl combine the paprika, salt, onion & garlic powder, oregano, black pepper & cayenne pepper. Mix half into the flour and half into the pretzels.
- Horizontally slice the chicken breasts right through the centre to create 4 even-sized cutlets. Take one cutlet and coat it in flour, then egg and finish with the pretzels. Make sure you thoroughly coat at each stage (namely the pretzels). Place on a tray and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
- Add enough oil to comfortably coat the base of a pan and turn the heat to medium. Heat the oil to 180C/350F (a crumb should rapidly sizzle) then carefully place in two cutlets. Fry for 3-4mins on each side, or until deep golden, visibly crisp and piping hot/white through the centre, then place on a wire rack. Top up oil if needed and bring back to temp then repeat.
- Serve with a pinch of sea salt and chives then tuck in with the sauce drizzled on top or as a dip to one side. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
