Recipe: Pretzel Encrusted Chicken

A few weeks ago, I bought a large amount of chicken breasts on sale.  I cut each in half and froze them in sets of 2.  Since then, I've been trying to find different recipes  so that Mr. Bear doesn't have to eat the same thing three times a week.

Months ago, I found a recipe on Pinterest for pretzel encrusted chicken.  It required honey mustard dressing to dredge the chicken in before coating in the pretzel mix.  I love honey mustard, so I thought this would be the perfect recipe to try.  Mr. Bear, on the other hand is not a huge fan of honey mustard, so I ended up making the chicken two ways, one dredged in honey mustard, the other in an egg mix.  The chicken turned out well on both fronts, so I'll provide you with a recipe for both!

Pretzel Encrusted Chicken 

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 cups crushed pretzels
1 cup Ken's Steakhouse Light Honey Mustard dressing OR 2 large eggs scrambled  with garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper to your liking.
1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a skillet, toast panko bread crumbs over medium heat until toasted to a golden brown.  Be sure to stir panko constantly or it may burn.

3. Crush pretzels until 2 cups of crumbs are created (make sure your crumbs are small enough to stick to the chicken.).  add to a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and mix with panko.

4. Put flour into a second. shallow dish, then in a 3rd shallow dish, put your honey mustard or egg mixture.

5. Pound your chicken breasts to an even thickness using a mallet, then season with salt and pepper.

6. Dredge chicken in flour first, then egg/honey mustard, and finally into your pretzel mix.  Be sure to coat all sides evenly during each step.

7. Place onto greased baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.

Tips:

1. You can crush pretzels in a food processor by pulsing until they are small enough.  I didn't want to dirty the food processor, so I put pretzels into a freezer bag and crushed with a rolling pin until I got the size I was looking for.
2. If making with honey mustard, be sure to reserve enough honey mustard to provide as a dipping sauce.
3. I served with broccoli, but most veggies would work.
4. The recipe provided is pretty plain.  If making again, I'd up the amount of seasonings used as it turned out a bit bland.  It is a great starting point to adjust for your own taste.

-Danielle