Description
Crispy and flavorful pretzel crusted chicken breasts served with a creamy mustard cheddar sauce, perfect for a comforting yet elevated 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
- 1 egg
- Neutral oil for frying
- 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 create 4 thinner pieces. Place one piece between plastic wrap and gently flatten to even thickness using a mallet.
- Make pretzel crumbs: Place the salted pretzels in a food processor and process until mostly fine crumbs remain, with a few larger chunks for texture.
- Prepare coating mixtures: In a shallow dish, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. In a separate dish, whisk the egg. Place pretzel crumbs in a third dish.
- Preheat oven and oil: Preheat the oven to the lowest setting to keep cooked chicken warm. Add about 1/2 inch of neutral oil to a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) and heat until it reaches 350ºF.
- Coat and fry chicken: Dip each chicken piece first in the flour mixture, coating thoroughly. Then dip into the beaten egg. Finally, press into the pretzel crumbs to adhere well. Fry chicken in hot oil in batches without overcrowding for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through and crispy.
- Keep chicken warm: Transfer fried chicken to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and place in the warm oven.
- Make the sauce: In a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour. Cook for 1 minute while whisking continuously. Gradually whisk in milk and Dijon mustard. Cook until slightly thickened, then add shredded cheddar cheese handful by handful, whisking until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Plate the pretzel crusted chicken and spoon the mustard cheddar sauce over the top. Garnish with freshly minced parsley if desired.
Notes
- The sauce should be gently cooked to avoid becoming grainy; do not overcook after adding cheese.
- Using a cast iron skillet helps maintain consistent oil temperature for frying.
- If you don’t have a food processor, place pretzels in a sealed plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- To keep chicken extra crispy, place on a wire rack rather than paper towels after frying.
- Use neutral oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable or canola oil, for frying.
- The nutritional information estimates absorption of 1/4 cup oil and may vary depending on product brands.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
