This delicious Baked Pretzel Chicken breast recipe is super quick and easy. The chicken is super flavorful because it takes a quick dip in a Dijon mustard sauce and then it gets baked, sealing in all the flavor and toasting the pretzel topping so it's super crispy.
The Dijon sauce doubles as a marinade (I set some aside before adding raw chicken, don't worry!), so it's a super easy recipe. Done in less than 40 minutes and an absolute kid favorite!
Related recipe: Panko Breaded Baked Pork Chops
Crispy pretzel crust for chicken
This recipe uses regular hard pretzels that get crushed into smithereens to make the pretzel "breading" for the baked chicken. It's a great way to use up pretzels that are starting to get just a little bit stale because they get nice and crispy in the oven.
I use the same technique for my Cheetos Crusted Chicken recipe: I make crumbs out of Cheetos to coat the chicken and then bake it.
My favorite things about this pretzel chicken recipe:
- The Dijon marinade doubles as a sauce and has great flavor.
- It's baked and not fried, yet still has lots of crunch.
- The pretzel coating gives a unique taste, and pairs so well with the Dijon mustard (who doesn't love soft pretzels dipped in mustard)?
- It's a quick meal done in less than 40 minutes, start to finish.
- It's very kid-friendly.
Ready to make it?
Related recipe: Dry Brine Crispy Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each, or use chicken tenders)
- 2 cups crushed hard pretzels (see instructions below)
- ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil if you don't want an olive oil flavor
- ¼ cup whole grain/coarse ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons water (⅛ cup)
- 1 ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Optional: tablespoon honey to make a honey mustard sauce
You'll also need:
- A meat thermometer
- A baking rack - here is a smaller set that fits into a 9x13 baking sheet (optional, but elevating the chicken when baking makes it crispy on all sides)
- 2 shallow bowls/containers for dipping/dredging chicken
Related recipe: Lemon Basil Chicken Salad
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Place pretzels into a large sealable ziploc bag. Use a mallet or smooth side of a meat tenderizer to crush into small pieces. It should be a combination of small, coarse chunks and fine crumbs. Transfer the crushed pretzels to a shallow bowl or large plate where you will dredge the chicken.
No meat tenderizer or mallet?? Use a large heavy textbook, or plate to smush the ziploc bag, or pulse the pretzels in a food processor.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together the two types of mustard, vinegar, water, and oil until fully combined. Taste and season with a little bit of salt.
Step 4: Season the chicken breasts with a little salt. Place HALF of the mustard mixture into a shallow dish and add the seasoned chicken. Turn to coat.
Step 5: Dredge the marinated chicken in the pretzel crumbs until coated on both sides.
Step 6: Place chicken on a rack over a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165F. Use a meat thermometer to check!
Step 7: Serve with remaining mustard sauce for dipping (not the one that touched raw chicken!). You can stir in ½- 1 tablespoon honey into the remaining mustard sauce to make a sweeter honey mustard sauce.
SO EASY!!
Related recipe: BBQ Chicken Pizza
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Pretzel Crusted Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 small chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, or use chicken tenders and reduce baking time)
- 2 cups crushed hard pretzels see Step 2 of instructions
- ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil if you don't want an olive oil flavor
- ¼ cup whole grain mustard or coarse ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons water (⅛ cup)
- 1 ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- kosher salt to taste
- Optional: ~1 tablespoon honey
Special equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Place pretzels into a large sealable ziploc bag. Use a mallet or smooth side of a meat tenderizer to crush into small pieces. It should be a combination of small, coarse chunks and find crumbs. Place the pretzel crumbs in a shallow dish or on a plate.(You can pulse the pretzels in a food processor if you prefer.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the two types of mustard, vinegar, water, and oil until fully combined. Taste and season with a little bit of salt.
- Season chicken with a little salt. Place HALF of the mustard mixture into a shallow dish and add the seasoned chicken. Turn to coat.
- Dredge the marinated chicken in the pretzel crumbs until coated on both sides.
- Place chicken on a rack over a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165F.
- Serve with remaining mustard sauce for dipping, stir in honey to make a sweeter honey mustard sauce.