This is one of our all-time favorite ways to eat chicken. It’s such a fun twist that the kids love. The pretzel coating gives the chicken a great crispy crunch and a great flavor. Plus, it’s easily doable as either chicken fingers or for whole chicken breasts.
One of my favorite elements of this dish is the dipping sauces. We like to serve it with Ranch dressing, honey mustard dipping sauce (mayo, mustard and honey stirred together) or a spicy cheese sauce (recipe below).
Pretzel Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
- Salt, pepper and paprika, to taste
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp hot sauce (ie. Tabasco)
- 2 cup crushed pretzels
- Oil for frying
Spicy Cheese Dip
- 2 tbsp butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 tsp flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together eggs, water and hot sauce. Dip chicken breasts into egg mixture, crushed pretzels, egg again and then pretzels again. For best results, do this step earlier in the day and then refrigerate pretzel-coated chicken breasts. This will help the coating stay on while frying.
- In about an inch of heated oil, fry chicken breasts a few at a time. Fry 2-3 minutes per side, until golden. (If you are working with thicker chicken pieces, you may need to bake for an additional 10 minutes or so at 350 degrees to guarantee that the chicken is fully cooked.)
- Serve chicken with desired dipping sauces.
For Spicy Cheese Dip
- Melt butter or margarine in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a slow boil until thickened to gravy consistency. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese is melted.