Pretzel Crusted Chicken

Pretzels are one of my favorite snacks.  They are great for dipping and a good snack that is lower in calories when I want something salty.  We generally have a bag of the waffle shaped pretzels in our pantry or a bad of the flavored nibs.  And pretzels are always a vacation snack to enjoy on a hot day with a cold beer or chilled glass of wine.

Now pretzels are showing up as rolls or buns for burgers and such. Restaurants are adding soft pretzels as appetizers.  We found this recipe for a pretzel coating for chicken.   Our picky son is not a fan of shake and bake so this was a tasty substitute.    The mustard sauce added a great topping to bring out the flavor.  Wonder what else you can do with them?

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

1/2 pound hard pretzels, coarsely crushed (4 cups)

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground; you should have coarse chunks and fine crumbs. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl.

Wipe out the food processor. Add the oil, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, water and vinegar and process until smooth. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl, add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Dredge the chicken in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice the chicken and serve warm or at room temperature with the remaining mustard dressing.  

Adapted from Food & Wine