blissful eats with Tina Jeffers: Pretzel Chicken

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!  Yesterday was National fried chicken day and in our family while we aren’t big on traditional fried chicken, we can never get enough pretzel chicken.  It can be a little messy since you need three bowls to prepare the coating but it’s totally worth the effort.  I take boneless skinless chicken breasts, dredge them in flour, eggs and buttermilk and finally coat them with crushed pretzels.  We like to serve ours with homemade ketchup or honey mustard.  The best thing about pretzel chicken is that it’s even better cold the next day, perfect for a picnic.

Pretzel Chicken

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• ½ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon sriracha
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups salted pretzels
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup canola or vegetable oil

Method:

Place the flour and cayenne in a wide, shallow bowl Lightly beat the eggs and put in a separate shallow bowl with the buttermilk and sriracha.  Season both the    flour and the egg mixture with salt and pepper.

Place the pretzels in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process for a few seconds until the pretzels are broken into small pieces making sure not to let them turn to dust.  Transfer the pretzels to a third wide, shallow bowl.

Remove the tenderloins from the breasts and set aside.  Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and holding your knife parallel to the board, split each breast in half horizontally.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Lightly dredge the chicken into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, end with the pretzel mixture.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.  Place a few paper towels on a clean cutting board for the chicken to drain on after cooking. 

When the oil is hot but not smoking, carefully lay the chicken into the pan being careful not to crowd the pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until nicely browned.  Use tongs to turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden. 

 Transfer the chicken to the paper towels and cover loosely to keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.