Pretzel Crusted Chicken

I love this chicken.  Tender and juicy, coated with a salty pretzel crust held on by a thin mustard glaze, this chicken is a delicious entree, and we have it pretty often in our house.  I love that it's simple to prepare but has a ton of flavor.  Plus, it's a unique twist on baked "fried" chicken.  The pretzels keep their crunch, and I even though I'm not a mustard fan, it's a perfect complement to the pretzel coating.  Serve this up with a salad and maybe some roasted squash or potatoes for a delicious dinner.

My friend Kate gave me this recipe, and I made a few modifications from her original.  Her recipe was to use large chicken breasts, cut a slit in them and stuff it with the mustard and some deli ham, then dip coat the chicken in butter before dredging in the crushed pretzels.  We tried it that way and it really is delicious.  But it was also a lot of food and frankly, more work.  So I slimmed it down, fileting the chicken breasts,then seasoning them and brushing them with mustard before coating with the pretzels.  They bake up quickly and taste awesome.  Plus, I've slimmed down the recipe itself so now I can make this on a weeknight after work.  Totally worth it.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
pepper, to taste (ignore the salt--you don't need it)
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1-1 1/2 cups pretzel sticks, crushed

Place chicken on a cutting board.  Carefully filet each chicken breast by pressing down with the palm of your hand and slicing in half through the thickness of each one to make 6 thin chicken breasts

Season the chicken with pepper, the brush each side with mustard.

Once coated with mustard, dredge each piece of chicken through the crushed pretzels, coating all over.

Transfer pretzel-coated chicken to a baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray (Note: I used a baking stone.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Remove from oven and serve with desired sides.

Makes 6 servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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