This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
THIS might be my favourite recipe I have made ALL YEAR! I make regular chicken cutlets all the time and was playing around in the kitchen one day and had a bunch of pretzels I needed to use up so I thought why don’t I blend them, and use as the “breadcrumbs” (which worked amazing by the way!). Once the chicken was perfectly crispy I realized it needed a good sauce. There is something about pretzels and mustard that just go so well together so I whipped up a spicy honey mustard dressing to pour all over the chicken, and needless to say this recipe has become a staple in this house. It’s salty from the pretzels, and tart and creamy from the honey mustard and it just all works so dang well.
I am a firm believer that if you are making chicken cutlets whether you are using Italian breadcrumbs or pretzels, it needs to be fried. Well, it doesn’t NEED to be, but it tastes so much better in my option if it is. Now, keep in mind if you are really against frying the chicken for this recipe, rest assured I have tested this out in the air fryer and I am happy to report back that it does work! The only thing I will say is that the chicken doesn’t get as crispy and golden on the outside, but they still taste great, so if that’s more your style, I say go for it!
Let’s stay connected!
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! Also, if you do make this recipe (or any recipe of mine for that matter) be sure to tag #sammymontgoms so I can see your re-creations!
Looking for more chicken dinner recipes?
If so, take a peak at some of my favs under Chicken Dinners.
- Sheet Pan Rosemary Chicken & Potatoes
- Baked Bang Bang Chicken
- French Onion Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thighs with Jalapeno Popper Creamed Corn
- Lemon & Garlic Tahini Chicken and Rice
- One-Skillet Chicken Thighs with Roasted Tomatoes, Ricotta and Orzo
My tips before getting started
- As I mentioned above my recommendation is to fry the chicken rather that air fry it, but I realize people might want to make this dish a bit healthier and I totally get that! I have used my air fryer for this recipe and while it doesn’t come as golden and crispy, the taste is still fantastic.
- PULSE YOUR PRETZELS WELL! I like to pulse them pretty fine, almost like regular breadcrumbs. I do 85% of the pretzels like a powder/breadcrumb form and 15% a chunky pretzel form to a get a few larger pieces. Keep in mind if you do too many bigger pretzel pieces the chicken will burn, so be careful here, it’s all about finding that happy medium. At the bottom of this blog post I have my Instagram video (where I share my recipe videos) and watching that will be helpful before you make this recipe!
- I recommend frying your chicken cutlets at a bit of a lower heat setting that you would regular chicken cutlets that don’t use pretzels just because the pretzels do tend to burn faster; so cooking them at a 5/6 setting is what I would suggest here.
- When you are frying, don’t leave the stove! You need to watch these babies 24/7. Like I said, the pretzels tend to burn a bit quicker so you need to make sure you are by the stove to adjust the temperature if you need.
- My last tip is: don’t over salt your chicken! If you are using salted pretzels, which is what I used, the dish can become too salty pretty fast. When you season the chicken breasts at the beginning with salt and pepper, use a light hand.
Pretzel Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil for frying, approx
Chicken Ingredients:
- 6-8 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper, just a pinch on each side
Egg Mixture Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
Pretzel Crust Ingredients:
- 3-4 cups salted pretzels, blended fine
Honey Mustard Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp regular mustard
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your chicken breasts and pound out into 1/4 inch pieces. *You dont want them too thick or they won't fry the way we need them too, so the thinner the better!
- Season lightly on each side with salt and pepper.
- Pulse your pretzels in a blender and get at least 85% of the pretzels into a powder/breadcrumb form. *You don't want the pretzel breadcrumbs to be too chunky as they can burn a lot easier (please read blog post above for more tips/details).
- Grab 2 medium sized bowls. Add your breadcrumbs/pretzels to one, and prepare your egg mixture ingredients in the second. Mix well.
- Get your chicken in the egg bath, coating on both sides, then dredge in the pretzel crust. Press down ensuring all pieces are stuck to the chicken and all sides are covered evenly. Repeat.
- To a large frying pan add you oil. You need enough oil that the chicken is almost covered entirely.
- Set to a medium/high heat, and once hot enough, shake off any excess crust from your chicken before adding them to your pan. You may need to work in batches to prevent the pan from becoming too crowded.
- Fry on each side on medium/high heat for about 3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 2-3 minutes while you prep your hot honey mustard.
- Grab a small bowl and mix together the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust accordingly.
- Pour dressing over the chicken and enjoy right away!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just a recommendation, your “egg mixture” recipe portion doesn’t actually have the number of eggs listed. I had to do a bit of searching to find it!
oh my! Thank you so much for letting me know! I just updated my site. Appreciate ya.
This is so good.. I can’t stop eating it. I had jalapeños ranch pretzels which stepped it up a notch… yummy!! Thanks for the delicious recipes!
This is so good.. just made this along with your penne pasta…I can’t stop eating it. I had jalapeños ranch pretzels which stepped it up a notch… yummy!! Thanks for the delicious recipes! The family and I are enjoying them!!!
Hi Voula, thanks so much for this comment I am so glad you are loving the recipes!!
Could you make this in an air fryer?
Sure can! It just won’t be as crispy, but yes you definitely can.
Any ideas of sides/veggies to serve with this that pair well? Want to try it out but not sure what will go well together!
Hi Emily! I usually serve this with a big leafy green salad or garlicky green beans.
Can’t wait to make this again! It was so good.