Pretzel-Crusted Chicken With Mustard-Dill Dipping Sauce
Serve this with Caesar salad or, for a lighter option, steamed broccoli drizzled with olive oil and a spritz of lemon juice.
For wine, try a crisp white such as sauvignon blanc or chardonnay.
You'll probably have some dipping sauce left over, which is good for raw vegetable snacks.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
- 3 cups salted pretzels or broken pretzel pieces
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of excess fat and tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total; reserve tenderloins for another use)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 cup regular or low-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
Step 1
Have a baking sheet at hand.
Step 2
Place the flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Lightly beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of the mustard in a separate wide, shallow bowl.
Step 3
Place the pretzels in the bowl of a food processor; process for about 30 seconds, or until a coarse flour forms. Transfer the pretzel flour to a third wide, shallow bowl.
Step 4
Place the chicken breast halves on a cutting board. Hold your knife parallel to the board and split each breast in half horizontally. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken lightly with pepper. Lightly coat both sides of the chicken in the flour, then in the egg and then in the pretzel mixture, coating evenly; shake off any excess pretzel mixture. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate while you make the dipping sauce.
Step 5
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place a few layers of paper towels on a cutting board.
Step 6
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of mustard, the mayonnaise, dill, honey and a few grinds of black pepper in a small bowl. Cover until ready to use.
Step 7
When the oil is hot but not smoking, carefully lay in 3 of the coated chicken breast pieces. Cook for about 2 minutes until the first side is nicely browned. Use tongs to carefully turn the chicken pieces over; cook on the second side for 2 minutes or until side the chicken is cooked through and the second side is golden brown. If the chicken seems to be browning too fast, reduce the heat to medium. Transfer the chicken breasts to the paper towels on the cutting board; cover loosely to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
Step 8
Serve warm, with the dipping sauce on the side.