Pretzel-Crusted Chicken (Skillet or Air Fryer!)
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This Pretzel-Crusted Chicken is crispy, salty-sweet, and ready in 30 minutes! Juicy chicken breasts are coated in a crunchy pretzel breading and drizzled with honey mustard. Pan frying and air fryer instructions included.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Crispy and salty-sweet! Between the salty pretzel and seasoned breadcrumb coating and honey mustard drizzled on top, I was obsessed with this salty-sweet recipe from the first bite.
No deep frying – I’m giving you both the pan frying and air fryer instructions for this easy chicken dinner.
30-minute family dinner – Fry the crusted chicken, then slice and serve it with honey mustard and a side of my easy weeknight broccoli (or this microwave mac and cheese for the kids), and enjoy!
Table of Contents
One of the easiest ways to zhush up a simple chicken dinner is by coating it in something crunchy, golden, and delicious. Just look at my breaded parmesan chicken or these crispy Whole30 chicken tenders—breading was all it took to get me to polish off the entire tray!
This Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Recipe is no exception, either. I coated chicken breasts in sweet honey mustard sauce and a seasoned pretzel-breadcrumb mixture before frying to golden perfection. Between the salty, crunchy crust and juicy chicken inside, leftovers are pretty rare in my house.
The best part? You can pan fry the chicken on the stove or cook it in the air fryer for a more hands-off approach. It’s up to you!
Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Ingredients
Pretzels – Opt for salted pretzels for more flavor.
Breadcrumbs – Panko breadcrumbs bring a great airy crunch, but regular breadcrumbs work, too.
Seasonings – I wanted the chicken to be savory and smoky, so I seasoned the pretzel breading with garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Honey mustard sauce – I combined honey and Dijon mustard with my avocado oil mayonnaise, then brushed it over the chicken to help the crushed pretzels stick. Pro tip: set half of the sauce aside for dunking the crispy chicken!
Chicken breasts – Buy thinly sliced chicken breasts if your grocery store carries them. If not, I recommend slicing the two breasts in half to create four thinner breasts.
This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Variations
- Gluten-free option – Gluten-free pretzels and breadcrumbs work just as well.
- Chicken tenders and boneless chicken thighs (sliced in half or pounded to an even thinness) are both great alternatives to chicken breasts here. Cooking times will vary, though.
How to Pan Fry Pretzel Crusted Chicken
Step 1: Process the pretzels. Pulse the pretzels in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs.
Step 2: Season. Transfer the pretzel crumbs to a bowl and mix in the panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Step 3: Make the sauce. In another small bowl, stir the honey, Dijon mustard, and mayo together. Transfer half of the sauce to the fridge.
Step 4: Coat the chicken. Brush the honey-Dijon sauce over each piece of chicken, then dip it in the pretzel mixture.
Step 5: Pan fry. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crusted chicken, cover the skillet, and fry on both sides until golden.
Step 6: Rest, then serve. Let the fried pretzel chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with the reserved honey mustard sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
How to Air Fry Pretzel Crusted Chicken
Repeat steps 1 through 4 above.
Step 5: Air fry. Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray, then place the coated chicken inside. Air fry on both sides until golden.
Step 6: Rest, then serve. Let the fried pretzel chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving with the honey mustard sauce. Enjoy!
Erin’s Tips and Tricks
- The pretzels should look like breadcrumbs by the time you’re done pulsing them in the food processor. The finer the crumbs, the more easily they’ll stick to the chicken.
- The honey Dijon sauce helps the pretzels stick to the chicken, so don’t skip it! If you need an alternative, brush yellow mustard, plain mayo, and/or spicy mayo over the chicken instead.
- Chicken breasts are done cooking when they’re no longer pink inside or when an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature at 165ºF. My chicken took 4 minutes per side in the skillet or 10 minutes in the air fryer.
- Let the pretzel-coated chicken rest for 5 minutes after cooking so the juices can soak back into the meat.
My Pro Tip
Slice The Chicken Breasts
I always recommend slicing the thicker chicken breasts in half (for 4 breasts total). Thin chicken breasts cook quickly and stay juicy in the middle without burning the pretzel coating.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store the leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Keep in mind that the coating will become a little soggy the longer it sits.
Reheating: Reheat the leftover pretzel chicken in a 375ºF air fryer or oven to help the coating crisp up again.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Pretzel-Crusted Chicken (Skillet or Air Fryer!)
Ingredients
- 3 cups pretzels
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp dijon
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced in half; OR use 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts
Instructions
- Add pretzels to a food processor and pulse for 30-40 seconds until they resemble the texture of breadcrumbs; transfer to a shallow bowl. To that same bowl, add the panko, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- In a separate small bowl, stir the honey, dijon mustard and mayo together. Pour HALF of the sauce into a separate small bowl and place it in the refrigerator.
- Place the chicken on a cutting board, then carefully slice each breast in half vertically to create 4 thin-sliced chicken breasts (alternatively, you can buy thin-sliced chicken if your grocery store carries them).
- Brush the honey-dijon mixture over the chicken, then dip the chicken in the pretzel mixture, shaking off any excess.
- AIR FRY METHOD: Spray your air fryer basket with nonstick spray, then place the chicken in the air fryer. Air fry at 390° for 10 minutes, flipping half way through.
- SKILLET METHOD: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken. Place a lid on the skillet and cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook for 4 additional minutes, adjusting the heat as needed so the chicken doesn’t get too brown.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and wait 5 minutes before slicing. Serve chicken with the honey mustard sauce in the fridge and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
