Pretzel Fried Chicken is the crispiest and most tender fried chicken you’ll ever make! Crunchy pretzels coat the outside to give you the most satisfying crunch.
Fried chicken! Is there anything better than a piece of hot, juicy, crispy fried chicken? It’s a food that everyone seems to love and my family is no exception. When I was trying to come up with a new, fun way to batter the chicken, I thought about one of my favorite snack foods. Pretzels!
When I made this Pretzel Fried Chicken my kids couldn’t get enough. The crushed up pretzel crust takes this fried chicken to a whole new crispy, crunchy level. When I put these on a plate they were gobbled up and eaten before I could even get the rest of dinner on the table! This chicken goes great with Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes and some Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Garlic!
I love making chicken nuggets or chicken tenders with this recipe too. Chopping the chicken breasts into strips or chunks is great for kids with little hands. They love to take the chicken nuggets and dip in their favorite sauce or condiment! If you’re looking for more absolutely delicious breaded chicken recipes try out Crunchy Quinoa Crusted Chicken Tenders, Chicken Paillard or these healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets.
This crunchy Pretzel Fried Chicken will be one of your new go-to weeknight meals. Everyone loves fried chicken as it is, but using salty pretzels in the breading makes this chicken have an incredible flavor that you won’t be able to get enough of.
For this recipe, I usually cook in my cast iron skillet, which keeps this chicken crispy and juicy, but if you’re on an air fryer kick like a lot of us are, you could definitely fry this chicken in that with incredible results.
Let me know what you think of this recipe and tag me on Instagram if you make it!
Pretzel Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 1/2 cups pretzels
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or panko
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs, whisked
- olive, vegetable, avocado or canola oil
- optional: ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, BBQ sauce or other favorite dip/condiment
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment and pound evenly until 1/2 inch thin.
- Place pretzels in a zipper bag, blender or food processor and pulse until crushed, similar to bread crumbs. It’s fine if there are slightly bigger pieces of pretzel as well.
- Whisk the crushed pretzels and breadcrumbs in a large, shallow bowl.
- Place the flour on a large plate or shallow bowl and the egg in a shallow bowl.
- Create an assembly line with the bowls by coating each chicken breast first in the flour, tapping to remove any excess, then into the eggs and finally completely coating with the pretzel crumbs.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, high heat and add 1/2 inch of oil. When the oil is hot (about 350 degrees on a candy thermometer) add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until golden. *
- Serve alone or with favorite dipping sauce.
- * You can also coat the outside of the chicken with cooking spray and air fry for 20 minutes on 350 degree or bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.
This was delicious with the gluten free changes I made! I substituted almond flour/meal for the bread crumbs, 1:1 gluten free flour for the wheat flour, and used Snyder’s gluten free pretzels. I cooked it on the stove in olive oil for 4 minutes each side and everyone loved it. Thanks for the great recipe! :)Kim
How would you cook this in the air fryer?