I am always on the look out for things that are a little different to include in my weekly meal planning. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut, making the same dishes over and over.
At our house, we eat a lot of chicken for dinner, so having variations on preparation is key. The other week on Pinterest, I came across a recipe for Pretzel Chicken on Simply Made with Love. It sounded tasty to me, so I decided to give it a go (with a few tweaks of course!).
The recipe called for frying the chicken, but I prefer to give it a quick pan fry to get the crust and then to finish baking it in the oven. It takes less oil to make it this way, and I have to think that is healthier (but I could be wrong). I made the full recipe for the sauce, but had enough over to use it as the cheese portion of the filling for the chicken enchiladas I made the next night. The sauce below is a half portion, which is what I will make next time.
The meal was a hit with the kids and my husband.
Pretzel Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups salted pretzels (I used mini-twists)
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
2 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 350.
Put the pretzels in a sandwich bag and using a mallet, crush them until you have crumbs. Place the pretzels in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
Cut each chicken breast in half and pound with a meat mallet to make the pieces an even thickness.
In a shallow dish, beat the eggs and add the milk.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the oil.
Dip each chicken piece into into the eggs and then into the pretzels. Add to the hot oil in the pan. Cook until the pretzels begin to brown and then flip over. Remove from pan and place in an oven safe dish and bake for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Mustard Cheese Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon spicy mustard
1 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and the mustard, and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve the chicken with the Mustard Cheese Sauce.
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