Recipe: Baked Pretzel Crusted Chicken with a Warm Cheesy Mustard Dip

I had some raw boneless skinless chicken breasts in my fridge that I wanted to use, so I came up with a really fun, super easy recipe for dinner that turned out great. I thought I would share it with you all! 

I knew I wanted to bread it and bake it, and since I had leftover pretzels that were starting to get stale in my cupboard, it was sort of a no-brainer to use the pretzels as the breading! This is definitely one of the easiest chicken recipes I’ve come up with so far, and it’s really fast. This is basically what it looks like (pic borrowed from recipetips.com):

For the chicken, here’s what you’ll need to make 2 servings:

·    2 small raw boneless skinless chicken breasts

·    ½ cup light Ranch dressing

·    1 cup crushed pretzels, any kind (I used a hammer and Ziploc bag to pulverize mine – good destressor! – but you could use a food processor if you wanted)

And here’s how you do it:

1.   Fill one shallow bowl with the Ranch, and the other with the crushed pretzels.

2.   Dip the chicken (both sides) first in the Ranch, then in the pretzels until they are completely covered.

3.   Cover a baking sheet in foil (optional, makes for easy cleanup) and place a cookie drying rack on the baking sheet. Place the chicken breasts on the racks and pop the whole thing in the oven. Bake at 400*F for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Told you it was easy! The pretzels stay crunchy in the oven, the chicken has lots of flavor, and baking meat is a great alternative to pan-frying.

While the chicken was baking, I made a fun cheesy mustard dip loosely based on a Rachel Ray recipe I found online.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

·    1 Tbsp butter

·    1 Tbsp flour

·    ½ cup skim milk

·    ½ cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Mexican cheese

·    3 Tbsp mustard (any kind)

·    1.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

·    ¼ tsp chili powder

·    ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (to give it a kick)

Again, very easy to make!

1.   Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat (don’t let it burn) and add the flour. Mix it until it’s pretty smooth. (Note: this is the basic premise behind making a roux, which is the foundation for many sauces.)

2.   Add the milk, whisk, and heat until it’s bubbling gently. Then stir in the cheese, mustard, vinegar, chili powder, and cayenne until it’s smooth. Serve hot!

Who doesn’t like pretzels with mustard and cheese? The dip really compliments the flavors of the chicken and adds fun to the meal.

But you don’t have to take my word for it – try it out and let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Anna