These Baked Honey-Mustard Pretzel Hen Tenders Are as Good as They Sound

An all-time favourite snack for me is a pretzel—be it skinny and crispy, peanut butter–crammed, or gigantic and piping scorching at a beer backyard or ballpark. I like the salty, mineral, barely alkaline taste that makes a pretzel a pretzel, and it’s even higher when contrasted with tangy honey-mustard—it is the final word sweet-salty combo. However since I (most likely) shouldn’t exist on snacks alone, I made a decision to create these honey-mustard pretzel–coated rooster tenders, which embrace all of those irresistible parts whereas nonetheless qualifying as “dinner.”

Choosing and Prepping the Hen

To stability out the punchy flavors of my snacky inspiration, I go for rooster breast over thighs right here—the delicate chicken is a superb clean canvas for different flavors. And as a substitute of utilizing the entire breasts, I name for tenderloins; their skinny, lengthy form presents extra floor space for the flavorful coating and pretzel crumbs to stay to, which maximizes crunch in each chew. 

You should utilize pre-prepped rooster tenderloins, which can be found in lots of supermarkets, or lower your individual tenders from boneless, skinless rooster breasts. To take action, first take away the tenderloins from the breasts, then lower the breasts lengthwise into two to 3 strips, every about one and a half inches large. The lower strips must be comparable in width to the tenderloin.

To additional improve the flavour of the tenders, I like to recommend a quick dry-brine. You possibly can let the tenders sit within the brine when you put collectively the opposite parts of the dish. This ensures the rooster is deeply seasoned all through.

Nailing the Flavorful Coating and Crunchy Pretzel Crust

Many recipes for coated rooster depend on a regular three-part dredge to get the outside crumb-coating to stay. Usually, this consists of a dip in flour, adopted by a dip in crushed egg, after which a remaining roll in breadcrumbs. The flour creates a dry, tough floor that the egg can cling to simply, and the egg serves because the glue for the crunchy crumbs to carry onto.

This recipe begins with the same old flour dip, however as a substitute of an egg dip I swap in a easy whisked-together combination of yellow mustard, honey, and mayonnaise. The egg within the mayonnaise (bear in mind, mayonnaise is only a easy emulsion of oil and egg) serves nicely because the “glue” for the crumbs to connect to. And the honey and mustard whisked with the mayo creates the candy and tangy taste I need in each chew with these tenders.

Basic yellow mustard (French’s or comparable) works greatest right here; Dijon mustard proved to be too pungent and overpowering in my assessments. The honey-mustard mayonnaise serves double-duty right here as nicely—set a portion of it apart for a dipping sauce to serve with the tenders.

The opposite main change is swapping in crushed pretzels for breadcrumbs, which give the tenders tons of crunch and that basic salty-alkaline taste that is a trademark of a very good pretzel. Be certain that to make use of skinny pretzels—sticks or skinny mini twists will work—quite than pretzel rods or bigger sourdough twists, as they’re simpler to interrupt down right into a crisp crumble, comparable in texture to panko breadcrumbs. To make sure the pretzel crumbs are crisp and never soggy as soon as baked, I toss the crumbs with olive oil earlier than dredging as nicely.

Cooking the Tenders

As soon as the tenders are coated, you’ll be able to bake them within the oven or within the air fryer—each strategies are a lot simpler and extra hands-off than deep frying. I’ve included instructions for each strategies in my recipe under.

The uncooked ready tenders can be frozen. They’re simply baked or air-fried straight from frozen, so you’ll be able to get pleasure from a snack-inspired, sweet-salty predominant any time. Serve them with a easy vegetable aspect, akin to roasted or air-fried broccoli and baked or air-fried french fries or candy potato fries.

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