Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tender Recipe
These super crunchy pretzel crusted chicken tenders are easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for dinner, game day, or a fun appetizer. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and watch them disappear fast!
Servings: 10 chicken tenders
Calories: 190kcal
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cups crushed pretzels **
- 1¼ pounds chicken tenderloins ***
For Serving (optional):
- mustard, ketchup, or dipping sauce
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pour 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet. Heat over low-medium until it reaches 365°F.vegetable oil
- In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon ground paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Set aside.2 large eggs, ¼ cup milk
- Add the crushed pretzels to a third shallow bowl and set aside.2 cups crushed pretzels
- Prepare the chicken. Dredge the chicken, one piece at a time, in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, and then in the pretzels. Press the pretzels onto the chicken so they stick well.1¼ pounds chicken tenderloins
- Working with 2-3 tenders at a time, fry them in the oil for 2-3 minutes per side, then place on a cooling rack to keep them crispy.
- Repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve with mustard, ketchup, or your favorite dipping sauce.mustard, ketchup, or dipping sauce, chopped fresh parsley
Notes
*High smoke point oils, like canola, sunflower, avocado, or peanut oil work well.
**Any kind of hard pretzel will work well for the breading, but I don't recommend any that are too small or thin, since they will crush up too finely to really give the chicken texture. I've had the best luck with standard twists and the thicker sourdough twists.
***If you don't have access to tenderloins, use chicken breast cut into strips.
Tips:
- Easily crush pretzels by placing them in a sealed Ziplock bag and whacking with a rolling pin, or pulse in a food processor. Uneven chunks give more crunch; finely ground pretzels stick better but give less texture.
- Pat the chicken tenders dry before dredging to help the breading stick.
- Try adding a little Parmesan, paprika, or cayenne for spice.
- I recommend using a deep-set skillet/pan or Dutch oven for frying.
- If oil gets too hot, pretzel coating can burn before chicken cooks; if too cool, coating will absorb oil and be soggy.
- Turn the tenders gently to avoid knocking off the coating.
- Fry in batches to prevent crowding the pan, which can lower oil temperature and make coating soggy.
- Properly cooked chicken tenders should reach 165°F internally.
- Oven: Instead of frying, bake the chicken tenders at 350°F for 15 minutes or until light and browned on top.
- Air Fryer: Air fry the chicken tenders at 375°F for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 277mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 174IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg