Friday, June 7, 2013

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken

Welcome bloggers and friends! Today's recipe is one I'm really familiar with. My sister made this recipe, but she tweaked it a bit to exclude the honey mustard, so technically it was just pretzel chicken, but it was still delicious. The pretzels give a salty, crunchy aspect to the chicken. This is definitely one of those meals that would please everyone in the family. 

With our chicken, we will be making garlic roasted carrots. Both the chicken AND the carrots roast at 400 degrees, so no need to adjust the oven temperature. The carrots do require an hour to roast, so those should go into the oven first. The chicken only takes roughly 16 to 25 minutes. Speaking of garlic, yesterday I made some garlic green beans and definitely went overboard with the garlic. I'm still suffering from a lingering scent of garlic... So, word to the wise, beware of how much garlic you use... Anyway, let's grab our dredging bowls and I'll meet you in the kitchen! 




Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Garlic Roasted Carrots
Both make about 4 servings




For the Chicken, you will need:

  • 2 cups panko crumbs
  • 2 cups pretzel crumbs
  • 1/2 cup neutral tasting olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup bottled water
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • 1.5 pounds boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup flour, plus more if needed

For the Carrots, you will need:

  • 1 pound medium carrots, peeled
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • salt 
  • pepper



Ready?



To make the Carrots:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.
  2. Throw all the ingredients into the baking dish and toss to combine.
  3. Tent with foil and roast for 30 minutes, or until tender.
  4. Uncover and roast for another 30 minutes, until all the water has evaporated and the carrots are lightly brown in spots.
  5. Transfer the carrots and the garlic to a plate and serve.

To make the Chicken:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
  2. Lightly grease with oil a large, non-stick baking sheet or roasting pan. 
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the panko crumbs until lightly golden, stirring constantly. 
  4. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
  5. In a food processor pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground, then add them to a medium bowl and mix with the panko crumbs. 
  6. Wipe the crumbs out of the food processor.
  7. Add the oil, mustard, honey, water and vinegar to the food processor and pulse until smooth.
  8. Season with salt and pepper. 
  9. Taste and adjust the flavor to suit your own tastes by adding more mustard or honey.
  10. Pound the chicken breasts out to an even thickness using a mallet. Season well with salt and pepper.
  11. Set up a dredging station.
  12. Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl or dish, put the flour on a large plate and add half the pretzel mixture to a large, shallow bowl or dish.
  13. Working one at a time and using tongs, dredge the chicken in the flour then into the dressing, allowing excess to drip off then into the pretzel crumbs by patting on them if needed. 
  14. Place the chicken on a greased baking sheet.
  15. Bake 16 to 25 minutes depending on their thickness or until cooked through (internal temperature 165 - 174 degrees).
  16. Let the chicken sit 5 minutes before serving with the remaining honey mustard dressing.






Well, that's all for today folks. I'll be back tomorrow with something just as scrumptious. Until then, have a great day, and happy blogging to all!