Pretzel Chicken

By RedZinger

This dish, from chef Ilene Rosen at the City Bakery in New York City, matches chicken with the classic NYC street-vendor combo: pretzels and mustard.
For a crisp topping, it's essential to use thick, hard pretzels, such as the sourdough or handmade versions.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound hard pretzels, coarsely crushed (4 cups) (I used Trader Joe's Hard Sourdough Pretzels)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used chicken tenders)

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400° (If using chicken tenders 375°). In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground; you should have coarse chunks and fine crumbs. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl.

Wipe out the food processor (I used an immersion blender for this part) . Add the oil, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, water and vinegar and process until smooth. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl, add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Dredge the chicken in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through (If using chicken tenders 15 mins). Slice the chicken and serve warm or at room temperature with the remaining mustard dressing.

MAKE AHEAD The baked chicken and dressing can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours. NOTES For a crisp topping, it's essential to use thick, hard pretzels, such as the sourdough or handmade versions.