Pretzel-Crusted Chicken
Originally published as Pretzel-Crusted Chicken in Healthy Cooking December/January 2010, p24. I often double this recipe so we have leftovers the next day. It tastes just as good cold as it does hot.
Originally published as Pretzel-Crusted Chicken in Healthy Cooking December/January 2010, p24. I often double this recipe so we have leftovers the next day. It tastes just as good cold as it does hot.
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups miniature pretzels
- 5 strips bacon cooked, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 cup light beer or nonalcoholic beer
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 broiler/fryer chicken cut up and skin removed
- Carbohydrate 126.405085213502 g
- Cholesterol 87.4500000015498 mg
- Fat 23.0569660323258 g
- Fiber 5.21243572671707 g
- Protein 29.7272131770925 g
- Saturated Fat 6.89137912353503 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (258g)
- Sodium 2324.34981505786 mg
- Sugar 121.192649486785 g
- Trans Fat 1.65914848422365 g
- Calories 833 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the pretzels, bacon, cheese and parsley in a food processor; cover and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl, whisk the egg, beer, flour and spices. Dip a few pieces of chicken at a time in beer mixture, then pretzel mixture. Place chicken in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
- Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
Standard breadcrumb-coated cutlets rely on fine, uniform crumbs that often yield a muted, uniform texture, whereas incorporating crushed pretzels introduces a distinct structural crunch and saltiness that transforms ordinary poultry into something far more robust. When working with dry snack coatings, moisture management is critical because steam escaping from the baking meat can easily soften the exterior crust if the pieces are crowded too closely together in the roasting pan. Achieving an enduring, shatteringly crisp crust requires careful processing of the dry elements and precise management of the wet binding stage.
- Pulse the miniature pretzels alongside the cooked bacon and parmesan cheese in a food processor until coarsely chopped rather than reduced to a fine powder, ensuring there are enough larger shards left to create tactile crunch on the finished meat.
- Whisk the beer, egg, flour, and spices into a smooth, cohesive batter in a shallow dish, providing a viscous intermediary layer that anchors the heavy coating securely to the skinned poultry pieces without sliding off.
- Bake the coated chicken in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, monitoring the internal juices until they run completely clear to signal doneness without overcooking the lean breast meat.
- Store any remaining portions in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days, noting that the crust maintains a surprisingly crisp integrity even when eaten cold the following day.
Proper airflow in the baking dish prevents steam from dampening the bottom crust during the thermal transfer in the oven. Careful attention to the processing size of the pretzels guarantees maximum surface crunch in every bite.
