Mmmm, chicken! I love it. If you prefer tofu, that’s fine, but please head on over to Eating Well and check out their tofu tenders recipe (even I, the chicken lover, loved this, as did Nick). Anyway, chicken, it’s yummy and so versatile. I’ll admit, however, I’ve been lazy lately and just either throwing it in the slow cooker or buying it in ground form and making ground chicken tacos or burgers. It gets old after a while.
Sometimes I just crave chicken tenders. You know, those tenders you used to buy with your mom or dad as a kid, in the frozen aisle at the store (or in the fast food line at McDonald’s….). Yeah, it’s true, sometimes I just want them. Rather than buy them (ok, every once in a while I do buy them) I make my own, as long as there is a simple recipe. I had yet to find a really great “homemade chicken tender recipe” until just recently. So, here you go, and you’re welcome.
Pretzel Crusted Chicken Breast Tenders
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons yellow cornmeal, divided
- ¼ cup 1% low-fat milk
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup finely crushed unsalted pretzel twists **
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, divided **
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 chicken breast tenders (about 1¼ pounds)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Place 4 tablespoons cornmeal in a shallow dish. Combine milk, 2 teaspoons mustard, and egg in a separate shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Combine pretzels, remaining 1 tablespoon cornmeal, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pepper in a third shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Lightly dredge chicken in cornmeal, dip in milk mixture, and dredge in pretzel mixture, pressing gently to coat thoroughly. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray.
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over, and place pan in oven. Bake at 375° for 7 minutes or until done.
Notes
** If you are following a low FODMAPs diet (or gluten free) you could use gluten free pretzels. However, the amount of wheat in this recipe shouldn’t be enough to cause symptoms (avoid if you are in the elimination phase or if you, obviously, have Celiac). Also, omit the garlic. It’s still very tasty!
* You can use a honey mustard dressing for a dip, or mix sriracha or red hot with Greek yogurt (yum!). These were also great on their own, without sauce.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 tenders Calories: 250 calories Fat: 5 g Carbohydrates: 15 g Protein: 21 g
Don’t like pretzels? You’re crazy. Neither does Nick, but he really enjoyed these. You know who else took a bite, or two? Little Paige. At this point she eats just about anything we give her, so, I suppose you could say that means nothing. But hey, if we can get her hooked on these before she gets hooked on “McNuggets” I think that’s a win.
See you next week!
