This air fryer pretzel crusted chicken is made without flour, making it a simple 4 ingredient dinner. Despite the little effort, it delivers big flavor for an easy weeknight dinner.
1Poundchicken breast cutlets(approximately ½" thick)
3Tbsphoney mustard dipping sauce(such as Sweet Baby Ray's)
1Tspgarlic salt
2Cupssalted pretzels(hard)
Nonstick or oil spray
Instructions
Finely crush the pretzels. You can do this with a food processor, or place them in a plastic bag and use a mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a glass to smash them up
2 Cups salted pretzels
In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard sauce with the garlic salt and mix to combine
3 Tbsp honey mustard dipping sauce, 1 Tsp garlic salt
Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (or the closest setting your air fryer has)
Trim any extra fat from the chicken, then coat both sides of the chicken breast cutlets in the honey mustard dipping sauce mixture
1 Pound chicken breast cutlets
Dip both sides of the coated chicken into the crushed pretzels, patting it to make sure you get it well covered
Place the pretzel crusted chicken into the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer
Spritz the top with nonstick or oil spray
Nonstick or oil spray
Cook on the air fry setting for 6-8 minutes at 375°F, pausing halfway through to flip and reapply oil, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F
Serve with additional honey mustard dipping sauce or drizzle of hot honey, and your favorite sides
Notes
You may use any cut of chicken you like, but you’ll need to adjust cooking time accordingly. Chicken tenders should take 12-15 minutes, full chicken breasts will take 15-18 minutes, and thighs are closer to 20 minutes
Honey mustard dipping sauce is different from just honey mustard in that it contains mayonnaise. This keeps the chicken moist and replaces the need to use eggs in breading
Any type of pretzels are fine, so long as you use salted. Twists, sticks, traditional, sourdough; all of them are great options! You could also use the honey mustard seasoned pretzels for an extra kick of flavor
For extra spice, grab some hot honey for drizzling on top (entirely optional)
The more even your chicken breast slices are, the more evenly they’ll cook. Use a mallet to thin out very thick parts, or slice off sections to create more consistency
Use an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken to check for doneness. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut a piece of chicken at the thickest point and make sure the meat is white and the juices run clear
My chicken cutlets were perfect after 7 minutes total in a Ninja air fryer but times will vary based on the thickness of your chicken and your specific air fryer
Store leftover pretzel crusted chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days
To reheat, air fry for 3-5 minutes at 350°F, or until warmed through. You can give it another small spritz of oil to help crisp things up quicker as well
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, any sauces or sides added, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only