I have your hump day dinner plan figured out!
These Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Hot Honey Mustard are a must make! They come together in about 30 minutes, have so much fun flavor and texture, and your whole family will love them.
I know my family did. My notoriously picky 8-year-old said “Mom, these are AWESOME.” Big win for me!
I adore pretzels. Always have. They were a staple snack in my house growing up, and I always have some variety of pretzel on hand in our house. We all love them.
My kids, in general, will eat any and all version of chicken tenders (albeit super spicy ones). I had a good hunch they would love these. Two of their favorites in one! Pretzels meet chicken tenders.
I love this meal because it comes together so quickly and easily. Yes, breading anything is kind of a pain, but once you just start doing it, it’s not that big of a deal.
The best part for me? The sauce. This is my take on an at-home Chick-Fil-A sauce (IYKYK), with the spice turned up just a touch. I could eat CFA sauce off a boot, so it’s no surprise that I loved this dip as much as I did.
It’s creamy, slightly sweet, slightly smoky, and full of good honey mustard flavor. I want to eat it on all the things.
Ingredients You Need to Make These Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Hot Honey Mustard:
For the Tenders:
- Chicken tenders
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Crushed pretzels
- Seasoned breadcrumbs
- Eggs
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Avocado or olive oil cooking spray
For the Hot Honey Mustard:
- Mayo
- Greek yogurt
- Dijon mustard
- Hot honey (or regular honey if you don’t like spice)
- BBQ sauce (use your favorite kind)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
How to Make These Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Hot Honey Mustard:
For the Tenders:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set a cooking rack on top and spray it liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Season the chicken tenders all over with salt and pepper.
- Mix together the crushed pretzel crumbs and breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Add the eggs, mustard, and honey to another bowl or baking dish, mixing well to combine.
- Dredge the chicken tenders through the egg mixture first and then through the pretzel mixture, pressing the coating to adhere.
- Transfer the coated chicken tenders to the prepared baking sheet and spritz them generously with the cooking spray.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Flip the chicken fingers and spray again with the cooking spray. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
For the Hot Honey Mustard:
- Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
- Serve alongside the tenders for dipping!
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Air Fryer Honey Sesame Chicken Tenders with Spicy Applesauce Dip
- Hot Honey Buffalo Wings with Cucumber Ranch with Cucumber Ranch
- Hot Honey Skillet Cornbread
- “Hot & Honey” Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Honey Buffalo Chicken Crunch Wraps
These just might be the best chicken tenders I’ve made at home.
Crispy, crunchy, amazing pretzel and mustard flavor, and a to-die-for sauce!
Dinner is served!
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Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Hot Honey Mustard
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Hot Honey Mustard are so flavorful and fun! Your whole family will love them. Crispy, crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside, packed with mustard and pretzel flavors, and served with an addicting hot honey mustard sauce – these are weeknight perfection!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
- 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Avocado or olive oil cooking spray
For the Dip:
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon hot honey (or regular honey if you don’t like spice)
- 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce (any kind will work)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set a cooking rack on top and spray it liberally with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Season the chicken tenders all over with salt and pepper.
- Mix together the crushed pretzel crumbs and breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Add the eggs, mustard, and honey to another bowl or baking dish, mixing well to combine.
- Dredge the chicken tenders through the egg mixture first and then through the pretzel mixture, pressing the coating to adhere.
- Transfer the coated chicken tenders to the prepared baking sheet and spritz them generously with the cooking spray.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Flip the chicken fingers and spray again with the cooking spray. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Serve the tenders while warm with the sauce on the side for dipping.
For the Dip:
Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Notes
- For the pretzel crumbs, I place whole pretzels (use your favorite kind) in my food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Some larger chunks of pretzel are fine and will add a fun texture to the coating.
- I like to bake these because I can make a large batch at a time. If you prefer the air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400°F and add the tenders in batches. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: chicken
Keywords: pretzel chicken, pretzel chicken tenders, pretzel chicken fingers, hot honey dip, hot honey mustard sauce
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
great idea for a coating abnd didn’t see that coming! Very creative, thank you
★★★★★