Air fryer pretzel chicken is a crispy and fun meal to make! Top with a simple honey mustard sauce or serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
I love coating chicken in crispy, crunchy things. I've done fried onions, panko, and of course I had to do pretzels! And I'm so glad I did. This air fried pretzel crusted chicken has become a favorite.
And I typically serve with an easy honey mustard sauce cause yum. It's soooo good. Crispy, crunchy, flavorful.
When I make this for my kids, I do the recipe as written. But when I make for myself, I add some cayenne cause I love spice!
This is so quick and easy to make. Cooks up in less than 10 minutes thanks to the air fryer and using chicken tenders. Which means I can make it for a quick lunch or dinner.
Delicious? Easy? Fast? Crunchy? Checks all the boxes for me!
Ingredients
- Chicken tenders
- Pretzels
- Eggs
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Olive oil
How to make air fryer pretzel chicken
Add the chicken tenders to a large bowl. Add the garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Work the seasonings into the chicken tenders until they are evenly coated in the seasonings.
Measure out pretzels. Either place in a bag or bowl and crush, or add to a food processor and pulse several times. A meat tenderizer mallet works great for this too!
The pieces shouldn't be too large, and a variety of fine and a little coarser pretzel bits is nice for texture.
Add the pretzel bits to a wide, shallow bowl or plate.
Next, crack two eggs in a shallow bowl.
Whisk together the eggs and set up your coating station.
Dip each chicken tender in the egg mixture, then the pretzel mixture to coat the chicken on all sides.
Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes, then either brush or spray air fryer basket with oil or use air fryer parchment paper to prevent sticking. (Note: if using air fryer parchment, paper, do NOT add until after preheating, otherwise it is a fire hazard).
Spray chicken lightly with oil, and then add to the air fryer basket.
Air fry for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through cook time, or until internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F.
The pretzel chicken can be served with so many condiments, but I love making a simple honey mustard sauce to drizzle over the top.
Yum! I just combine yellow mustard with honey until it reaches the flavor and texture I want. Sometimes I'll add a little bit of dijon mustard to give it extra flavor.
Recipe tips
- Cook times will depend on size of chicken tenders. I always recommend using a meat thermometer to see if chicken if cooked through.
- Crush pretzels to a small size. This way they will stick to the chicken.
- If you don't have chicken tenders, you can instead cut larger chicken breasts into smaller pieces to make chicken tenders.
What type of pretzels to use
You can use most types of pretzels! The key is to still crush them to small pieces. You even use pretzel thins if you prefer.
How to customize
For a little extra spice, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the chicken when you add the paprika. You can also add more seasonings!
Instead of egg, you could instead coat the chicken in mayo or a dijon mustard sauce before coating with pretzel pieces.
Sauces to serve with the chicken
- A simple honey mustard sauce - just combine honey and yellow mustard until it reaches the flavor you want.
- Bang bang sauce - for a spicy, creamy kick
- Preserved lemon vinaigrette - for a bright fresh flavor
How to reheat the pretzel chicken
To reheat the pretzel chicken, pop back into the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees F for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through.
What to serve with the air fried pretzel chicken
The pretzel crusted chicken tenders pair well with so many dishes! Here are some ideas.
Side dishes - Air fryer parmesan potatoes, air fryer Mediterranean vegetables, air fryer radishes, air fryer fennel, air fryer garlic herb zucchini, air fryer frozen asparagus
Desserts - Air fryer apples, air fryer peach cobbler, air fryer pears, air fryer cinnamon peaches
More air fryer chicken recipes
- Air fryer chicken fajitas
- Air fryer honey dijon chicken
- Air fryer onion crunch chicken
- Air fryer caprese chicken
- Air fryer Greek chicken thighs
- Air fryer honey garlic chicken thighs
Recipes to love
Air Fryer Pretzel Chicken
Equipment
- Air Fryer Parchment Paper optional
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pretzels
- 2 eggs
- olive oil
Instructions
- Add the chicken tenders to a large bowl. Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Rub the seasonings into the chicken.
- Measure out 2 cups of pretzels and crush until pretzels are in small pieces. This can be done with a ziplock bag and rolling pin, pulsing in the food processor, etc. After pretzels are crushed, add to a shallow bowl or plate.
- Crack two eggs into a shallow bowl and whisk together.
- Coat each chicken strip by dipping in the egg, then the pretzels. Lightly spray chicken with oil.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Once preheated, either add air fryer parchment paper or brush air fryer basket with oil to prevent sticking.
- Place chicken strips in the air fryer in a single layer (you may need to do multiple batched, depending on the size of your air fryer). Air fry at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time.
- Serve with desired sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook times will depend on size of chicken tenders. I always recommend using a meat thermometer to see if chicken if cooked through to 165 degrees F.
- Crush pretzels to a small size. This way they will stick to the chicken.
- If you don't have chicken tenders, you can instead cut larger chicken breast into smaller pieces to make chicken tenders.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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