Pretzel chicken tenders with honey mustard sauce are simple and easy, no doubt about it.
Chicken tenders are coated in a mixture of pretzel crumbs, milk and mayonnaise and then baked in the oven. Serve with an easy homemade honey mustard sauce for kids, snacks, an appetizer or game night.
What Are Chicken Tenders?
Chicken tenders are parts of the chicken attached to the underside of each chicken breast. These are smaller cuts of chicken.
Technically, every chicken has only two chicken tenders. However, you can also make a version of chicken tenders by using the whole chicken breast and slicing it into thin strips.
- Skip the breadcrumbs because you can use crushed pretzels or crushed tortilla chips instead to make chicken tenders.
- This recipe is kid-friendly but adults love these too. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce for delicious finger food.
- The secret to crispy chicken tenders in the oven is with a baking rack. This allows the heat to circulate all around the chicken at the same time, with no need to flip them.
- Serve these easy chicken fingers with a side salad like our strawberry spinach salad or the easy greek salad. These would also taste delicious as a side dish to homemade tomato soup.
Recipe Ingredients
- CHICKEN TENDERS: You can use chicken fillets or chicken tenders depending on what’s available at your grocery store.
- PRETZELS: Look for a bag with 5 oz (150 g) of salted pretzels. Gluten-free pretzels will also work.
- MAYO: You can use regular mayonnaise or a dairy-free version. I love avocado mayonnaise.
- MILK: Regular milk, almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk will all work.
- DIPPING SAUCE: These tenders taste best with dipping sauce! Our simple homemade sauce uses honey mustard, whole grain mustard, mayo and apple cider vinegar.
How To Make Pretzel Chicken Tenders
- Pulse pretzels in a food processor until it creates a flour-like texture. Pour into a large dish. In a separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise and milk according to full recipe instructions below.
- Dip one chicken tender in the milk mixture and shake off excess. Roll chicken in the pretzel crumbs and coat all sides. Place on a baking rack. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
- Bake until the outsides are golden and the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Mix together the sauce: honey mustard, whole grain mustard, mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. Serve warm chicken tenders with the dipping sauce and enjoy!
Leftover chicken tenders can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat them back in the oven or use an air fryer to get maximum crispiness. Heating in the microwave will create a soggy texture.
Recipe Tips
- Shake off excess pretzel crumbs before adding to the baking rack, otherwise they can have too much flour.
- Spray the tops of the the chicken strips before baking. This helps to make them crispier.
- These strips definitely need a dipping sauce! Make your own pretzel dipping sauce or use honey mustard, barbecue sauce, hot sauce or any other favorites.
More Chicken Tender Recipes
- Maple Garlic Chicken Tenders are simple yet flavorful, it’s a family favorite.
- Tortilla Chip Chicken Tenders have a crunchy coating made from crushed tortilla chips and pumpkin seeds.
- Sweet and Sour Chicken Bites are so effortless and tasty. My family happily gobbled these right up.
- Maple Lemon Garlic Chicken Tenders are cooked in a frying pan in a delicious sauce.
Pretzel Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are coated in a mixture of pretzel crumbs, milk and mayonnaise and then baked in the oven. Serve with an easy homemade honey mustard sauce for kids, snacks, an appetizer or game night.
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Servings: 7 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs chicken tenders
- 5 oz salted pretzels - (140 g)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup milk
Sauce:
- 4 Tbsp honey mustard
- 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar - or lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Add pretzels to a food processor.
- Pulse until it forms a flour-like consistency with smaller crumbs.
- Add pretzels to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise and milk. Shake off excess.Dip chicken tenders one at a time. First in the milk mixture, then in the ground pretzels and coat on all sides.
- Place chicken in a single layer on a baking rack. Lightly coat the outsides of the strips with cooking spray.Bake 18-23 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked and reaches 165°F as an internal temperature when poked with a thermometer.
- While chicken is cooking make the dipping sauce: combine honey mustard, whole grain mustard, mayonnaise, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl.
- Add chicken strips and dipping sauce to a serving plate and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Leftover chicken tenders can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat them back in the oven or use an air fryer to get maximum crispiness. Heating in the microwave will create a soggy texture.
- Shake off excess pretzel crumbs before adding to the baking rack, otherwise, they can have too much flour.
- Spray the tops of the chicken strips before baking. This helps to make them crispier.
- These strips definitely need a dipping sauce! Make your own pretzel dipping sauce or use honey mustard, barbecue sauce, hot sauce or other favorites.
Nutrition
Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 27g | Sodium: 670mg | Sugar: 3g
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
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