Cheddar and Pretzel Crusted Baked Chicken

    Cheddar and Pretzel Crusted Baked Chicken is an easy, weeknight chicken dinner recipe that kids and parents will love! The pretzel and cheddar add so much flavor and texture to the otherwise classic homemade breaded chicken tender recipe.

Homemade Cheddar and Pretzel Crusted Baked Chicken

Cheddar and Pretzel Crusted Baked Chicken is my all grown up spin on the classic chicken tender.  My kids love chicken fingers and I love knowing that these homemade chicken tenders are full of real ingredients! While making homemade chicken tenders take a little more work, the end result is definitely worth it and so much better than frozen chicken fingers!

I love using pretzels to add texture to food. I have used it to crust macaroni and cheese and it was a big hit. They add both saltiness and crunch and those are key elements when  making chicken tenders! And because I can never leave good enough alone, I added sharp cheddar cheese to the mixture! It crusts up nicely, and of course, cheese makes everything better!

What to serve with homemade chicken tenders?

I served my cheddar and pretzel crusted chicken tenders with an amazing sriracha cheddar cheese sauce but they are also so good with my skinny buffalo chicken dipping sauce. My kids love to dip them in ketchup and ranch is always delicious with chicken, too!

If you don’t have a food processor to make the pretzel crumbs, just throw them into a plastic baggie and crunch them up! Your kids will love helping with this step! You can make the pretzel crumbs as fine or as crunchy as you’d like. I process mine most of the way until they resemble bread crumbs, but like to leave a few pieces bigger so you can that pretzel texture. This is a great recipe if you have pretzels that have gone stale!

Chicken is always my go to for dinner but I love trying new chicken dinner recipes so we don’t get bored! These Cheddar and Pretzel Crusted Baked Chicken were so good and will definitely become a  family favorite! Fast, flavorful, and easy, your will be happy to serve your family these homemade chicken tenders all the time!

You could also make these chicken tenders in your air fryer! Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway!

Looking for more chicken recipes?

Melt in Your Mouth Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Lasagna Stuffed Chicken Breasts

 How to make homemade chicken fingers 

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Pretzel and Cheddar Crusted Chicken

This kicked up take on the classic chicken finger is both kid and adult friendly!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Amanda @ Old House to New Home

Ingredients

• 8-10 chicken tenders
• 2 cups of pretzels crushed
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a shallow dish, mix together pretzels, panko, cheddar cheese, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. In another shallow dish, mix together egg and dijon.
3. Dredge chicken through egg mixture then pretzel mixture, coating well.
4. Place chicken on a baking sheet. Spray chicken with non-stick spray to help brown.
5. Bake for 12-14 mixtures, or until cooked through. Serve warm.

Looking for more kid friendly chicken dinner recipes?

Chicken Parmesan Meatball Casserole

One Pan Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Meatballs