Pretzel Chicken with Honey Mustard

So I saw this recipe for mustard-baked chicken encrusted with pretzels on Dinner: A Love Story, who found it here on Food and Wine.

My first instinct was "Mmmmm" and my second instinct was, "Wait a sec, is that potentially gross?"

I am happy to report my first instinct was right, but let me give you a disclaimer: this is one dish that will NEVER look pretty. No chance.

The dish starts with the obvious: pretzels. But it's crucial (according to the recipe, natch) you use big sourdough pretzels. Smash those pretzels up with a mallet. Probably do a better job than I did (you can also use a food processor).

Now's probably a good time to preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once the pretzels are sufficiently pulverized, it's time to mix the sauce that will both coat the chicken and serve as a dip.

In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of Canola oil,  1/2 cup of whole-grain mustard (I didn't have any, so I used brown mustard), 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of water and salt and pepper.

Stir vigorously until it's smooth. Now do what I forgot to do and separate out enough of the sauce to use as a dip BEFORE you dredge raw chicken in the mix. I forgot to do that, so I had to go dip-less.

Set up your dipping station. You'll dredge chicken breast(s) in the mustard dip, then do your best to cover in pretzels. This is tricky business, but do your best.

Place on a foil-lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Et voila! Mine didn't look nearly as pretty as the one in Food and Wine's picture (of course), but I'll tell you what: it was good. Spicy and salty and sweet, all at the same time. The pretzels slide off real easy, which is pretty annoying, but when you can get them to stay on, they lend a great crunch!

I will probably be trying this one again. Someday I'll do a post of all the best chicken breast recipes I've tried. Do you guys have any favorites?