Craving something crispy, kid-friendly, and absolutely delicious? Make these easy Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders with honey mustard! Baked or Air Fryer!
Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders
Bake or air-fry these golden-brown, Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders with a side of homemade honey mustard for that perfect sweet and tangy kick! Whether you’re making a back-to-school dinner for the kids or hosting a game-day party, these chicken fingers are sure to be a hit! More of my favorite chicken tenderloin recipes are these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders and BBQ Chicken Tenders, or I also have Chicken Nugget recipes if you prefer those.
Kids Love Chicken Tenders!
I love cooking chicken tenders on busy weeknights because they’re the perfect size, so there’s no need to cut them. They’re super easy to make and even more fun to eat! Just dip each tender in the honey mustard sauce for the best bite every time.
- Kid-Friendly: Chicken fingers are a guaranteed win with kids.
- Easy to Freeze: Double the batch and freeze half for later.
- Dietary Restrictions: They are high-protein, Weight Watchers- friendly, dairy-free, and gluten-free (if using GF pretzels and breadcrumbs).
If you make this healthy pretzel-crusted chicken finger recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook!
What You’ll Need
Pretzel Chicken Fingers Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make pretzel-crusted chicken fingers with honey mustard dip. The recipe card at the bottom provides the exact measurements.
- Honey Mustard Sauce: Dijon mustard, honey, onion powder, and salt create the honey-mustard sauce.
- Chicken: You can buy chicken tenders from the store or cut chicken breasts into strips to make your own.
- Pretzels: I used Snyder’s mini pretzel sticks, but any kind will work. Use gluten-free pretzels if needed.
- Breadcrumbs help coat the chicken along with the pretzel crumbs. Gluten-free panko also works.
- Seasoning: Garlic and onion powder season the crumbs.
- Egg helps the pretzel coating stick to the chicken.
How to Make Pretzel Chicken Fingers
Homemade chicken fingers are worth the extra effort. These are so good! See the recipe card below for complete instructions.
- Honey Mustard Dip: Mix the mustard, honey, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl and transfer a quarter cup to a large bowl.
- Marinate Chicken Tenders in the large bowl with honey mustard for at least 15 minutes or overnight. Then, mix in the whisked egg.
- Pretzel Crumb Mixture: Blend the pretzels to a coarse texture and combine them with breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and the remaining onion powder in a shallow dish.
- Coat the Chicken Fingers: Press each tender into the crumbs and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake Pretzel Chicken Fingers in a 400°F-oven for 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
Air Fryer Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders
For even crispier chicken tenders, air fry them at 400°F 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside.
Variations
- Breadcrumbs: Substitute panko.
- Chicken Finger Sauce: Dip them in ketchup.
- Egg Allergy: Swap the egg for ¼ cup of olive oil.
- Gluten-Free Chicken Strips: Use gluten-free pretzels and breadcrumbs.
What to Serve with Pretzel Chicken Fingers
- Salads: Add the chicken strips to a green salad and use the honey mustard as a dressing.
- Kid-Friendly Sides: Serve them with air fryer french fries, baked mac and cheese, roasted broccoli, or green beans.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store chicken fingers in the fridge for 4 days.
- How to Freeze: Cook the tenders as directed, let cool, and flash freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Bake in a 400°F-oven for 11 to 15 minutes or in an air fryer at 360°F for 7 to 8 minutes.
More Chicken Tenders Recipes You’ll Love
- Baked Chicken Tenders
- Pickle-Brined Baked Chicken Tenders
- Sesame-Encrusted Chicken Tenders
- Tortilla-Encrusted Chicken Tenders
- Buffalo Chicken Strips
Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 chicken tenders, 1 lb total
- 1 cup pretzels, I used Snyders mini pretzel sticks* gluten-free pretzels work fine too
- 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs, or use gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg, whisked
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine Dijon mustard, honey, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Transfer 1/4 cup of the honey mustard to a large bowl and reserve the remaining (1/2 cup).
- Add chicken tenders to the large bowl with 1/4 cup of honey mustard and marinate, 15 to 30 minutes minimum or as long as overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425F.
- Make pretzel breadcrumbs. Blend pretzels to a coarse, breadcrumb like texture and combine with breadcrumbs, garlic powder and remaining onion powder. Transfer to a shallow dish.
- Add egg to the marinating chicken and mix well to coat.
- Press each tender into the crumb mixture, slightly squeezing the breading onto each tender with the back of a fork to ensure it sticks and is well-coated.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment and cooking spray. Place coated tenders on the sheet and spray the tops with cooking spray as well. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in each side.
- Serve with remaining honey mustard.
- Air Fryer Method: Air fry 400F in an even layer, in batches as needed 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside.
I love chicken strips. This recipe is great. Great for lunch meal prep for the week. Added some sweet potato tater tots and substituted zero sugar bbq sauce for the honey mustard.
Easy and delicious. Marinated overnight. Could probably just do a few hours. Definitely a keeper! Grateful to Gina for all the outstanding receipes!
Thanks Mimi!
Can you tell me how many cups the pretzels come to after blending? I want to make sure I have the right balance of the other ingredients it is mixed with and it’s hard to measure a cup of pretzels when they are in tact
I’m not a fan the honey mustard was too strong. When I cooked it I didn’t spread them out and they were not very crunchy. Maybe if there was more honey or water in the sauce and make sure to spread them out. I had to double due to large family.
I liked the coating on the chicken. I was concerned that the chicken might be too salty from the pretzels, but it wasn’t at all. However, the honey mustard sauce was a bit intense with the amount of Dijon mustard. When I make this next time, I will use a mixture of yellow mustard with less than half of Dijon. I may even add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt.
Can you make these in the oven instead of air fryer?
I’m so excited to make! Can I substitute the Dijon mustard for something less mustardy?
Wow! Another winner with my family. The adults loved them and I even got my picky 4 year old to try them. He said they were yummy. They do really remind me of Snyder’s honey mustard and onion pretzels.
Love kid approval! 🙂
My family loved these. Great crust.
We thought this was a great recipe and soooo easy when made in the Air Fryer. The left over mustard sauce was a bit much for us – so we added some prepared Beavers brand extra hot sweet mustard. A great recipe. Thank you.
Delicious! My four kids and I loved these chicken tenders. I’m not usually crazy about chicken tenders, but the timing was perfect, and the chicken tenders were all juicy. I was a little nervous that the sauce would make the chicken taste heavy on the dijon, but the honey really comes through while in the oven. Will be making this again!
Very good for a different way to bake chicken tenders. I only found that the coating remained soft in a few place and I couldn’t keep them in the oven any longer without drying out. But I think the solution would be less coating for me
LOVE your recipes. Do not like honey mustard. Could I marinade in buttermilk or something similar instead? The pretzel breading sounds delish. Thanks!
I’m going to try that, as not everyone in my family loves honey mustard. That way everyone can choose their own dipping sauce. It should work….though it will change the nutritional info, of course.
The recipe looks great but I don’t understand the note!!
“Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders”
Notes
*Breading before using: 1 cup / Breading tossed after: 3 tablespoons, this was subtracted from n.i.
Its just mentioning I subtracted the crumbs that got tossed from the final nutritional analysis,.
Wow you are amazing – I love all of your recipes and most of them I can make Gluten Free with exceptions which you usually put in the recipes. Thank you for making life a little easier.