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Spicy Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Hot Honey

Source of Recipe

From "Half Baked Harvest Every Day" by Tieghan Gerard


Recipe Introduction

"According to all the men in my life, no meal is complete without meat. And if it's spicy? Even better. Back in the day, when I was still cooking for my family every night, whenever my brother Creighton came to town for a visit I knew I had to make him something GOOD. On one occasion, I tried extra-spicy chicken fingers inspired by the famous Nashville hot chicken. To this day, he requests them whenever he is back in Colorado. Here, I have tweaked my earlier recipe to make it not only easier but healthier, too. There are two secrets to its tastiness: pretzels in the chicken coating and 'oven frying.' The chicken is a touch crunchy and perfectly salted, but you don't have any of the frying oil taste that usually comes along with real-deal fried chicken. The sauce is spicy, sweet, and buttery, and the real heart and soul of the recipe. You can't skip it�and if you love a lot of sauce, add a creamy ranch and honey mustard for a little triple dip...I always do. Serve these up with oven-baked French fries and a BIG salad to add lots of color to your dinner. And feel free to use gluten-free pretzels!"

List of Ingredients

Chicken fingers:
◦ 4 cups salted pretzel twists
◦ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
◦ 1 teaspoon onion powder
◦ � teaspoon smoked paprika
◦ Freshly ground black pepper
◦ 2 large eggs
◦ 2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Frank's RedHot)
◦ 2 pounds boneless chicken tenders
◦ Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing or misting

Hot honey:
◦ � cup raw honey
◦ 3 tablespoons salted butter
◦ 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, plus more as needed
◦ � teaspoon chili powder
◦ � teaspoon smoked paprika

For serving:
◦ Flaky sea salt
◦ Ranch dressing (optional)
◦ Store-bought honey mustard (optional)


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 425� F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the chicken fingers. In a food processor, combine the pretzels, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and a pinch of pepper. Pulse a few times to break up the pretzels into crumbs with a few larger pieces remaining (see Note). Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl.

In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and hot sauce. Add the chicken to the egg mixture, turning to coat well. Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken, allowing any excess egg mixture to drip off. Dredge through the pretzel mixture, pressing to adhere. Place the coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet, avoiding crowding (if you're short on space, use two baking sheets). Lightly brush or mist the chicken with oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken and continue baking until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is crisp, 5 to 7 minutes more.

Meanwhile, make the hot honey. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, butter, cayenne, chili powder, and paprika. Cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the sauce is warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and add more cayenne as desired.

Sprinkle the chicken fingers with the flaky salt. Serve with the hot honey sauce alongside for dipping, as well as ranch and honey mustard, if desired.

Serves 4






❧ Note: No worries if you don't have a food processor. You can break up the pretzels with a rolling pin or even by hand! Just be sure to leave a few bigger pieces so they stick well to the chicken. Mix them up with the spices directly in the shallow bowl.