Crispy pretzel coated chicken paillard topped with lemony mixed greens and a sweet and tangy apple chutney: this Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken is an all time favorite dinner!
Jump to RecipeIt’s fall, and apple season is in full swing! Truth be told, I’m not usually a big apple person. While yes, I love to make a good apple cake, and yes, apple cider is fabulous, I just usually find myself more excited about pumpkin spice and all the wonderful things canned pumpkin can do. This past weekend, however, I thought I would try a few seasonal apples from the farmer’s market. I mean, they were advertised as “the best apples on the east coast.” I’m a sucker for good marketing… what can I say? In this case, though, I seriously think they were telling the truth. That was for real the best apple I’ve had in my life. Hence, I knew I had to whip up a dinner to showcase this season’s finest. This Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken was what I came up with. With a crispy, salty coated chicken, a sweet and tangy chutney, and some bright lemony greens, there’s not much more you could want in a dinner. You have to try this one!!
the breakdown…
This Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken can be broken down into three parts, one of which takes probably under a minute. You’ve got that pretzel chicken, that easy apple chutney, and some simply dressed greens to round everything out. To start things off, I like to work on that chicken. Technically, this is a chicken “paillard” because it is pounded thin. To pound my chicken, I usually place each breast in a freezer bag and whack the shit out of it with a rolling pin. You do whatever works for you, though.
Then, once it’s completely pounded thin (about ½ an inch thin), it’s time to get to coating your chicken. This Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken is a healthier crusted chicken because it’s baked, not fried. But, you can make it even healthier by using a lighter flour alternative or a grain free pretzel. The real-deal stuff works wonderfully, too, though… so you do you! Dredge each pounded chicken breast through a lightly seasoned flour mixture, then some eggs to bind things together, and lastly the pretzels. Quinn’s Grain Free Original Pretzels would be my healthier pretzel of choice.
to the oven…
Once your chicken is all ready to go, simply spray or drizzle it with a good amount of olive oil and send it to the oven! After just a short bit of time, your chicken should be crisp and delicious — perfect for topping with that apple chutney.
Speaking of which, this apple chutney could not be simpler. Heat a little bit of oil in a saucepan, then go in with almost all of the other ingredients. I’m talking apple cider vinegar for some tang, honey or maple syrup to match the sweetness of the apples, and some dried ginger for a kick. Oh, and you of course have to add a bit of lemon… lemon and apples is truly a match made in heaven!! After that’s simmered for a bit, stir in your golden raisins and walnuts and voila! Your chutney is done. The apple should be sturdy enough to hold their shape (about a ¼ inch cube), but soft enough that they were able to absorb all of the flavor. 5-8 minutes on the stove should do the trick!
and to finish it off…
Lastly, toss some greens with the easiest of vinaigrettes and you’re good to go! With just some olive oil, dijon, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, it’s hard to even constitute this as a vinaigrette. It’s really just a simple coating for some greens… just to add some brightness to the dish. Pro tip, though, use a good quality olive oil. It will seriously take things above and beyond.
how to serve it up…
This Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken is one of my favorite weeknight dinners to whip up in the fall. It’s super easy, incredibly flavorful, and it is loaded with texture. Plus, with pretzels and apples, it’s a little more unique than your average chicken dinner. This dish is truly everyone’s favorite, and makes for a wonderful dish for entertaining. Call it “paillard” and it will immediately seem 100x fancier… I promise. Serve it up with my Maple Roasted Acorn Squash with Mascarpone, Pomegranate, and Hot Honey or maybe my Parmesan Pistachio Smashed Carrots and you have yourself a super fun fall dinner spread. However you serve this up, though, I know it will be a big hit!
I hope you love this Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))
Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken
Course: Main CourseCuisine: American, Fusion, FallDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes25
minutes45
minutesCrispy pretzel coated chicken paillard topped with lemony mixed greens and a sweet and tangy apple chutney: this Apple Chutney Pretzel Crusted Chicken is an all time favorite dinner!
Ingredients
- pretzel crusted chicken:
3 eggs
2 lb chicken breasts, pounded ½ an inch thin or sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup flour of choice*
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried rosemary
2 cups pretzels, crushed*
Olive oil or olive oil spray, as needed.
- apple chutney:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 apples, diced (skin on)*
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey or pure maple syrup
½ tsp dried ginger
½ a lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
- assembly:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey or pure maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cups mixed greens
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a greased wire baking rack (if you have one).
- In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and garlic powder. Pour the crushed pretzels in a third shallow bowl. Dredge your chicken through the egg, then the flour, the egg again, and finally through the pretzels. Line each coated chicken up on the wire baking rack, making sure the pretzels are pressed into the chicken. Then, spray or drizzle each piece with olive oil. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until crisp and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the apple chutney. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in the apples, water, apple cider vinegar, honey, dried ginger, lemon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 8-12 minutes, or until the apples have softened but are not mushy. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, honey, dijon, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss with the mixed greens.
- Serve the crispy chicken with a bit of the mixed greens and some of the apple chutney. Enjoy!
Notes
- All purpose flour is probably the best to use here. But, if you are looking for a healthier alternative, coconut, whole wheat, cassava, or almond flours would also work well.
- I like to use Quinn’s Grain Free Original Pretzels for a healthier pretzel alternative, but I’ve also used your classic baby twist pretzels. Both are delicious! Just make sure you really crush them up enough. I recommend either using a food processor with a pulse setting OR putting them inside a freezer bag and banging them with a rolling pin. Both methods work well.
- I like honeycrisp apples, but any similar red variety would work.