Sheet Pan Pretzel Chicken Dinner
Make dinner fun for the family and serve up some delicious chicken fingers! Sheet Pan Pretzel Chicken Dinner is not only kid friendly but also budget friendly and quick.
I had this bag of pretzels. And I had this bag of green melting chocolate. And I had this bottle of Halloween colored sprinkles. They never came together to make the cute, monster coated pretzel sticks I saw on Pinterest with the candy eyes.
So, I had this bag of pretzels.
For like, well over a year. Did you know that pretzels, if unopened, actually DO go bad? Well, not bad per se, but they do get stale. Yes. Even if they’re unopened. I was just a shocked as you were.
We watch the Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead and now it got me thinking; is this what they’re eating? Stale pretzels? Stale chips? Or even stale crackers? Even canned goods eventually go bad or just not quite right.
Oh, don’t give me that look. We’ve ALL had that one can we found in the back of the pantry and just wondered if it REALLY did go bad. So, of course, you had to open it and see. Don’t deny it. You know you did. Just accept it. Embrace it. And now move on. Curiosity gets the better of us sometimes.
And then there’s me. I have issues with throwing out what I think is perfectly good food. I’m sure it’s not what the hubs signed up for. But, when you come from using every ounce of food and pushing the use by date to its fullest extent, you don’t like throwing food out. If I have a half a head of cabbage and some bacon, I whip up some fried cabbage with bacon. It’s a simple recipe to down size and double or triple if you do need to feed an army.
When, “Does this smell bad?” is a mantra, you don’t like throwing out food.
I know. I don’t paint a pretty picture of the AKHA household, but I’m learning to cook just what we need to eat and maybe an extra leftover so I have a lunch in the freezer for when I need it. When you’re used to cooking for the masses, it’s so not easy to downsize your recipes. But, I’m trying and I think I’m doing okay. We don’t toss out too much food; just the left overs that don’t make up a full portion.
But, I still had this bag of pretzels. And I made this potato chip chicken that was to die for, so why not pretzel chicken? Doritos chicken? Frito chicken? I mean, the possibilities are pretty endless – well, until you run out of snack foods. You could also pulverize the pretzels and use them with flour to make homemade popcorn chicken. Or use larger pieces of chicken and make a chicken tray bake.
So, please make sure you use a fresh bag of pretzels for this recipe. While I’m not sure if the hubs really noticed or not, I did. I spiced things up to try to mask that flavor I tasted. Honestly, I don’t even know if he noticed it. I’ve noticed that, lately, I’ve been uber sensitive to the flavor of plastic; bags, containers, wraps. So, maybe he didn’t taste it at all.
What I DO know, is that this chicken, stale pretzels and all, was delicious. I loved the crunch from the pretzels and the panko. The herbs and spices were perfect for these oven baked chicken tenders. The crispy potatoes and earthy sprouts really made for a well-balanced meal. And since the chicken is baked instead of fried, you can easily serve this up to your family and know that they’re eating an amazingly healthy meal!
What snack food would you coat chicken with?

Sheet Pan Pretzel Chicken Dinner
Make dinner fun for the family and serve up some delicious chicken fingers! Sheet Pan Pretzel Chicken Dinner is not only kid friendly but also budget friendly and quick.
Ingredients
- 1 cup pretzel crumbs
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup egg substitute
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 4 cups Dutch baby potatoes
- 4 cups quartered Brussels sprouts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Combine the first six ingredients (pretzel crumbs through black pepper) in a shallow dish. Place the flour and the egg substitute in separate shallow dishes. Set aside.
- Place the potatoes and Brussels sprouts in a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and coated with cooking spray
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the pretzel mixture and place on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and coated with cooking spray.
- Place both pans in the oven and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and stir the potatoes and sprouts and bake an addition 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are fork tender.
Notes
PEP Counts:
Veg - 2
Bread - 5
Meat - 3
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 733Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 52mgSodium 2063mgCarbohydrates 101gFiber 10gSugar 7gProtein 38g
Pretzels Everywhere!
- Cheddar Garlic Soft Pretzels by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Homemade Dijon Mustard by Art of Natural Living
- Pretzel Croissants by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Sheet Pan Pretzel Chicken Dinner by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Sourdough Cheddar Soft Pretzels by That Recipe
- Spicy Jalapeno Pretzel Mix by Palatable Pastime
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This looks like a perfect adaptation to cooking with what’s on hand. I was surprised it wasn’t an old family recipe!
I always have pretzels in the pantry. Getting stale. It’s a great way to use up what’s on hand that isn’t snack worthy.
Mmmm. I love pretzel crusted chicken! Can’t wait to try this sheet pan meal!
So so good! I bet J would love this.
Panko and pretzels together for chicken fingers sounds so creative! Plus, it looks amazing.
So much crunch!
Pretzels would never go bad in my house. I am lucky if they last a few days with my guys. I will have to hide some in order to make this because of course they would love it.
That’s what I use the freezer for. The hubs NEVER goes in there except for ice cream.
I love this recipe idea! I have half a bag of pretzels leftover from my recipe this month and we don’t snack on pretzels that often – so using as a coating for chicken sounds ideal! Thank you for the idea!!
You’re welcome!
Wow, that looks so good! I can almost taste the crunch!
They definitely were crunchy!! Thank you, Cynthia!
I am loving the combo of panko and pretzels in this. I’m pretty sure my family would love this!
Thank you, Des! I’m sure they would. Anything coated with snack foods is delicious to kids.