The dipping sauce that is served with this chicken is also the perfect touch! It is a cranberry-mustard sauce and I wish I made a bigger pot of it. My daughter, Taylor, also loves sweets and basically ate this sauce straight out of the bowl. Taylor is also a big fan of pretzels so this was easy for me to almost trick her into eating this chicken. I kept telling her it was a giant pretzel.
The benefits of cranberries are also worth having your child become a big fan of them. They are low in calories and fat which is always a plus. One serving of cranberries contains 3 grams of dietary fiber. This is a significant amount for such a small serving of food. We all know fiber helps to keep the digestive system flowing so fiber is definitely a positive spin on this sauce. Not sure if this is TMI, but cranberries also help to prevent UTI's, which are one of the worst experiences a woman can deal with.
Ingredients to make this dish
You will need coconut or avocado cooking spray, 1 pound of chicken tenders, ¼ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp. poultry seasoning, ¼ tsp. ground black pepper, ¼ tbsp. whole wheat flour, 3 cups of pretzels, smashed. The pretzels can either be smashed using a meat mallet and pressing down on them or my favorite way is to toss them into a large sealable plastic bag and have your kids smash them to bits :). The last of the ingredients are 2 large eggs, 1 ½ cups cranberries (fresh or frozen and thawed), ²⁄3 cup orange juice, ¼ cup pure honey, and 1 tbsp. Annie's dijon mustard!
How to make this meal
First, preheat oven to 400°. Place a baking rack on a rimmed baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Next, toss chicken in a bowl with poultry seasoning, himalayan salt, and ground black pepper. Sprinkle flour over the chicken and toss again.
Then, place pretzels on a paper plate with rimmed edges or in a sealable plastic bag. Crush with a meat mallet until coarsely crushed or hand your kids the bag and have them go at it 🙂 Pour pretzels into a shallow dish. Beat the eggs in another bowl and shake off any excess flour from the chicken and dip in the eggs, then roll in the pretzels. Transfer to the prepared rack. Coat the chicken with cooking spray and bake about 20 min.
How to make cranberry sauce
Meanwhile, combine cranberries, orange juice, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 min. Let cool for 5 min. Then, puree in a blender or mini food processor until smooth. Mix in the mustard and serve with the pretzel chicken.
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