Mustard Pretzel Chicken

I'm currently in a "clean out the pantry" mode. Anyone else read Marie Kondo's book? We are currently in a major purge phase over here. And luckily for you, that means a great new recipe was invented. 

I had a bag of half eaten mustard pretzels and I didn't want to just toss them, but I didn't want them taking up real estate in my somewhat limited pantry space. So Mustard Pretzel Chicken was born. The chicken comes out nice and juice, with a tart and tangy crunch on the outside. 

Ingredients: 
3 large chicken breasts
2 cups mustard pretzels 
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon culinary lavender
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey mustard
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You will need to use a food processor for this recipe. I tried getting around it and just hand smashing my preztels with a rolling pin, but I couldn't get them small enough. So just go ahead and pull out your food processor. Luckily we will use it for 2 steps in this recipe. Pulse your pretzels until they are fairly course chunks. You don't want them to be powdery like a flour, but you don't want huge pieces either. Place them in a bowl and set aside. 

Then with your food processor running, add your oil, lavender, vinegar, both mustards, water, and salt and pepper. Process until well emulsified then add 1/2 of that into a shallow dish. Dredge your chicken with the mustard sauce, then cover each side with pretzel crumbs. Place it on a wire baking rack and place it on the top shelf of your oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes depending on how large your chicken breasts are. You want to make sure they are cooked through. When you are done you can serve this over lettuce and use the remaining mustard sauce as dressing. 

This chicken manages to be both crunchy and juicy at the same time. If you are a mustard fan, you will certainly love this meal. And the lavender really makes the sauce. I'm always surprised when I can taste subtle hints of lavender in a dish, how well it really elevates the flavor. Let us know what you think!