- 3 large or 4 small chicken breasts, sliced into long, thick strips
- ½ c. mayonnaise, divided
- 3/4 c. panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic salt
- ½ tsp. celery salt
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- Oil, for frying
- 2 c. sliced cabbage
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- 1 T. honey
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 4 pretzel buns, toasted
Preheat the oven to 300° F.
Combine the chicken pieces with 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise in a large bowl, making sure they are well-coated. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Mix together the next ten ingredients (panko through crushed red pepper flakes) in a shallow bowl. Take the chicken out of the fridge. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
Heat a large pan of vegetable oil until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken.
Make the coleslaw by placing the cabbage and carrot in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, mustard, honey, lemon juice, and black pepper.
To assemble, place 3-4 chicken strips on the bottom half of each of the pretzel buns. Spoon the coleslaw generously onto the chicken and top with the top half of each pretzel bun. Serve immediately.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 40 minutes