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Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauceโ€”a family favorite loved by all! Simple pretzel-crusted chicken baked on a sheet pan until crispy and delicious. The salty pretzel crumbs are the secret. But my spicy honey mustard cheese sauceโ€”well, itโ€™s even more special. Melty cheddar cheese with mustard, honey, and cayenne for some spiciness. It’s the perfect appetizer for game day snacking that doubles as a fun family dinner.

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

And just like that, Monday night football is back. Sunday, Monday, and even Thursday nights in September and October have always held some special memories for me. Any night there’s a football game on, my dad and brothers always have the game on in the background. For me, this is comfort. It reminds me of those cozy fall nights back home in Cleveland.

On game nights, my dad would often make his homemade chicken fingers, or on very rare occasions, we’d actually order out and pick up BW3’s boneless chicken wings and baskets of fries.

I used to love those easy effortless meals. They certainly made game night more fun!

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

Very excited to have these fall nights back! My mom suggested some boneless wings for dinner a few weeks back and that’s when I thought up this recipe. She LOVES a boneless breaded chicken.

I make mine with the yummiest pretzel coating and a spicy honey mustard cheese sauce that really gets everyone excited. You can serve these just as is, enjoy them as an appetizer, or make them into a dinner with a big fall salad, and maybe a side of rice or homemade french fries.

YUM!

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

These are the details

Step 1: prepare the coating

Take a whole bunch of salted pretzel twists and blend them into crumbs using a food processor. To the pretzels, add flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.

Using a bit of flour in the mix ensures the chicken gets coated.

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 2: coat the chicken

Next beat an egg in a shallow bowl. Add the crumbs to another bowl. Toss the chicken with the egg, then dredge each piece of chicken through the salty pretzel crumbs.

I like to use chicken tenders for this. Tenders are super easy because you won’t have to cut the chicken. They’re ready to go!

Bake the chicken with olive oil until they’re crispy all around, usually about 20 minutes.

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 3: to make the cheese sauce

I warm together butter and flour, then add milk and a melty cheddar cheese. Finish with dijon mustard, honey, and cayenne pepper and stir until everything is warm and melty.

Absolutely nothing fancy, but oh so good! It’s a bit spicy but sweet, tangy, and cheesy too! Oslo loves hot sauce, so he loves this sauce too. For anyone who doesn’t love a little heat, ketchup works too!

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 4: serve

Serve the chicken with the warm cheese sauce. You can drizzle the sauce on the chicken or dip the chicken in the sauce. It’s so delicious, you might as well just do both!

Looking forward to making these chicken fingers throughout the fall. My family certainly seems to love them!

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other Monday night/game night recipes? Try these!

One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake

Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeรฑo Crema

Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes

One Skillet Cheesy Green Chile Chicken

Sheet Pan Honey Buffalo Chicken with Broccoli

Baked Garlic Parmesan Boneless Wings

Lastly, if you make Pretzel Chicken Fingers, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I always love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, donโ€™t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Cheese Sauce.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 421 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Cheese Sauce

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425ยฐ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. In a shallow bowl, mix the pretzel crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, and flour. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, add the chicken, and toss well to coat.
    4. Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, covering fully. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp all around.
    5. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the cider and cheese until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the dijon, honey, and cayenne.
    6. Serve the chicken with lots of warm cheese sauce for dipping.
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Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce | halfbakedharvest.com

5 from 3 votes

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and the whole family loved it! It can definitely be challenging to find something to make for dinner that all 3 kids like, so I was happy this past the test!

      1. 5 stars
        Hey Tieghan,

        This was delicious but when I made the cheese sauce it came out almost like a paste? Still delicious but just not like your sauce. Any ideas?

        1. Hey Brandon,
          Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for sharing your notes! Hmm, sorry about the cheese sauce. Did you use freshly grated cheese or cheese from a bag? Have a great fall weekend! xT

  2. This looks terrific. Perfect for the Super Bowl. When you use chicken tenders (whether in this recipe or others) do you cut out the sinew in each one?

  3. Hello! What is the difference between using cider/apple cider and milk for the cheese sauce? Do you prefer one over the other?

    1. Hi Yves,
      I love using apple cider in the fall as it gives this a touch of sweetness and a little more depth, but milk is just as delicious! I hope you love this recipe! xT

    1. Hi Elle,
      It’s such a small amount of honey that I didn’t find it to be too sweet:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT

  4. 5 stars
    Very nice recipe chef ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿ‘.I had them for supper .Thank you for your effort ๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒž๐Ÿ˜Ž

    1. Hi Jasson,
      Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great week:)