RR Recipe Sucess!

I was a little wary of trying another Rachael Ray recipe, after the last one I tried, that wasn't very good. Not to mention that I feel like sometimes her recipes involve a billion ingredients and kind of unusual things that I don't have around the house. I watched her make this recipe and it had minimal ingredients. It certainly was a big hit (with Keith and myself), but be advised it makes a BIG mess, as well... here it is:

Pretzel and Peanut-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 bag salted pretzels, any shape
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• 16 chicken tenders or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips half an inch thick
• 1/4 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil (eyeball it)
• Honey mustard or barbeque sauce, for drizzling

Yields:

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°F

Place pretzels and peanuts in a food processor or blender and grind until fine. Transfer to a shallow dish, add thyme, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.

Crack and beat 2 eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water.

Coat the chicken in the ground pretzels and peanuts, then the egg, then the pretzels again.

Preheat a large skillet with EVOO, enough to go 1/4 inch up the sides of the skillet, over medium-high heat. Add coated chicken pieces to the hot oil. Cook in a single layer, in two batches if necessary, about 3-4 minutes on each side, until cutlets' juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned. Transfer finished chicken strips to the oven to keep warm as you cook remaining strips.

Serve topped with a drizzle of honey mustard or barbecue sauce and Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Honey alongside.

:) It was delicious! PS-- if you know me you know that I don't like sweet potatoes, so I didn't do the sweet potatoes part... but if you like sweet potatoes, go for it! :)