Cheesy Pretzel Chicken Skewers

​My children have always loved Goldfish crackers.  I mean really LOVED the cheesy aquatic snack.  I started to feed them Goldfish when they were just toddlers, barely able to pick them up in their tiny fingers and get them into their mouths.

​I think Courtney has only grown more fond of the cheesy crackers over the years.  She eats at least 2 bags of Goldfish a month.  Last summer I discovered a similar cracker available at Wal Mart stores for a slightly cheaper price.  Instead of the classic fish shape, the store-brand crackers sported a darling little penguin shape.  (Super cute.)  Much to my delight, my daughter actually said that she "preferred" the less expensive, store brand crackers to the original.  (Bonus cost savings for mom.)  I jumped on that bandwagon and stocked up the pantry with these new favorite snack crackers. 

About a month ago, I noticed that I hadn't had to replace the crackers for several weeks.  Naturally, I inquired about why my daughter had a sudden loss of interest in the cheese crackers.  My daughters reply "They just aren't as good as Goldfish."  Uuuuugggg!

A month ago, the penguins were the best thing on the face of the earth.  Today, they're so repulsive that she couldn't seem to choke one down if that was the last thing to eat in the house.  Gotta love kids!

So here I am with a bin full of penguins and a child who wont even consider eating them so what am I to do?  Sneak them into her dinner of course.  Isn't that what you would do?

I saw a cute idea on Pinterest for Cheesy Pretzel Chicken Pops from www.aspicyperspective.com  and it seemed like the perfect way to use up the remaining penguin crackers that my daughter refused to eat.  The concept was a simple - a chicken tender on a skewer (the "pop") coated in a pretzel and cheese cracker coating.  Perfect!

Cheesy Pretzel Chicken Skewers
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
skewers
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cheese crackers
12 pretzel rods
1 Tablespoon butter

​

Cut chicken into strips.

​Thread onto skewers that had been soaked in water for at least 20 minutes.

​Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl.

​Combine crackers and pretzels in a food processor.  Process until finely chopped.

Dip each skewer into buttermilk and then crumbs.

Bake 15 minutes at 450.

 Drizzle the chicken with melted butter.  Serve with honey mustard.

Well, I tricked Courtney into finishing the penguin crackers after all, and the truth is - she loved them.  I loved them too - we all did.  Ryan even asked if he could take the leftovers in his lunch the next day.  (I actually did a little happy dance right there in the kitchen after that comment.)  My sneaky way of using up leftover crackers and pretzels turned into a yummy meal that we all enjoyed.

Ciao!

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