Bad Jokes and Good Chicken

The other day I made a terrible joke, "cross your chicken fingers." When the teasing subsided, I decided I was in the mood for some crispy chicken fingers. After taking stock of what I had on hand to experiment with, I ended up with a pretty deliciously simple meal.

Recipe for Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Fingers with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes (for 2):

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces, cut into 8 strips
• 2 cups salted pretzels
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp olive oil for frying

For the potatoes:

• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Bring salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes until soft. Meanwhile, heat the 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix the equal parts dijon and honey to make a tangy honey-mustard sauce. Using a mortar and pestle if you have it, or a hammer and plastic bag, crush the pretzels into a fine breading. Dredge the chicken pieces in flour, then using a basting brush, paint the chicken pieces with honey-mustard, and then roll around in the pretzel until coated. Fry the chicken in the skillet over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden and just firm.

For the potatoes, once they are cooked through so that they easily pierced with a fork, drain the water and return to the stove with the heat off. Add the butter, milk, chipotle powder, salt and pepper, and mash until everything is incorporated and you reach your desired texture.