Place one hand flat on top of the chicken breast to steady it. Carefully slice through the middle of the breast horizontally, keeping the knife parallel to the cutting board.
Cut each of the flattened chicken pieces into 2 pieces (width wise) to create four separate pieces.
Place chicken in between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or inside of a zip top bag, and using a mallet or rolling pin start pounding meat in the center and work out toward the edges. Use firm, even pressure to gently flatten to about ¼ inch thickness.
Season each piece of chicken generously with salt, black pepper, and garlic.
Set up your dredging station by placing flour, beaten eggs, and panko bread crumbs into 3 separate shallow dishes.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet (I used cast iron) on medium-high heat.
Dredge chicken in the flour mixture, then eggs, then into the bread crumbs – pressing into the cutlet to coat it evenly. For extra crispy chicken you can repeat the flour/egg step, then go to the bread crumbs.
Working in small batches, place chicken into hot pan and cook until each side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side, checking to make sure it's not burning.
Transfer to a cooling rack, repeating until remaining chicken is all fried.
In a small bowl, mix together the dijon mustard and honey. Set aside.
Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. (Or use a flat top grill.)
Butter the inside of each pretzel bun and place in the pan butter side down to brown up a bit and warm through.
Flip each bun and place a piece of Swiss cheese on the buttered side of the bottom buns, reserving the bun tops for later.
Reduce heat to low if bottom of buns are browning too quickly.
At the same time, place the ham in the pan, flipping at least once. Once warmed through, transfer the ham evenly divided between each of the buns on top of the cheese.
Place a piece of the crispy fried chicken on top of the ham on each bun.
If cheese is not yet melted, leave the sandwiches in the pan for another minute or so to fully melt.
Spread honey mustard on the reserved tops of each bun (should be enough for 1 tablespoon each) and place the top buns on each of the other halves. If you have extra sauce, simply serve it on the side.
Cut in half if desired and serve warm!
