Ritz Cracker Chicken

Ritz Cracker Chicken: Buttery, crunchy chicken that is baked not fried. This easy recipe has only 5 ingredients, and tastes way better than Shake and Bake!

If I had to pick one meat to eat the rest of my life it would be chicken. Why you may ask? Because chicken is so versatile. It’s a great vehicle for flavor, whether it is Fiesta lime or buffalo.   Buttery ritz crackers making the perfect crunchy crust. Plus we always have them on hand in our pantry for quick snacks.  Using them for breading might not be the first thing you’d think of, but I promise you that ritz cracker chicken will be a recipe your family will ask for again and again.

Goes great with:

Homemade Baked Beans

Bacon Pea Salad

Cheesy Biscuits

How To Make Ritz Cracker Chicken

This is the perfect easy supper. You’ll only need 5 ingredients plus salt and pepper. It makes it easy to get dinner on the table after work, or before sports practice. The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Looking for more winner winner chicken dinners? Also try my Baked Mustard Chicken.

You’ll need three stations set up for your dredging. I suggest using shallow dishes. Fill one of the dishes with Ritz cracker crumbs. You’ll probably use about two sleeves of the crackers. The fun part is turning those crackers into crumbs. If you have kids they can get in on this part too. Smash those crackers to bits! Put them in a gallon size ziplock bag and beat them, smash them, or roll them with a rolling pin. However you want to do it, there’s no wrong way to smash something. Bye bye aggression. I don’t have one, but if you do feel free to use a food processor too to speed up the process.

Then, in the other two dishes you’ll put your shredded cheddar cheese , milk, and salt/pepper to taste. Next, cut each chicken breast into three pieces. Dip each strip into the milk first,then into the cheese and finally into the cracker crumbs. Remember to use the dry hand, wet hand method to make it easier. That’s simply using one hand to dip your chicken into the milk, and your other hand to roll the strips in the cheese and crumbs. This will prevent you from turning into a sticky crumby monster! Been there done that, learned the hard way! 🙂

Finally, put the chicken strips into the dish and sprinkle with parsley. Cover them with foil and bake for thirty minutes, and then uncover and bake for ten more minutes.

Related: Jamaican Jerk Chicken

How To Thaw Chicken Breasts?

There are different ways to thaw your chicken breasts. The safest way is to leave them  in your refrigerator. If you forgot to use this method ,and you are in a hurry to thaw your chicken, you can also submerge them in cold water. I like to use a plastic baggie, and change out the water every 25-30 minutes. It will take around three hours, depending on the amount of chicken you are thawing.

If you are really in a hurry the microwave is a great option too. I usually do 2-3 minutes on the defrost setting. Just be sure to use immediately after thawing.

Avoid thawing chicken on the counter top at all costs. We grew up doing this, but now realize it is not a safe thing to do.

How Long To Defrost Chicken Breasts?

The best way to defrost chicken is overnight in the refrigerator. Or use the cold water method mentioned above to defrost in a few hours, or the microwave to defrost in a few minutes!

How Long does it Take Chicken Breast to bake?

This is a tricky question because there are a few variables. The thickness of the chicken is the biggest factor. If you have strips like this recipe it should take about 40 minutes total to cook. The best thing to do is check the temperature.

At What Temperature is Chicken Breast Done?

The temperature you want to cook chicken to is 165 degrees F.

Serve With

I love to go southern with my chicken. My favorite is green beans and mashed potatoes. It also goes great with tater tots,  corn on the cob, or even broccoli salad.

If your family has a picky eater, try this recipe out on them. I think they’ll love it. Especially if that someone is a child and you let them smash the crackers. They will feel invested in the dinner too and be more likely to enjoy it.

Serve With

 Pea Salad with Bacon

More Chicken Recipes

Potato Chip Chicken

Ritz Cracker Chicken

Ritz Cracker Chicken

4.91 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 1301kcal

Author: Krystle Smith

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ▢ 2 Sleeves Ritz Crackers Crushed
• ▢ ½ Cup Whole Milk
• ▢ 3 Cups Cheddar Cheese Shredded
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
• ▢ Salt and Pepper To Taste

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non stick cooking spray.
• Set up 3 shallow dishes. Fill one with Ritz cracker crumbs, and one with cheese. Fill the last with milk, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Cut each chicken breast into 3 strips. Dip into milk first, then cheese, then cracker crumbs. Place into prepared dish. Sprinkle with parsley.
• Bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Nutrition

Calories: 1301kcal

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Recipe adapted via: Gonna Want Seconds

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