When I first got married, I was continually looking for easy and quick recipes that caused my hubby to think I might possibly know what I was doing in the kitchen. Quite ironically, it’s eighteen years later, and I still look for the same kind of recipes, but now I do know what I am doing in the kitchen.
This Cracker Chicken Recipe tops my list as one of the easiest recipes for beginner cooks, yet you just might find it stays in your recipe repertoire for years to come. The beauty of this basic cheesy chicken concept is that each time you make it, you can add and tweak the recipe to your hearts content.
Not only is it one of my Ten Minute Dinner recipes, but it also comes under my “Cooking with Kids” category. This week I specifically chose this recipe because of my Pantry Challenge – trying to use up what I have on hand.
As I was organizing, I found three packages of open crackers – Ritz, Saltines and a store brand, complements of my children. All of them were less than fresh, making this a perfect recipe to use up slightly stale crackers, since they cook up deliciously.
Enjoy the simplicity of this cheesy, chicken recipe, just don’t share your secrets on how easy it is.
Recipe: Cheesy Cracker Chicken Recipe
Summary: With only three ingredients, this cracker chicken recipe couldn’t be much easier, yet the chicken is moist, delicious, and passes the picky eater challenge every time.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (1 stick)
- 4 whole chicken breasts, boneless or split (skinned, if desired)
- 4 cups cheese crackers, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Pour melted butter in a shallow dish
- Roll Chicken Breasts in butter, then in the cracker crumbs.
- Arrange chicken in baking dish. Pour any extra butter over chicken breasts.
- Bake for approximately 50 minutes until fully cooked. * this time will vary greatly on your chicken breasts,
Preparation time: 2 minute(s)
Cooking time: 30 – 50 minute(s) depending on thickness and size of chicken (until chicken is fork tender and fully cooked)
If you want to speed up the cooking time, you may pound down the chicken or slice it in half for thinner breasts. Cooking time will be less.
Number of servings (yield): 6 – 8
After you make it once, tweaking is easy based on your preferences. Rarely do I make this now where I do not add lots of yummy seasonings to the cracker mixture; garlic, onion powder, paprika, lemon pepper – whatever your favorites tend to be.
If you like a creamier texture, try mixing a can of cream soup and a pint of sour cream (or even cream cheese) and pour over the chicken, then add the crumbled crackers and butter. Are you a cheese lover? Don’t forget adding shredded cheese to the top. The fat content with this is high due to the butter. Do you want it to be lower in fat? Use less butter, add a dash of cooking wine and season the chicken liberally. Add broccoli florets to the baking dish to make it a whole meal. There are so many fun options to this.
This picture catalogs proof of how dinner can be whipped up in less than two minutes. One thawed package of chicken lurked in our fridge, so I threw the few chicken breasts on our toaster oven tray and then sprinkled crushed crackers, seasonings like garlic salt and onion powder, along with fresh Parmesan cheese. I finished by pouring butter over the top and baked in toaster oven.
Sometimes we over think dinner. This recipe isn’t for those attempting to achieve gourmet greatness, but rather for those of us desiring to get a home cooked meal on the table, without resorting to pre-packaged convenience. This is both cost effective, quick and delicious.
I get rid of the crumbs of potato chips in the same way.. super easy & fast.. And its yummy too!
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Jen Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Absolutely – Potato chips would ROCK that chicken. 🙂
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I love this! What a wonderful and simple idea!! Thanks for sharing!!! Sounds perfect for my picky boys that even hubby and I would enjoy! Love your version!!!
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I love quick and easy entree recipes – and if they include butter – well, yum! I have a quick skillet chicken ‘go to’ recipe also just a few ingredients. Chicken strips, butter, honey and orange juice – and it is always tender and yummy. By the time the chicken is cooked, the rice is ready and dinner is a go! It’s just as fast as ‘fast food’, way cheaper and totally tasty! Yeah for old stand-by’s!
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This is the perfect recipe for our family! I will be putting it on the menu this week! Or maybe next, but how awesome!
thank you!
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My Grandma Tillie (RIP, love you!!) made chicken like this!!
Her recipe came from the Los Angeles Times, more than
50 years ago. It was called Cheez-It-Chicken. The only difference
being that the skinned chicken pieces were first rolled in sour cream, then
the crushed cheese crackers. Melted butter poured on top, then baked.
DELICIOUS!!! Grated cheese was never added, just salt, pepper..maybe garlic powder.
SOOO good..always a fight to “clean” the baking pan!! Thanks for prompting a memory of
the best dish EVER! -ann
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Both times I’ve made this, it’s taken an hour in the oven instead of the 30 minutes you suggest. And that’s using 3 chicken breasts, not 4. Does it really only take 30 min at 350 for you?
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Jen Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
ACk – you know what? I realized that when I did it, I had sliced the chicken breasts in half and that would completely affect the cooking time. So very sorry. I adjusted my directions, although I can’t imagine it taking an whole hour. Might I suggest pounding it down to speed up the time just a bit next time?? Hope it was still tasty, even though you waited patiently.
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KimH Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 8:12 pm
@Jen, I buy my chicken breasts frozen from Costco and they are thin & only take 30 minutes in the oven. The time was perfect for the ones I buy.
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Jen Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
@KimH, Oh Phew. Thank you so much for commenting. I will adjust the time to note that. 🙂
I know this is an old post, but I just happened across it and had a question….Would this work in the crockpot, or would the crackers get soggy? I ask because our oven is out of commission right now, so I’m down to using a pot on a single burner, a crockpot, and a microwave for my cooking.
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