Crispy Cheddar Chicken

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I see this chicken every single time I get onto Pinterest.  Jamie did say it was her most viewed recipe last year and I can see why - literally!

I thought it was pretty good.  Mine didn't get very crispy, but I think that could easily be fixed by spraying the Ritz crusted chicken with a little butter spray before baking.  I am a huge fan of the rich and buttery flavor of Ritz crackers.  I have even been eating the Reduced-Fat Ritz lately and I think they are still so good, just slightly a little more crumbly than the regular ones.

I had a hard time getting the cheese to stick to the chicken and I ended up adding it in with the cracker crumbs, which helped it stick better, but I thought it was weird that my cheese didn't end up melting?  I served mine with a big side of broccoli, but I think it would be great served over rice.    

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

adapted from: Jamie Cooks It Up  
(Printable Recipe)

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. milk

3 c. Cheddar cheese, grated 

1 tsp. dried parsley

Sauce:

1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

2 Tbl. sour cream

2 Tbl. butter

Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks (I cut mine into 2 strips).  Crush the Ritz crackers by either using a food processor or by putting them in a zip-lock bag and hitting them with a rolling pin.  Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate dishes.  Add the salt and pepper to the cracker crumbs and stir around to combine.  Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then the cheese.  Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers.  Some of it will fall off when you add it to the cracker crumbs, don't worry about it.  Place the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.  

Place into a greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle dried parsley over the chicken.  Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the chicken is done and the edges are golden brown and crispy.  Into a medium-sized saucepan, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter.  Stir it over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sauce is warm.  Serve over the chicken.  Serves: 4-6.   

Jenn's Notes: This was easy to throw together and I loved that it was baked.  Next time, I will spray my Ritz crusted chicken with butter spray before baking to help it get crispier.  I used a little less cheese than the recipe called for and I did not add the butter to the sauce, but instead, added a little milk to help it reach a gravy consistency.