Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Weeknight Inspiration: Cheddar Chicken


Saw this in the last issue of Real Simple so decided to give it a go.  Good call.  Best new recipe I've had in a long time.  You can see the recipe in the magazine but trust me, after giving it a go, if you use these changes, it'll be out of control.  And this is a seriously good recipe for weeknights or entertaining because it is so easy and there is very little clean up because you bake the chicken on foil. 

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 Ritz crackers
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove of garlic, finely minced or grated
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or dried, just decrease the amount slightly)

Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.  Let them come to room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the Ritz crackers in a bowl and crush.  I used the bottom of a small juice glass which worked perfectly.  Add the cheese and garlic and thyme.  (Note: the original recipe had you mix the salt and pepper in with the mix but I found the chicken could have done with some separate seasoning.  The thyme isn't in the original recipe but would have made it awesome.)  Mix with a spoon so all ingredients are mixed together.



Line a baking tray with tinfoil.  Dip each chicken breast into the cheese and cracker mixture and coat thoroughly on each side.  Place evenly on the baking sheet. 

Bake for approximately 30 minutes.  For the last minute or two, turn the oven up to broil so that the crackers and cheese crust up.

We had ours with herbed rice pilaf and my favorite LeSeur peas (if you have never had these, GET THEM).  Such a delicious supper!


In addition to tasting great, your house will smell divine!

1 comment:

  1. I saw that, too, and I thought it looked tasty (and more importantly, easy!!!). Glad you tried it!

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