Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Moderation is key. This especially applies to important things in life. You know, like how much work can I really get away with putting off at the last minute? Or how many chocolate pieces should I allow myself to eat, if I work extra hard when exercising today? Yes, moderation is definitely key.

Today, I have overdone it.

Tonight's dinner consisted of 3 simple main ingredients:

chicken breast, Ritz crackers, and cheese

But the way I did it, it was more like:

chicken breast, Ritz crackers, and cheese, cheESE, CHEESE...

Mmm...CHEEEEESE. I can't even begin to tell you my growing love affair with sharp cheddar. So simple, yet so...cheddary. I grew up in a household that had very little to no dairy products in the fridge. That's how it is when you have lactose-intolerant Asian parents and a lifetime of Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine that requires practically no dairy.

Sorry mom and dad, but I'm about to start an age of quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches and now, some cheesy main courses.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken? More like Cheddary Cheddar Chicken. Now say that 3 times fast.

Yes, I have overdone it tonight. And in my excitement of all things cheesy [foods and punchlines], I forgot to take an after picture of the chicken swimming in all its cheesy glory. And as much as I love cheese, I would have rather had the chicken actually be more crispy. Well, you live and you learn. And then you have more cheese.

With all this talk about cheese, you must be wondering why this plate looks at least slightly decent. It's because I added a lot of cream of chicken soup/sauce. Sometimes, excessiveness is helpful.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

From Jamie Cooks It Up!

Makes 7 servings

chicken ingredients

4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers, or other buttery crackers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup milk

3 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon dried parsley

sauce ingredients

1 can (~10 ounces) cream of chicken soup

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons butter

equipment prep:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.

prepare chicken:

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 even chunks.

2. Grind up the Ritz crackers into crumbs in a small food processor. If you don't have one, this can also be done by putting the crackers in a Ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin, meat tenderizer, hammer, or anything you can smash them with. Or you can also crush them by hand; it'll just take longer. Then mix the salt & pepper into the cracker crumbs

3. Pour the milk, cheese, and cracker crumbs into 3 separate containers.

4. Coat the chicken breasts accordingly: milk --> cheese --> cracker crumbs

If you want the chicken to come out more crispy, as it should, try to coat a thin layer of the cheese and be very generous when coating with cracker crumbs.

5. Place prepared chicken in pan and sprinkle dried parsley over chicken.

bake:

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400°F for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken become golden brown and crispy.

stovetop:

In a medium saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Whisk everything together and stir over medium-high heat until sauce is hot. Serve over chicken and garnish with some dried parsley.

enjoy:

Absolutely delicious on its own, but I think some steamed veggies on the side would add nicely to make a well-rounded dinner. Or some rice on the side would go well too, but I think that's just the Asian in me.