I have a simple dinner recipe for you today. Simple and easy and tasty and smile provoking…an all around treasure.
I love it when smiles are provoked. Heck. I’ll take a smile from my kids even without provoking it! It’s just so much nicer when people smile instead of whine.
Do you like whining?
Not a fan, myself.
Speaking of my children…the other day we were watching a cooking show on The Food Network and one of my kids said…
“Hey Mom, you like to cook.
Why don’t you be the cooker on that show?”
My response?
“I’m pretty sure The Food Network frowns upon cookers who use cream of chicken soup. I think I’m out.”
Especially since just last week three of the trial recipes I made for this little ol blog
crashed and burned in failure. I used real cream in all of them!
Cross your fingers that real cream and I can become friends soon.
I hear from the good folks on The Food Network that it’s a mighty fine ingredient.
Now. Do I feel embarrassed about cooking with cream of chicken soup? Heavens no! I just bought three cases of it last month.
Should you feel embarrassed about cooking with
cream of chicken soup?
Of course not!
Are you the cooking she-rah for your family or what?
Do make food that provokes a smile?
Do your family members occasionally say things like…
“You are The Bomb, Mom. What ever you made with that trusty old cream of chicken soup is rocking my world.”
I thought so.
I knew you were great!
We cream of chicken soup lovin’ ladies have to stick together.
The following sides go well with this recipe. Pick one or two and you’ll have yourself one fine meal. 
Rice Pilaf with Almonds
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Baked French Fries
Roasted Broccoli with Balsamic Glaze
Glazed Rosemary Carrots
Roasted Asparagus
Crispy Cheddar Chicken
Time: 15 minute prep + 35 minutes baking
Yield: 7 servings
Recipe from adapted from What’s Cookin’ Chicago via Pinterest
Chicken:
4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 C milk
3 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 t dried parsley
Sauce:
1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 T sour cream
2 T butter
1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks.
2. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers.
3. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.
4. 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.
Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in. By the time you are coating the last piece of chicken, the dish you are using for the crumbs will be full of cheese. Don’t let it get you down. Once the cheese melts in the oven it will adhere nicely to the crumbs and the crackers.
5. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.
6. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.
7. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.
8. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.
Enjoy!
I use cream of any type of soup a lot! I always have cans of them in my pantry. This recipe looks fantastic I will be trying it soon!
I am the queen of Cream of Chicken recipes… lol… great to find a new one.
I made this for my family last month and my family absolutely LOVED it!!! It was gone in a matter of minutes. I have this on my menu board to fix again this week! Thanks for posting this! Found you via Pinterest!
I could see people having trouble getting cheese to stick if you are using the pre shredded cheese. That stuff is coated with chemicalsthat have anticaking agents in it. That means it won't stick. Use fresh cheddar and grate it yourself and pat it on. That is what I did and it stuck on just fine. I think the Kraft cheddar is a moistercheese than most so try that too. I loved this recipe and I did not alter it at all. Thank you for a new family favorite!
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! I found the milk made it harder for the cheese to stick. I stopped using the milk halfway through and also started putting cheese only on the top, because the cheese on the bottom caused the chicken to stick to the foil-lined pan I used.
I used whole wheat Ritz crackers so I could pretend this was really healthy.
Thanks for sharing!
Oh, and forgot the most important part–I didn't make the sauce. The chicken was delicious and lighter without it!
Jamie,
Can I use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar? will it make a big difference?
Thanks for the help! Saw your recipe via Pinterest!
-Alicia
Alicia,
It might be just okay with mozzarella. You need a cheese that has a bit more bite to it, like the cheddar or perhaps Parmesan. However, I haven't ever tried it with mozzarella and it may be great. Let me know if you give it a go.
Thanks!
~Jamie
Thank you Jamie!! I'll let you know how it goes!! Thanks for the help!
Alicia
I just wanted to say thank you for the recipe! I've made it a few times and it's absolutely delicious. I've posted this link on my Pinterest board, as well as my facebook page.
Thanks again!! YUM-O!
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! My two-year-old usually doesn't eat chicken, and not only did he eat tons of this, he even ate broccoli dipped in the sauce! My husband loved it too, especially the crusty cheesy bits at the edges. The only changes I made were that I pounded the chicken pieces a little flatter and I cooked them on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet instead of in a baking dish. I didn't have parsley flakes, so I garnished the finished dish with fresh parsley. Amazing recipe!
Made this tonight! Changed it a bit. Dipped chicken in ranch instead of milk. Also used some garlic and herb wheat crackers. Turned out amazing!!!
Delicious!! My three picky eaters loved the chicken AND the sauce. Amazing for all of them to agree on food if it doesn't come from McDonald's. Hubby loved it, too. Thanks for the great recipe. Keep 'em coming'!! From “trying to be a better cook”….
I made this for dinner tonight. (Substitued frozen tenderloins.) My kids asked for seconds, they thanked me for dinner, it was YUUUUMMMMYY!! Thanks so much for sharing & helping me look like the BEST! MOM! EVER!
Try Nestle's Table Cream – it comes in a can and is either with the other can milks or in the Spanish food section – mixed with some bouillon powder or chicken soup base. It doesn't break like fresh cream can. Depending on what you are making you may need two cans. HTH
This looks really great! We may try it out we this week!
Looks yummy!! Love the fact that you are using cream of chicken soup. Both of my kids love that. I will be trying this tonight, Thanks!!
made this tonight, it was delicious and the entire (very picky) family liked it! thanks for sharing!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Thanks!
Hello, I am new to cooking and this is a dumb question but is the t teaspoon and T tablespoon? this is what I'm assuming. thank you!
Anonymous,
Yes, you are correct. T for tablespoon and t for teaspoon. Good luck!
~Jamie
I saw this recipe on Pinterest and made it according to the directions. It was delicious!!! Was just as tasty the next day as leftovers
I just made this tonight and the whole family LOVED it. I have a picky husband and 2 kids with wide ranging allergies so its hard to find meals I can make. This is definately going to be a go-to dinner around here from now on! Cant wait to try some of your other stuff. Thank you! Thank God for Pinterest too!!!
Made this tonight – SO good! Even my super picky husband liked it. Thank you!!
Made it tonight with homemade mashed potatoes, corn bread and green beans. My son said it was the best dinner he's had in a long time. Question though, about how many calories per serving if following your recipe exactly?
YUM!! Found this recipe link on Pinterest … my family LOVED it!! Thanks so much!! I blogged (and linked) a little shout-out for you!! http://aprilbaker23.blogspot.com/2012/02/recipe-of-week.html
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Found this recipe on Pinterest over the weekend and made it tonight. My 6 year old, who has been picky lately, declared it her favorite chicken recipe. Instead of cracker crumbs, I used French's onion rings as a coating with the cheese. Was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
I made this tonight it was sooo good! Very simple and easy everyone enjoyed it! I had 5 breast so just added more cheese and crackers…the sauce by itself was okay but really liked it dipped in the chicken. I did serve it on the side just in case but everyone loved it!
This was super easy AND delicious! Everyone ate it up!
I made this today for Sunday dinner! It was so yummy! Everyone in the family LOVED it, and I have some picky eaters. Thanks for sharing. I am your newest follower.
Hi, Jamie the Cook… I am Jamee Cook! Ha! I think this looks delish… and I am making it for dinner as I type! Cant wait!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
I made this tonight and my boyfriend and roommate both loved it! I will definitely be making it again!
I was finally able to try this recipe out last night. It was delicious! The hubby loved it.
Thanks for sharing!
This recipe looks great! I would love if you linked-up this post to my blog hop giveaway for a chance to win a cookbook prize package: RecipeLion Giveaway
Spread the word to your friends. The more the merrier! Thanks.
I am going to make this tonight!
I've made this 5 times since stumbling upon your recipe. It is my new favorite thing. Campbell's makes a Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup that I use for the gravy/sauce and it is to die for!!!!!
Tried this last night- really yummy! Thanks!
Made this for me and my husband tonight. Delish!! Yum yum yum!!
I pinned this and then finally made it tonight. OMG we LOVED it!!!! And doing the sauce with it, is definitely a must! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!!
I made this tonight and it was a big success. Everyone loved it. We had stuffing and corn on the cob with it, and everyone was spreading the sauce on everything instead of just the chicken! I'm freezing the leftover sauce so we can make it again soon.
I cant wait to make this, I made the asian chicken with the sesame noodles last nite and it was fantastic, thought the french dip with the sweet potatoe fries were my favorite but now…. this is getting harder to choose! Cant wait to make the Red Lobster biscuits with this! Thanks so much you put pleasure back into cooking for me!!!!!
I made this tonight and it was so good. I was skeptical at first of how the cheese and crumbs would stay on the chicken, but they did. I just crushed up the crackers in their sleeve and it worked just as well. Definatly one we will make again.
i made this last night and it was SO good! i just made a side of roasted broccoli with it and my hubs went back for seconds! so happy i came across your blog {on pinterest}. thanks for sharing.
This recipe became a quick family favorite at our table! Thanks for sharing!
This is a keeper, my husband and I enjoyed it so much and not much time to make it, can't wait to make it for my married children when they come to visit! Thanks am enjoying your blog and I will be back to visit soon.
Why so difficult? Toss the crackers in a zipbloc bag and shake it up!
made this for dinner last night – sooo yummy & soo easy! we had a hard time getting the cheese & crackers to stick too though. hubby (the cook!) said next time we will add one egg to the milk and maybe mix the cheese & crackers – I also agree that one sleeve of crackers and less cheese would have been enough. BUT – it is just two of us so we didnt use big chicken pieces either. thanks for a great recipe!
Does it matter what kind of chicken you use?
Hi Jen,
Chicken breasts work best, chicken tenders kind of dry out quickly.
Good luck!
~Jamie
So easy my husband could make them! and so yummy we had no leftovers! This one is going in the recipe book! Thanks!
I LOVE this recipe. its made it onto our regular meal rotation
I modified it slightly and mix the cheese in with the crumbs, and I also added about 1-2 teaspoon of dried sage to it also. Oh and some white wine and garlic to the sauce 
Jodi