This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Rice Pilaf with Almonds
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Baked French Fries
Roasted Broccoli with Balsamic Glaze
Glazed Rosemary Carrots
Roasted Asparagus
Now, let me show you how to make this crispy chicken happen!
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!
Crispy Cheddar Chicken
***Note: This recipe makes a great freezer meal. Assemble the chicken according to recipe instructions, but don't bake it. Cover your pan tightly with foil and freeze. When you are ready to use it let it thaw completely and then bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. It's best to make the sauce fresh, when you are ready to eat.
Ingredients
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
Instructions
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 9x13 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.
https://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/10/crispy-cheddar-chicken/Recipe from www.jamiecooksitup.net
Recipe from adapted from What’s Cookin’ Chicago via Pinterest
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!