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Crispy Southwest Chicken

by Jamie

This amazingly flavorful and easy to put together Crispy Southwest Chicken is fabulous! If you are a long time reader, you may know of the Crispy Cheddar Chicken recipe that is living in my archives. It is, by far, my most viewed recipe of all time. Click here to see it. I have been wanting to make a version that is loaded with southwest flavor and the recipe I brought along to share with you today, is just that! Chicken strips are coated with southwest seasonings, two kinds of cheese and dredged in buttery cracker crumbs. Baked in the oven, the chicken remains tender while the cheese and crumbs melt together to form a crispy coating that is out of this world. A creamy gravy is poured over the chicken sending it right over the top. It’s kind of like fried chicken and gravy, only the chicken is baked (not fried) and is loaded with southwest flavor.

You could serve it all on its own with a crisp green salad. It would also be amazing in a warm tortilla or served with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice and warm black beans.

Hope some of you get a chance to try it!

Crispy Southwest Chicken from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Have a great day, all! Thanks for dropping by.

Crispy Southwest Chicken

Serves: 5 servings Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: NA calories Na fat
Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

  • CHICKEN:
  • 30 Ritz crackers
  • 1 (1 ounce) package Ranch Dressing Mix, divided
  • 1 (1.5 ounce) package Taco Seasoning, divided
  • 3 large chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
  • 2 C shredded jack and cheddar cheese blend
  • GRAVY:
  • 2 Tb ranch/taco seasoning mixture
  • 1 Tb cornstarch
  • 1 C milk
  • 1/2 C whipping cream
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 420 degrees and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Toss the crackers into a large ziploc bag and seal it tightly. Use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Pour them into a bread pan, or medium sized bowl.
3. Pour the ranch dressing mix and taco seasoning mix into a bowl. Stir to combine. Remove 2 Tb of the mixture and set it aside.
4. Pour the cheese into a bowl.
3. Cut the chicken breasts into long strips. You'll want about 4 strips per breast.
4. Dip the chicken strips into the seasoning mixture, then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken the best you can. Some will fall off, but don't worry about it. Just coat it the best you can. Dip the coated chicken strips into the cracker crumbs and place it in your 9x13 pan. Repeat with the remaining strips. If you have leftover cracker crumbs, sprinkle them over the top of the chicken you've set in the pan.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 5 minutes.
6. To make the gravy, combine the seasoning mixture with the cornstarch. Add milk, whipping cream, salt and pepper. Whisk it together to combine. Pour it into a small sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, over medium high heat, stirring constantly. It should thicken up for you once it starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and serve over the top of the crispy chicken.
Enjoy!

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Leave a Reply to Norm Cancel Reply

6 comments

Norm September 5, 2015 - 3:34 pm

I wanted to print for the future the Crispy Southwest Chicken recipe and couldn’t. It would be nice if it were “print friendly”

Reply
Sally January 26, 2016 - 11:03 am

If you have Pinterest, Norm, you might put it there. Then you can refer to it anytime. I have tried to get her recipe for Crispy Cheddar Chicken but unfortunately it never shows up so I’ll take my own advice and search for it on Pinterest.

Reply
Doreen Buckmore May 15, 2020 - 2:37 pm

Sally, I know the crispy cheddar chicken is in Pintrest. I have made this a number of times and it’s amazing.

Reply
Menu Plan February Week #2 February 4, 2017 - 12:31 am

[…] Crispy Southwest Chicken  […]

Reply
Leah January 28, 2024 - 3:16 pm

It’s not showing up anymore! 🙁

Reply
Jamie January 28, 2024 - 8:45 pm

Thanks for letting me know, Leah. I have added the recipe to this post.

Reply

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