Cooking Lesson #710: Abracadabra Encrusted Crunchy Chicken

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Growing up in my house my mother seldom fried any food. She just didn’t think the prolonged “aroma” of the grease and the waste of oil was worth it. So, we would go out to a restaurant or would order Chicken Delight for delivery or send my dad out to pick-up a box of Pioneer Crunch or a bucket of the Colonel’s best—KFC. 
 
The fact of the matter is, I’m not that squeamish about frying food in my kitchen and I do love my fried foods—French fries, fish and chips and definitely fried chicken. It’s not so much the flavor but I love the crunchy texture—flavor is 50% and texture is the other 50%. So, when I find a simple new recipe for crunchy chicken that doesn’t have to be fried, I get all excited.
 
A few weeks ago, I found a recipe in Allrecipes that made me stop and focus on this neat dish. There are few things more thrilling than finding out a secret ingredient that will make your oven-roasted chicken taste more like fried. If you’re like me and want to create a little magic, take a load off because this chicken dish has two special tricks that will make it one the most popular dinner recipes for your family.  Abracadabra Encrusted Crunchy Chicken is always incredibly juicy, flavorful, crunchy and picky-kid eater pleasing.
 
It takes just six ingredients to create a little Penn and Teller chicken magic and they are probably in your snack cupboard right now, but just two important secret components are the key to crunchy breading and tender, juicy chicken breasts. The ingredients include mayonnaise and Cheez-It crackers.
 
I’ve talked about using mayo on oven roasted potatoes before, so it should come as no surprise that mayonnaise is  more than just a binder for tuna salad. The mayo holds the breading on the chicken without the gummy interface you usually get with a coating of flour.
 
The remainder of my secret ingredients are the chicken breasts, of course, which are coated in a thin layer of mayo dredged in breading mixture, which is a combination of Cheez-It crackers, canned French-fried onions, Italian breadcrumbs and toasted sesame seeds.  The mayo not only helps hold the breading in place, so you won’t lose it on the sheet pan in the oven, but it also keeps the chicken moist and tender.
 
The Cheez–It crackers, French-fried onions, and Italian breadcrumbs together pack a flavorful punch and will create a crunchy breading when baked, not fried.
Together, the breading creates a unique flavor that everyone will love.
 
Prep time:  25 minutes
Cook time:  35 minutes
Yield:  4-8 servings
 
Ingredients
2 cups crushed cheese flavored crackers (I prefer Cheez-It)
1 cup crushed canned French-fried onions
1/2 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly- ground black pepper to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut in half
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 450⁰ F.
2. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking release (Pam).
3. Mix cheese-flavored crackers, French-fried onions, Italian breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, salt and pepper in a bowl; set aside.
4. Using paper towels, pat chicken breasts dry.
5. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each piece and place mayonnaise-side down in the cracker mixture.
6. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the other side of the chicken and cover with the cracker mixture, patting firmly into the chicken.
7. Place chicken breasts on the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cracker mixture on top.
8. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking release.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear: allow 35 to 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breast should read at least 165⁰ F.

ChefSecret:  If you prefer dark meat use 8 boneless skin-on thighs.

Quip of the Day:  Q: What do chicken families do on the weekends?
                                A: They have peck-nics!
 
Have you ever wondered what the big 11-spice secret is to making KFC fried chicken? It is a combination of salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, ground black pepper, dried mustard, garlic salt, paprika powder, ground ginger and white pepper.

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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

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