Growing up my mom never fried chicken – maybe its because she’s from the Midwest, I’ve never really asked her. So one day I decided that being a southern girl, I needed to know how to make good fried chicken. So I researched like crazy and found a ton of recipes and decided I’d just take a little of each and wing it. This is normally what I do for other recipes but I don’t think I payed enough attention to the details – and I think that’s where I went wrong… Three kitchen fires later I deduced that my chicken breasts were too big, there was too much oil in my pot, and I put too much chicken in the oil. Since it is going to be a while before I decide to attempt frying chicken, I decided that I should just perfect my crunchy baked chicken recipe. And besides, its not only easier to make with far less cleanup but its better for you too! And just as tasty!

A few things to note – I always bread my chicken in some sort of mix of crushed corn flakes, panko breadcrumbs, and regular seasoned breadcrumbs. I think this gives the best amount of coating and crunch. I also prefer to use chicken tenderloins or strips so the breading doesn’t get burned while the chicken is still cooking.

I have three go-to baked chicken recipes that I like – honey mustard, vidalia onion, and ranch flavors! Each of these recipes uses the same basic method and just swaps a few ingredients. I’ll post the variations at the end of the basic instructions.

Crunchy Baked Chicken

Ingredients

chicken breast tenderloins
wet marinade
dry breading
cooking spray

Directions

Dip the chicken strips/tenderloins in the wet marinade and then dredge through the dry breadcrumb coating and press to set.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and spray the tops of each with cooking spray to allow for browning.

Bake the chicken at 425 for 15-20 minutes until the breading is browned and crunchy and chicken is cooked through.

Flavor Variations

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken – honey mustard dressing marinade with breading mixture

Vidalia Onion Baked Chicken – vidalia onion dressing marinade with fried onions crushed and mixed into the breading mixture

Ranch Baked Chicken – ranch dressing (with extra ranch seasoning) marinade with breading mixture

Serve with your favorite sides.

Enjoy!

Much Love,

M