Non Toxic Shake and Bake Chicken

I don't know how we started calling this non toxic shake and bake. It is courtesy of my very good friend Beth Eisenberg, so shout out to Beth!

It can be used as a crunchy coating for chicken, pork, or fish. The other night I made boneless, skinless chicken breasts. 


This recipe makes a lot of coating. I make a batch and save half of it for another time.

You can use Panko bread crumbs, crumbled Saltine crackers, or fine bread crumbs. My preference is Panko, with Saltines a close second. I want that light, crunchy coating and to me fine bread crumbs can get a little mushy.  Mix the breadcrumbs with the spices then pour out half into a pie dish. 


Put either buttermilk, melted butter, or egg wash into another pie dish. I used buttermilk the other night. 

Prepare a baking dish by spraying with a nonstick spray or lining with a sheet of parchment paper.  Then dredge the chicken in the milk, butter, or egg and follow by tossing in the Panko, Saltines, or bread crumbs and place in the baking dish.  You can add more salt and pepper here if you like, but I didn't. I don't think it was missed. 


My chicken was juicy with a nice crunchy crust. The herbs and spices give it such good flavor, with just a hint of heat. 


The recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit. 

Prepare a baking dish by spraying with a nonstick spray or lining it with parchment paper. 

Coating mix:

1 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs, crumbled Saltines, or fine bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon each of :
Dried oregano
Thyme
Parsley

1/4 teaspoon each:

Garlic powder
Onion powder

2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste

Prepare a dredging station. 1 dish should have buttermilk, melted butter, or beaten eggs. Place the coating mix in the other dish. 

Dredge the chicken in the liquid, then toss in the coating mix. Place in the baking dish and bake approximately 40 minutes. Depending on the thickness of the protein, you may want to check earlier for done ness. Fish will probably be done faster than the pork chops for instance. The chicken breasts I had were pretty thick and took the full 40 minutes.  I used an instant read thermometer to check the internal temp and took the chicken out at 165 Fahrenheit. 


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