Puttin’ On the Ritz…Chicken
This past weekend the hubster went up to Tahoe to do maintenance on our cabin. So I was flying solo at home with Sammy our dog who has a tough time traveling 😢 these days.
When dinnertime rolled around, I decided to open a bottle of wine and make myself a nice meal. I had just seen Eric Kim’s recent post for NYTcooking, Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breast and being a Ritz Cracker fiend, I immediately bookmarked the recipe. This would be the perfect time to try his recipe.
Competitive Spirit
Aside from Carrot Cake and Good Cookies, if there is a meal that reigns supreme in our house, it is Wes’s Cornflake Chicken. To be exact, Cornflake Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup. How many of you remember your mom or dad fixing a version of this? Come on, be honest, we have all had this precursor to Shake and Bake. Instead of chicken perhaps pork chops? Gotcha, didn’t I?
Being a card-carrying member of the ridiculous group “I am a foodie” and thus holding an unwarranted disdain for all foods I liked when I was twelve, I have never made cornflake chicken. To this day, when the kids come home, they will request cornflake chicken or pork chops which Wes is more than happy to fulfill.
Could Eric’s version of chicken, marinated in sour cream, Dijon mustard and rolled in copious amounts of Ritz Crackers and Cheddar Cheese best the gold standard Cornflake Chicken? I was determined to find out.
Easy Peasy, Chicken Cheesy
The prep for this dish is as easy and quick as Cornflake Chicken. The chicken breasts are split in half and lightly pounded into cutlets then dropped into a marinade of Dijon mustard, salt, and sour cream which also tenderizes the chicken.
While the chicken marinates make your coating. Crush a sleeve of Ritz Crackers, grate some sharp cheddar cheese, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Next time I might just add more spices, maybe some paprika and thyme. Finish with a glug of olive oil, which will help the coating stick to the chicken and crisp it.
Roll chicken in crumb mixture, really pressing it in so you have a nice coat. If you have crumbs left, don’t waste them, sprinkle them on the chicken.
The chicken bakes at 450 (hot, hot, hot) and should only take about ten minutes (boneless, split in half, and pounded means quick cooking).
I made a salad of Romaine, ripe cherry tomatoes (thank you Snook), and Japanese cucumbers (very crispy and delicious) with a simple vinaigrette.
Sat down with a glass of wine and a gorgeous dinner plate in about 30 minutes. How great is that? Eric strikes again with another fabulous, easy, dish. The cracker coating was crispy, cheesy and tangy from the mustard, the chicken was perfectly cooked, moist, and tender and the salad a nice counterpoint.
I know what you are all thinking…does this beat out Wes’s Cornflake Chicken? Probably not. Nothing beats a dish from your childhood. Will I make it again? Absolutely!
I saved the last 2 pieces of chicken, one for Wes to judge, and one which made an amazing sandwich for lunch…yummos!
Ritzy Cheddar Cheese Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
Da Marinade
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt Diamond Crystal, use at least 1 teaspoon. For reg salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon
Da protein
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds total)
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers about 100 grams
- 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for greasing wire rack
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, paprika or chili powder optional
Instructions
- Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it or use a brush. Place rack in oven to preheat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Set aside.
- Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and smear the sour cream all over the chicken.
- In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Leave some chunks, which will crisp up nicely in the oven. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil (add some thyme and or paprika, 1/2 t each if you like) . Season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed.
- Hold chicken cutlet by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, press the crumbs onto the chicken to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. If you have leftover crumb mixture, sprinkle if on chicken before baking.
- Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes (check at 10!!!). Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates.
- Serve with with a nice crisp salad!