Chicken breasts lend themselves to a number of variations that make each oven-baked meal different. You can use either boneless or bone-in breasts in the oven, but bone-in chicken is usually a little juicier. No matter how you choose to bake your chicken breasts, remove the skin first for healthier eating.
Baked
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While it's warming, line a baking pan large enough to hold your chicken breasts with aluminum foil. Spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray.
Step 2
Crush enough crackers to cover the number of chicken pieces you're cooking. You can also use ready-made bread crumbs. Place the crumbs in a bowl and set it aside. Melt 4 to 8 tablespoons of butter, depending on how moist you want your chicken; using less butter will make the coating crispier. Set the butter aside. Scoop either sour cream, mayonnaise or a can of cream of chicken into another bowl; whichever you choose depends on your own taste. Add a splash of water and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Step 3
Dredge each chicken breast through the sour cream or soup mixture, then through the crackers or bread crumbs. Lay them in the baking pan and drizzle each breast with butter. Bake them for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how many breasts you're cooking. More breasts will require a little more time.
Barbecued
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll need a little more heat to oven-barbecue chicken.
Step 2
Pour your favorite barbecue sauce into a bowl and place the chicken breast-side down in a baking dish. Use a pastry brush to coat each piece of chicken with the sauce. Turn them over and brush the breast side with the remaining sauce.
Step 3
Bake the barbecued breasts for 25 minutes. Move them to a platter and serve them.
Oven-Fried
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F for "frying" chicken breasts. While the oven is warming, make bread crumbs. The Food Channel suggests combining crisped rice cereal, bagel chips or Melba toast chips, canola or vegetable oil, salt, pepper and paprika in a food processor, then grinding them to a fine consistency. You can also use ready-made bread crumbs.
Step 2
Mix together a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Dredge each chicken breast through the mayonnaise mixture, then through the crumb mixture. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Don't spray the foil with cooking spray for oven-fried chicken. Spray the breasts instead.
Step 3
Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust becomes crispy enough to suit your taste. Place the chicken breasts to a platter and serve them.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't rely entirely on baking time. Always cook chicken to an internal temperature of between 160 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of a breast to gauge the internal temperature.
Things You'll Need
- Baking pan
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking spray
- Crackers or bread crumbs
- 2 bowls
- Butter
- Sour cream, mayonnaise or 1 can cream of chicken soup
- Barbecue sauce
- Pastry brush
- 1 1/3 c. Rice Krispies cereal
- 2 1/4 c. bagel chip or Melba toast pieces
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Member Comments