It seems that we’re on an all-american kick right now! For dinner we’re eating baked chicken breasts encrusted with a hot-sauce, cheezit, and fresh herb mix. The chicken breasts were sliced and served with an herb, roasted asparagus, red onion, brussels sprouts, and fresh tomato pasta salad. Overall it was some simple-to-make yet mega-tasty food.
A tasty pasta saladA: yeah… that’s right! i encrusted something in cheezits! so what? i happen to love cheezits.
T: hey, i didn’t say anything. I think it was a good idea. people encrust things in crackers all the time, and guess what? cheezits are top-notch crackers.
A: beyond top-notch… perhaps the best snack cracker available…. imo
T: hmmm… i’m trying to think of a snack cracker that is better than the cheezit…. ummm… nothing’s coming to mind. I think you’re right. Cheezits are the best snack cracker. both plain and hot ‘n spicy. I loves me some cheezits. (note, we are not being paid by cheezits. we just like em, a lot)
A: too true. unfortunately for me i didn’t have any hot-n-spicy cheeseits available so i had to make the hot-n-spicy myself…. the crumbs were tossed with louisiana brand hot sauce.
T: i’m glad you didn’t use the pre-seasoned cheezits for cooking. that seems like it would be bad… they’re good for snacking, maybe not so good for cooking. The plain cheezits were fantastic though.
A: they were just cheesey enough to let the hot sauce and tons of fresh herbs shine through. it really did have a great flavor. the chicken was soooooo moist.
T: yeah, the chicken was cooked to perfection. And I really loved all the dill flavor. Dill is great, but I usually only taste it in things like dill chips. Seriously, people don’t seem to cook with it too much. Am I right?
A: heheheh uh… no… not so much! people cook with it a lot. maybe you just aren’t choosing options containing dill when you’re eating out. there is always the classic pairing of salmon and dill. that’s way overplayed… but for a good reason. they really do taste great together.
T: yeah, i was gonna say, I don’t think great food combos can really be overplayed. If it’s good it’s good.
A: well said.
T: apparently cheezits and herbs are a pretty good combo. I enjoyed this meal. I give it a 4.72/5. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the cheezits were a creative way to encrust the chicken, the dill really shined, and the meal as a whole including the pasta salad meshed together well. Good stuff. What’s your rating?
A: well, this was definitely an all american meal. housewives in nebraska have probably been encrusting chicken w/ cheezits for ages and i would have to say they’re on to something. all the fresh herbs, both in the cheezit crust and the pasta salad really set the meal off for me. I’m gonna have to give this meal a 4.37/5. It was damn tasty, quick, and something anyone can make. so simple, yet so tasty.
T: definitely tasty. wow… your feet stink.
A: heheh yeah! i wore nasty shoes w/o socks! enticing, eh?
T: woman. what am I gonna do with you? i guess get you some socks.
A Chicken Recipe, by Amanda
Print Recipe
Cheezit and Herb Encrusted Chicken
Recipe serves 2 but can easily be doubled or tripled.
1 1/2 - 2 cups cracker crumbs made from Cheezits
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
1/2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup flour, for dusting
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On large plate add the first 8 ingredients. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Place the flour in a second plate. Season w/ kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, stir to combine.
To a wide bowl add the egg and 2 tbsp hot sauce. Whisk until the egg is frothy.
Season all sides of the chicken breast with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Dredge the breasts in the flour, shaking off all excess. Dip the lightly floured breasts, on at a time, into the hot sauce and egg mixture, coating both sides.
Next, press each of the breasts into the cheezit-herb mixture, making sure all sides are thoroughly coated.
Place the Cheezit encrusted breasts onto a sheet pan. If there the crust isn't sticking, press a little bit of the Cheezit mixture onto the top of the breast once it has been placed on the sheet pan. Place the pan into a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake the breasts at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until just cooked through. Removed the cooked breasts from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
