Melt in Your Mouth Chicken. Just the name of this recipe tingles your taste buds! We do love chicken in this house, and I confess that we eat it fairly often. Because of that, I have a variety of ways in which I like to prepare and eat it. This recipe is one of my favorites! Not only does it use simple ingredients that I always have on hand, but it is quite simple to make. It’s also easy and really quick to get onto the table, as well as going with just about anything! A very convenient dish to make. Make sure to have a proper treat by making this dish. Its richness has been proven and tested over the years that I have been making it. Perhaps, it will also become one of your favorites.
Most of the time we eat chicken breasts. They are a wonderfully lean source of protein. Not only that but just about any flavor pairs well with chicken breasts. I am not sure how it works, but when I cook them in this way they always turn out incredibly moist and tender. This, quite simply, is a favorite of not only my family but also anyone I have ever cooked it for. I am always being asked for the recipe. High accolades indeed!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN
There is nothing fancy here, but these simple ingredients all combine together to create something amazingly delicious!
| INGREDIENTS |
| 2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten |
| 1 cup of crushed round buttery cracker crumbs |
| ¼ tsp garlic powder |
| ½ tsp black pepper |
| 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves |
| ½ cup (4 ounces) salted butter, cut into bits |
These are things I always have in my larder. Lucky me!
HINTS AND TIPS
Be sure to follow my hints and tips to make the best chicken ever!
1. Read through the recipe several times to familiarise yourself with any ingredients or equipment needed to make this recipe.
2. Assemble everything you need for this recipe in one place before you start to cook. This is called Mise en Place. This simple step can go a long way towards helping to prevent you from leaving out anything integral to the recipe by mistake.
3. Any buttery-textured cracker will work. You can use round ones or even rectangular ones. The important thing is that they are buttery and short-textured, not saltines or water crackers. I do prefer the round ones.
4. Always start with the best chicken that you can afford to buy. I like to use free-range chicken, and corn fed chicken if I can get it. This is because I believe that they have the best flavor and I don’t like to support an industry that is cruel to animals. I realize these are personal preferences. You can do whatever you wish according to your own conscience and budget.
5. I crush my crackers in a small food processor. This makes short work of the chore and gives a much more even crumb.
6. In the basic recipe, I use just garlic powder and black pepper. Note that is garlic powder, not salt. No salt is needed in the recipe as the crackers are salty enough. If you are feeling really adventurous you can add some mixed herbs, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, etc. This recipe lends itself beautifully to experimentation with bolder flavors.
7. Do use all the butter suggested. I am not sure how it works, but somehow it helps to create an incredibly juicy and tender result, which is exactly what you are looking for when it comes to chicken breast meat!
8. Start checking the chicken about five minutes before the allotted cook time. Oven temperatures can vary quite a bit. The chicken is done as soon as the crumbs are golden brown and the juices of the chicken run clear. Do not overcook.
HOW TO MAKE MELT IN THE MOUTH CHICKEN
With a relatively short prep time and a quick cook time, you can have this delicious entrée on the table in well less than an hour!
Preheat the oven to 375*F. Have ready a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
Place the cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl. Add the garlic powder and pepper. Mix well together.
Place the beaten eggs in another shallow bowl.
Dip the chicken breasts into the beaten egg and then roll them in the cracker crumbs to thoroughly coat them. Place into the casserole dish.
Drop the bits of butter all around the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven until the chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside. The juices should also run clear when pricked with a fork.
This is simply delicious served either hot or cold.
HOW TO SERVE MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN
This fabulously tasty chicken goes with just about anything and tastes as delicious cold as it does hot, which makes it perfect for picnics or cold suppers. In the summer months, I often serve it with salads. Macaroni salad, potato salad, or (if you are watching your weight and calories) a nice tossed salad all go very well with this.
When served hot from the oven I always like to serve it with a vegetable and starch on the side. Sometimes the starch will be mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, sometimes noodles, and cabbage. (A personal favorite.) On this particular day, I served it with some sweet potato fries!
I always try to get in one of our five a day with this as well. Peas, beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. I cannot think of any vegetable that won’t go with this delectably delicious chicken!
Just look at how incredibly moist and tender that chicken is! When my children were small I would cut the chicken into strips after cooking, which they then enjoyed with something to dip the strips in. Ranch dressing was exceedingly popular as was honey mustard.
If you are feeding really young children you may find that one breast cut in half will be sufficient for their smaller appetites. One thing is for sure and that is this, Melt in Your Mouth Chicken is destined to become a firm family favorite amongst the young and the old!
Print
Melt in the Mouth Chicken Recipe
This chicken is deliciously melt in your mouth tender. Chicken breast fillets are dipped in egg and then coated seasoned round cracker crumbs before placing in a baking dish. Butter is cut up and dropped into the dish and then the whole lot is baked. A bit naughty but very nice!
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup of crushed round buttery cracker crumbs
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- ½ cup (4 ounces) salted butter, cut into bits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F. Have ready a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
- Place the cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl. Add the garlic powder and pepper. Mix well together.
- Place the beaten eggs in another shallow bowl.
- Dip the chicken breasts into the beaten egg and then roll them in the cracker crumbs to thoroughly coat them. Place into the casserole dish.
- Drop the bits of butter all around the pieces of chicken.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven until the chicken is golden brown and no longer pink inside. The juices should also run clear when pricked with a fork.
- Delicious served hot or cold.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 445 per serving
Conclusion
Melt in the mouth Chicken recipe has always been living up to its expectation. A delicious dish that I have been my family. Every time I serve it, my children will enjoy it. I believe your kids will like it too. With all the different ways you can cook a chicken, this is one of the best. Make sure to follow all the procedures listed to achieve the expected outcome. So, try it out!
Check out more recipes that you could do with your chicken. Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, Chicken Burger, & Asian Chicken Salad.
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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How do you keep the chicken from getting soggy instead of crispy? I’ve tried this method of baking chicken breast a ton of times but it never comes out crispy?
Hi Terre, thank you for your comment! It’s all in the temperature of the oven. Too hot and the crust will burn before the chicken cooks, too cold and it will come out soggy. Keep trying and if all else fails, I can give you a trick or two to make it easier!