Baked Ritz Cracker Chicken

This Baked Ritz Cracker Chicken is an easy, flavorful dinner with juicy chicken breasts sprinkled with a buttery, crispy cracker topping. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal!

Over the last year, I've been experimenting with different breadings for meat, and crackers have become one of my favorites. This baked chicken dish has the feel and taste of breaded and fried chicken, but made much easier. Boneless chicken breasts are quickly marinated in a mix of Dijon mustard and mayo then topped with a buttery cracker crumble that adds the perfect crunch. The mustard brings a subtle tang that balances the rich, buttery topping, while the mayo adds creaminess and helps keep the chicken moist as it bakes. Though, you do need to make sure not to overbaked the chicken. I find that overbaking the chicken, even by a little bit, can really ruin a dish.

This Baked Ritz Cracker Chicken recipe uses mostly hands off cooking, and requires just a handful of pantry staples, making it an easy weeknight dinner that feels a little special without any extra fuss. Serve with a simple side of buttered noodles and vegetables.

How to Make It

The key to to making this dish awesome is to not overcook the chicken breasts, which is notoriously easy to do. Aim for similar-sized breasts or use a meat malled and pound out thicker ones. Cook until they reach 160ºF, then let them rest for five minutes to carry over to 165ºF. An instant-read thermometer is the best tool for this and worth the investment. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken, so as always, use the cooking time as a guideline!

For the best texture on the breading, don’t pulverize the crackers in a food processor. You can crush them by partially opening a sleeve of crackers to release air, then pressing them together with your hands. Or, alternatively, place the crackers in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin or clean meat mallet to crush them.

Step 1: Mix Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly.

Step 2: Melt the butter, brush some in the dish, and add the seasoning and cracker crumbs to pot and cook until toasty.

Step 3: Place the chicken breasts into the baking dish.

Step 4: Sprinkle the toasted butter cracker crumbs on top.

Step 5: Bake until the chicken is nearly cooked, letting it rest about 5 minutes to come up above 165ºF.

Step 6: Slice and serve!

More Chicken Recipes

Making this Ritz Cracker Chicken recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!

Full Recipe

Baked Ritz Cracker Chicken

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• Author: Kelli Avila
• Prep Time: 00:10
• Cook Time: 00:45
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Bake

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Description

This Baked Ritz Cracker Chicken is an easy, flavorful dinner with juicy chicken breasts sprinkled with a buttery, crispy cracker topping. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal!

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Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided (see note)
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 24 Ritz Butter Crackers (about 80 grams), crushed (see note)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• minced fresh parsley or chives, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and place a rack in the center of the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and 1-½ teaspoons salt. Add the chicken breasts and toss until evenly coated.
3. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then turn off the stove. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the melted butter into a 9-by-13-inch (or similarly-sized) baking dish. Using a silicone brush, spread the butter evenly around the baking dish.
4. To the remaining melted butter in the pot, add the Ritz cracker crumbs, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, dried parsley, and onion powder. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the crackers have a toasty smell, about 5 minutes.
5. Place the chicken breasts into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the buttery cracker crumbs evenly on top of each piece of chicken.
6. Bake until the chicken is nearly finished cooking through and registers 160ºF, 30 to35 minutes.
7. Set the baking dish on top of the stove, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes while it finishes cooking and the chicken reaches 165ºF.
8. Slice, sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives, and serve.

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Notes

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.

For the best texture, don’t pulverize the crackers in a food processor. One way to crush them is to partially open a sleeve of crackers to release air, then use your hands to crush them together within the sleeve. Alternatively, place the crackers in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin or clean meat mallet to crush them.

The chicken breasts should be about the same thickness to ensure even cooking. If necessary, use a mallet to gently pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.