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!

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)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
minced fresh parsley or chives, for serving

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and place a rack in the center of the oven.
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.
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.
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.
Place the chicken breasts into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the buttery cracker crumbs evenly on top of each piece of chicken.
Bake until the chicken is nearly finished cooking through and registers 160ºF, 30 to35 minutes.
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.
Slice, sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives, and serve.

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.