by the wicked child on Sun May 23, 2010 4:26 pm
Alright, time for a couple of my favorite recipes. Pretty easy to make, but really good.
Ritz Chicken
2c Ritz crackers, smashed into crumbs
3/4c parmesan cheese
1/4c parsley
1.5-2 cloves garlic, diced (use fresh if possible)
1t salt
1/4 tsp pepper
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2-1 stick butter, melted.
(optional step, but I generally season the chicken with Emeril's Essence before breading)
Mix the first set of ingredients together to make the breading. Set up a breading station (1 bowl seasoned flour [once again I mix in some Essence], a couple eggs lightly beaten and your breading). Dip the chicken in the flour, then the eggs, and then the breading. Make sure the chicken is well coated, but not overdone at each step. Place the breaded chicken in a greased baking dish and repeat until all chicken is breaded. Melt the butter and pour it on and around the chicken lightly, so as to not wash off any of the breadcrumbs. Bake about 25 mins or so @ 350, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Make sure you don't overcook it, or it will dry out. Cooking time may be longer if you have other items in the oven at the same time.
Hashbrown Casserole
Bag Ore Ida frozen country style hashbrowns (thawed)
1 can cream of chicken soup
8oz. shredded colby jack
1/2 c (1 stick) melted butter
1 small onion, minced
1t salt
1/2 t pepper
Mix all ingredients together and place in a greased baking dish. Bake 35-40 mins at 350 degrees. If it has not started to brown around the edges, you may want to leave it in longer... the edges are the best part, IMO. I sometimes 'kick things up' a bit by also adding some diced bell peppers (usually a bit of red, green and yellow), and once in awhile a bit of bacon. This particular time I didn't have colby jack, so I used some sharp cheddar.
I've also seen an alternate recipe which uses the other style of Ore Ida hashbrowns, and includes a bit of sour cream in the mix. Additionally, it is topped with a mix of butter and crushed corn flakes (they sell this as a breading, or used to anyway). Also solid, but the above recipe is the best, IMHO.