The Cracker Tip For A Buttery, Crunchy Crust On Chicken Breasts

There are a million ways to make a chicken dinner, but adding a crunchy crust may be one of the easiest and most delicious. When you think of a chicken crust, you may be imagining a parmesan and breadcrumbs version, as this is one of the most popular ways to prepare a crunchy chicken breast. However, you can also make it with finely chopped nuts, like in our pecan-crusted chicken breast recipe. But if you'd like to forgo all that cheese, try using crackers instead. 

Not only will you still get a perfectly brown, crunchy crust, but it may be even easier to make chicken this way — there's no dredging involved, and all you need is a box of crackers in addition to the usual spices. And the best part? Instead of dirtying multiple dishes to dip your chicken in its coating, everything can be done in disposable plastic bags. 

To make cracker-crusted chicken, you first need a box of crackers. Ritz or Club crackers work well because they're buttery and flaky, but you could use any type you like. But if regular crackers don't sound appealing enough, try substituting them for a salty snack like cornflakes, Fritos, or even Cheez-Its. In order to make your crackers crust-ready, you'll need to pound them into crumbs using either a plastic bag and something heavy, like a mug, or simply your hands.

Just like with a parmesan crust, you'll also want to pound the chicken until the breasts are an even thickness. Then mix your spices and chicken together in a plastic bag, along with something creamy like mayo, buttermilk, Greek yogurt, or mustard to help everything bind together. Once the chicken is thoroughly coated, you can combine your cracker crumbs with a little melted butter to help them stick, and pat them all over your chicken.

If you'd rather follow a more traditional method, you can also forgo the plastic bag and dip your chicken in melted butter or egg, followed by the cracker crumbs. Either way, after baking in the oven, you'll get a crisp, golden chicken dinner. And feel free to flex your creative muscles with the crackers, spices, binding ingredients, and method. It's hard to go wrong with this buttery, crunchy meal!