Oven Fried. Whenever I see that word before a recipe I usually cringe, thinking back to all the times I’ve attempted to make things like french fries or egg rolls in the oven and end up with nothing but soggy mush. But this recipe my friends, I promise you, won’t be a let down.
Oven frying always appeals to me because it is less mess and seems healthier. Plus I’ll be real, I’m scared of hot grease and deep frying. Every time I try it, I burn myself. Maybe one day I’ll overcome my struggle.
My inspiration for this recipe came from two places. One is my personal mission for 2017: to simplify. I’m working to simplify things around my home by de-cluttering, creating workable routines as a twin mom and simplifying in the kitchen, particularly our meals.
You know, not every dinner has to be Pinterest inspired and have ingredients that will cost you $80 for one meal. I have to fight the urge to over-complicate my meals and realize simple is okay. Extravagance every once and a while can be a treat. Plus raising twins and all hasn’t exactly freed up any extra time for me to be slaving away in the kitchen every night.
The rest of my inspiration came from this little treasure I picked up at Goodwill:
Some of the best recipes I know are found on the back of a package somewhere. The thing I love about them is that they work! Think about it, a company wouldn’t boast over a recipe and have it printed on all of their products if it wasn’t any good. This book is a collection of those types of recipes. The recipes that we mean to clip out and save when we empty that can or bottle but we forget. Or when you ask your grandma where she learned how to make something and she says, “I think it used to be on the back of the box of (insert food here), but I can’t remember dear.” Well, Ceil Dyer did it all the hard work for us and now we can have several decades worth of those down home, old fashioned recipes from test kitchen of some of America’s best food manufacturers. Get yours here.
Now on to this chicken….
I started out with 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts and filleted them in half so that each piece was between 3/4 – 1 inch thick.This recipe is set up to generously coat six breasts so adjust yours accordingly.
(Side note for my cooking 101 peeps: filleting meats to a uniformed thickness ensures a faster and even cooking time.)
The original version of this recipe for oven fried chicken came from the package of Pepperidge Farms’ Herb Seasoned Stuffing. My bag did not have this recipe on it any more though. So thanks to Ceil, we are covered.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab a shallow rimmed baking sheet and place your butter in the oven to melt. For best results and perfect crisp, use a stoneware pan like this one. Otherwise, try lining a metal pan with foil.
Once your chicken is filleted, add stuffing cubes and salt to a large plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush.
Not every piece of stuffing has to be uniform here but make sure you break it down pretty well so it sticks to your chicken.
Next you’ll beat two eggs with a little pepper, garlic powder and water, together in a small bowl.
Then you’ll dip each chicken breast first in the egg mixture then drop into bag and shake it around to coat. Hopefully by now, you haven’t forgotten that there is butter melted in the oven. If you just did, it’s okay…I didn’t see anything. Lay your chicken down in the butter, in a single layer.
Bake for 10-12 minutes on each side until breasts are firm and cooked all the way through.
This oven fried chicken is great served on its own with a few sides or by using a few other simple ingredients (and I mean as simple as opening up a salad kit) make a Chicken Ceasar Salad like I did! A practical way that I’m implementing my goal of simplifying dinners in 2017 is to make at least one meal each week a salad, soup, sandwich, or pizza using ingredients I already have in my refrigerator or pantry. Since I had a bagged ceasar salad kit and some chicken breasts on hand, salad it was!
I also tossed in some of these b-e-a-utiful cherry tomatoes fresh from our garden in there too! Nothing beats a vine-ripened sweet and juicy tomato I tell ya.
What are you waiting for? Go eat some chicken!
Oven Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3 cups Herb Seasoned Dry Stuffing Cubes Pepperidge Farm Brand
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts filleted to make 6 - 1 inch thick pieces
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Melt butter on baking sheet while oven is preheating.
- Meanwhile, add stuffing and salt to a plastic bag then use a rolling pin to crush until fine crumbs form.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs, water, pepper, and garlic together until well mixed.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture then drop into bag of crumbs and shake until meat is coated.
- Place chicken in a single layer in melted butter and bake uncovered for 10-12 minutes.
- Turn chicken pieces over and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until firm and cooked through.
