Ritz Cracker Chicken - Cheesy chicken covered with crispy, baked Ritz Crackers and topped with a creamy, flavorful sauce!
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My son's last day of Kindergarten is tomorrow! Where has the time gone?! He's super excited to be moving on to 1st grade in the fall, but for now, he's looking forward to summer break! Heck, we're all looking forward to summer around here. The past few weeks have been rainy and cooler and I'm ready for those hot days and warm summer nights. I say, "BRING IT ON!"
We spend most of our time outdoors in the summer. We have such an active neighborhood with children all around, so there's always something going on. The kids play outside longer, dinner gets pushed until later, and before you know it, we all barrel into the house, look at the clock and realize that bedtime should have been about 30 minutes ago. Ahh, the summer.
While we give our grill quite the workout in the summer, it doesn't mean we ignore the oven. Some days there are just recipes I crave that aren't possible on the grill and this Ritz Cracker Chicken is one of them!
Could it be the cheddar cheese that I smoosh onto the chicken that makes it taste so good or is it the Ritz Cracker crust? The jury's still out on that one, but if I were to make an educated guess, I would say it's both.
What makes this chicken truly amazing, however, is the creamy chicken soup mixture you spoon over the top to give it one final burst of flavor.
I'm going to be honest with you about this chicken. This was not a planned post. This was just a normal dinner we were making one evening that I decided to document at the very last minute. #foodbloggerproblems
Is it worthy of sharing with you? YES, absolutely. It's delicious. My husband tells me it's the best chicken ever. I reminded him that he said the same thing about my Lemon Fried Chicken.
These impromptu photo shoots happen all of the time in our house, and to give you fair warning, they happen even more frequently in the summer. We're just so gosh darn busy! While the photography isn't exactly up to my normal standards, I knew you'd forgive me when you tasted the chicken.
What I love about this chicken is that it's versatile. Choose any flavor of Ritz Cracker you would like! I used Roasted Vegetable because that's what I had on hand. I served it with a noodle side dish and some broccoli.
We ate it ALL up. Let me tell you. While I was snapping pics at the table (yes the table) Josh, my hubby, was on the final bite of his first piece of chicken. He ran back to the pan and grabbed another. Did he think I wouldn't notice?
With the whirlwind of weeks we've been having lately there are probably plenty of things he's gotten away with that I haven't noticed! If your summer days are as busy as ours, you're going to need quick and easy recipes like this one. Don't fall victim to fast food. Keep things simple and delicious. . .and you'll make it through this busy summer just fine!
Ritz Cracker Chicken
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers (crushed (I used Roasted Vegetable flavor))
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt
- Garlic pepper
FOR THE SAUCE
- 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the egg and ¼ cup milk.
- Place the crushed crumbs in a shallow dish and the cheddar cheese in another.
- Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, to taste.
- Dip the breasts into the egg and milk mixture.
- Cover the breasts with shredded cheese using your fingers to press the cheese onto the chicken.
- Place breasts into crumbs and cover entirely.
- Position chicken onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until breasts are fully cooked and the centers no longer pink.
- While chicken bakes, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chicken soup, sour cream and milk. Whisk together until well-combined and warmed through. Serve sauce over the chicken.
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer
What a great idea! I grew up on Ritz crackers. My daughter starts kindergarten in September, so I know what you mean about time flying by 🙂
amanda @ fake ginger
This is our first week of summer break and I'm already struggling to get the kids in bed at a decent hour. It's just so nice to be able to stay outside and play! They will LOVE this chicken - I'm definitely making it soon.
Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates
Yay for your son graduating kindergarden! Time really does go by so fast!
This chicken looks amazing! I love how simple it is! Pinning!
Beth
I'm getting all mushy and gushy over this chicken - YUM!
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files
I agree...just because its summer doesn't mean I will forget all about our baked favorites! And this cheesy, Rtiz Chicken dish would definitely be a hit here!
Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner
Love this chicken recipe - looks fantastic!
Michelle Dunn
I made this for Thanksgiving, because my crew didn't want Turkey. It was the best tasting and moistest chicken I've had in a long time. Would it be ok to put this together a day ahead of time and then. Bake when needed or would that make the cracker's too soggy and ruin the dish? I'm making it for Christmas dinner and don't want to spend all day in the kitchen.
Becky | The Cookie Rookie
Looks AMAZING! I need to try this for sure!!!
Janette
I always have a box of ritz crackers hanging around waiting to be used! Now I know what I'm going to use them for! Thanks for the recipe!
Susan
Your recipe looks amazing and I can't wait to try this. In the sauce section it calls for sour cream, but when mixing the ingredients in the pan it was not mentioned. Does the sour cream get added to the cream mix also? I assume it does, but just want to be sure. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I love Ritz crackers added to recipes, especially in meat loaf, so it should also be wonderful on chicken.
Sara
Hi Susan! Yes, it gets added to the cream mix. Thanks for the catch - I've updated the recipe!
Asheton
This is an awesome recipe! I discovered it on the Plain Chicken blog a few years ago and it's been a staple ever since.
w t
good!
Jen
This looks amazing but every time I cook chicken it is always dry. What can I do to prevent this? I'm a cooking newbie lol
Sara
Jen, get to "know" your oven. Check your meats frequently. Invest in a meat thermometer. When chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 Fahrenheit, it's safe to eat. Once you become more familiar with your oven and identify if your cooking time is less than or more than what the recipe states, you'll be able to adapt future cooking times. Breading or coating chicken or covering your pan with aluminum foil while baking can also help keep it moist.
Linda
What kind of chicken breasts do you use? Are they boneless, skinless?
Sara
Yes, they are boneless and skinless.
Julia
Made this tonight for dinner for my boyfriend and I. We both loved it!! Great dish. Definitely a keeper!
Sara
I'm so glad the two of you enjoyed, Julia!
Angie
I only have chicken tenderloins, what would the time to cook it be cut down to?
Sara
Maybe 16-18 minutes, Angie? You'll just want to take the internal temp and keep checking until the centers are no longer pink.
Lyndsay
Hi quick question for you. I'm making this tonight can you tell me Roughly how many crackers are in a sleeve? Our boxes of Ritz Crackers comes in a full bag not sleeves.
Sara
Lyndsay, I'd say 25 or so?
Lyndsay
Thanks so much Sara. Merry Christmas ?
Anonymous
Just made this with Townhouse crackers (no Ritz on hand). It is delicious! Next time the only change I will make is to bake on a cookie sheet with wire insert so the bottom stays crispy as well.
Sara
Yes! Placing the chicken on a rack is a great idea! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Michelle Swider
What are some good sides made with this?
Sara
Hi Michelle! Mashed potatoes, veggie casserole or a salad are all great options! Enjoy!
Anonymous
This was really a good dish. I had to thin out the gravy a little but the taste was there! Definitely will make it again.
Deborah Adams
I made this tonight and it was so good! I forgot the garlic pepper but it didn't seem to diminish the taste. I did go back and looked at the recipe.....but did not see where the garlic pepper was used in the recipe.....can you please advise.
Sara
In step 5 when you season the chicken, you would use the salt and garlic pepper. So glad you enjoyed it!
Jan
Tried this recipe for first time last night. While this is so good, (even my picky husband loved it) & I will make this again, I had one problem preparing it. After you dip the chicken into the egg/milk mixture, then into the cheese mixture it’s wet so absolutely no way that cheese will stay on your chicken. So I ended up just combining the crumbs & cheese & did best I could to get all that to stick on the chicken. Has anyone else had this problem?
Tiffany
Add a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise to the milk and egg mixture and stir it really well. This will help solve that problem
Lolli
I made this recipe. Very good. Instead of spooning the sauce over once it was plated I covered the breasts in the cooking pan. It's great which ever way you serve it.
Lisa Bumgarner
Fixing to try this for super. It looks really, really great. ❤️🍽️🍽️
Stephanie Roddy
This is delicious-- Tender, moist, just great flavor! Substituted gouda as I have one who doesn't care for cheddar. Also used chicken thighs and baked about 25 minutes. Served with buttered noodles with garlic parsley salt. This is a winner, winner, chix dinner!! Great recipe💟