Ritz Cracker Chicken

Crack your kids’ picky eating with this tasty Ritz Cracker Chicken!

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If you’re looking for an easy dinner that even your kids will love, look no further than this Ritz Cracker chicken. All you need is the spices in your cabinet and the crackers in your pantry to make this deliciously fun chicken dish for your next weeknight meal!

Whether I’m making meatloaf or grape jelly meatballs, I love using Ritz Crackers to give my meat dishes extra flavor and texture. Well, this Ritz Cracker chicken is no different! This recipe all started when I was a kid myself, and my mother and I would make meatballs from scratch. We were up to our usual routine, boiling the pasta water and defrosting the ground beef, when my mother realized we were… underprepared. We were out of half the seasonings we needed for our signature dish, and we didn’t even have breadcrumbs to bind the meatballs.

We tore our kitchen apart trying to find substitutes, and then I spotted it: that red cardboard box on the snack shelf. We had cooked with Ritz before, every holiday season when we made my mom’s iconic stuffed mushrooms. I pulled out a sleeve of crackers and held them up to my mother, whose eyes lit up. Genius. We never looked back. From then on, our “makeshift meatballs” were a staple in our home, and I’ve since looked to Ritz to enhance many other recipes with their salty crunch, including this chicken.

This dish has a crunchy outer layer, with tender chicken underneath, and an overall buttery and savory taste. Plus, your kids will love getting to help out in the kitchen by crunching up crackers! (And if they’re anything like I was, stealing one or two for a snack.)

Is Ritz Cracker Chicken Healthy?

This Ritz Cracker chicken is a great main course for weeknight dinners, because chicken is a lean protein source. Also, this dish is baked, saving you from the added fat and calories that come with deep-frying. However, Ritz Crackers are known for being buttery and salty, so you should serve this entrée with healthy, kid-approved sides to balance the meal.

How To Crush Your Crackers

Now, here comes the fun part. The key to a tasty Ritz Cracker chicken is to properly crush your crackers. That’s where you can incorporate your little ones. Put crackers in a tightly sealed zip-top bag, then let your kids break them up with their hands. After they’ve been broken, give your kids rolling pins (or any other heavy cooking utensil, like a wooden spoon or spatula) and let them go ham on those crackers. You’ll want them crushed to small pieces, but not too fine, or you’ll lose your crunch.

FAQs & Tips

How Do I Store Leftovers?

You can also store your leftover Ritz Cracker chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven or microwave. To freeze, let the pieces cool, then freeze in a single layer for 2-3 hours before transferring to a freezer bag. Reheat from frozen by baking at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. For the best texture, don’t forget to flip halfway through baking.

How To Achieve A Tender And Crispy Chicken

Be sure not to overcook your chicken. To test its doneness, insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. It is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Make It Cheesy

In my opinion, cheese makes every recipe better. You can mix shredded cheddar cheese into your cracker mixture to give it a cheesy flavor and switch things up.

Serving Suggestions

Because this chicken is a decadent dish, I recommend serving it with healthy sides that your kids won’t grimace at. Try Baby Carrots, Broccoli With Cheese Sauce (because what kid wouldn’t eat their veggies if they were smothered in cheese?!), or Sweet Potato Fries. You can also serve Ritz Cracker chicken after a starter salad, like Green Salad or Lemon Orzo Salad.

Reward your kids for their help in the kitchen with a better-for-you dessert, like these Brownies–they’re gluten-free AND dairy-free!