Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts

By Eric Kim

Updated June 15, 2021

Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(5,756)
Comments
Read comments

They’re as good as they sound: cheesy chicken cutlets coated with buttery Ritz crackers. Skipping the usual flour-egg-bread crumb dredge, this recipe relies instead on a flavorful base layer of tangy sour cream, which has lactic acid that tenderizes boneless, skinless chicken breasts beautifully. When it comes to breaded white meat, thin cutlets are ideal, which you can buy from the store or achieve by slicing thick breasts in half horizontally (no pounding necessary). They cook more evenly this way, staying tender throughout as they’re quickly baked in a hot oven. Serve with something fresh — a big green salad, perhaps — to balance the wonderful richness of this nostalgic number.

Featured in: Three Ways to a Better Chicken Breast

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing wire rack
  • ¼cup sour cream
  • 1large egg white
  • 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • 2large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds total)
  • 1sleeve Ritz crackers (about 100 grams)
  • 2ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
  • ½teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½teaspoon onion powder
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

526 calories; 27 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 49 grams protein; 595 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and using your hands, smear the sour cream all over the chicken.

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed. Holding one of the chicken cutlets by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, pack the crumbs onto the chicken, pressing them in to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining three cutlets.

  4. Step 4

    Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates and serving.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
5,756 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

AlisonK

Good recipe. I counted the crackers as I crumbled them into a bowl on my scale. About 32 crackers for 100g. Then I zeroed the scale and switched to ounces to add the cheese. What’s with the mixed measures here? It would be nice if Times recipes used one set of measurements consistently in a recipe, preferably with the other in parentheses since the USA is the only nation that doesn’t use metric.

JC

This recipe is a “cousin” to a 1960’s family favorite, “RitzCracker Chicken” OUR RECIPE: One whole chicken, cut in eighths and skinned Crushed Ritz Crackers Melted butter (ouch) Bake in preheated 425• oven and serve. Every once in a while my grown sons still request…

Andy

yes, and since yogurt is a bit thinner than sour cream, you can actually skip the eggwhite - still binds nicely

Jill

I love Eric Kim's videos. Making this tonight! Just about to take it out of the oven.

LY

Needed around 30% more of the cracker coating than the recipe makes. Would scale accordingly for next time! Was also a great recipe to make with my 4 year old. She loved smashing the crackers and mixing up the coating.

Tammy

we love this recipe. the only change i make is to replace the dijon with hot sauce to accommodate family member who likes things hot and despises all mustards ...

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.