Classic Shake And Bake Chicken

Do you remember Shake and Bake from the 1990s and before? I sure do. My mom always made Shake and Bake chicken for dinner. It was quick and pretty tasty. This was a staple for so many families during and before the 90’s.

I remember my grandmother always having this in her pantry for quick dinners during the week. I would often stay with her while my dad went to work because I simply enjoyed spending time with her. She would read me books, teach me things in the kitchen, and I would play with the neighborhood kids. I remember both her and my mom pulling this out of the pantry and shaking the chicken/pork chops in this coating before baking them in the oven. It always made the house smell wonderful.

Now that I am older, I enjoy making things from scratch because my body just prefers it nowadays. I am going to share with you how I like to make my rendition of this classic. In my opinion, it is even better and more flavorful. This works well with any cut of chicken, and you can also use this with pork chops.

It is such a nostalgic flavor, and you are going to love this. Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ Cups plain, fine dry breadcrumbs
2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp dried parsley
1Tsp dried basil
1 Tsp paprika
1 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp garlic powder
½ Tsp black pepper
2–4 Tbsp Avocado oil (mixed into the crumbs)
2 1/2 – 3 Lbs of chicken- I like to use chicken legs and bone-in pork chops.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
2. Stir all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, or you can add them to a zip-top bag. Make sure all of the dry ingredients are well mixed.
3. Drizzle in the oil and mix until the crumbs are evenly coated. This is one of the secrets to getting that classic Shake and Bake texture.
4. Lightly moisten the chicken with water (or brush with a little oil if you prefer). I like to spritz a little olive oil or avocado oil onto the chicken instead of water, but both work well. This helps the coating stick to the chicken better. You don’t need much, but enough to lightly cover the chicken. Place the chicken and coating in a large zip-top bag and shake until evenly coated. If you already have the breading in a zip-top bag, you can just add the chicken to the bag and then shake the bag to fully coat the chicken.
5. Arrange the legs on a wire rack over a baking sheet (or directly on a parchment-lined baking sheet).
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165*. Turn the legs halfway through if baking directly on a pan. The time will vary depending on which cut of chicken you use.
7. Remove from the oven when completely cooked through and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
   *SEE NOTES*

• If you are using chicken thighs, I would cook these for about 30 to 35 minutes or until cooked through. Boneless chicken thighs will take about 20 to 25 minutes or so. If you are using chicken breasts, the time will vary depending on whether you have bone-in, skin-on, or boneless/skinless chicken breasts. This should take about 30 to 35 minutes for boneless/skinless chicken breasts and about 35 to 45 minutes for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Also, if your oven cooks hotter than others. I love to use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat is cooked through regardless. I just stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, and if it reads between 160 and 165*, then you are good to go. The temp will rise a bit as it begins to cool down.
• If you want the coating to be a bit more crunchy, then replace half of the breadcrumbs with panko. I use sourdough that I dry out in the oven for the coating because I always have sourdough on hand, and it is super easy to make breadcrumbs. They keep really well.
• Don’t skip the sugar. It seems very odd, but this is what gives this recipe that classic Shake and Bake flavor.
• If you want a bit of a Southern flair, you can add about 1/4 Tsp of Cayenne pepper. It doesn’t make it spicy, in my opinion, but it gives a bit of warmth in the background. You can always omit this if you want to keep it to its original flavor.
• You can use any neutral oil that you have on hand. You can also use Olive oil.
• You can serve this however you want. It pairs well with any side dish.
• You can also make this with pork chops. Do the same as the recipe states and bake the pork chops for about 20 to 25 minutes for boneless pork chops and about 25 to 30 minutes for bone-in pork chops. The internal temp should be around 145*. If you have really thick-cut pork chops, the time should be around 35 to 40 minutes.
• I like to use a sheet tray lined with parchment (for easy clean up) and a wire rack on top of the parchment paper. This just helps all sides to get nice and crispy. I also like to flip them halfway through for even baking.
• Yes, I call it Shake and Bake out of respect for the company. I can never find it here, so I learned how to make it at home.
• *No picture shown*