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Perfect tender juicy chicken baked with a crispy crunchy breading in under 20 minutes with simple ingredients like panko, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, and herbs!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
Table of contents
Crispy Breaded Chicken
This juicy tender crispy breaded chicken is bursting with flavor and will satisfy both adults and children. It can be really hard to find recipes that you can make for your family, and no one is going to fuss but this is one of them! My son craves this breaded chicken and thankfully its super quick and easy to whip up and my kids come running when they smell it in the oven!
I prefer to bake this cheesy breaded chicken, but it can be fried in oil or made in an air fryer. My husband loves to make leftover chicken into a hearty sandwich the next day. We love to enjoy this chicken with a side of steamed or roast vegetables and pasta, yum!
How to Bake Breaded Chicken
To make this recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- Chicken breast halves – the white meat of skinless chicken breasts is best for this recipe since they coat well in the breadcrumbs. If you want to use boneless skinless chicken thighs you will want to shorten the cooking time.
- Sea salt – sea salt is essential to season the chicken before it is coated and baked, use high quality sea salt whenever cooking.
- Fresh cracked black pepper – black pepper adds a wonderful hit of spice to the chicken before it is coated in the cheesy breadcrumbs.
- Panko breadcrumbs – panko are perfect for breading since they are a little larger than Italian breadcrumbs and don’t have a strong flavor or seasoning. You can make your own breadcrumbs by putting stale bread in the food processor if you prefer.
- Parmesan cheese – parmesan cheese, freshly grated, is the perfect cheese for breading since it is a hard cheese and wont melt too quickly and burn before the chicken is cooked. You can substitute with asiago cheese if you prefer.
- Italian spice blend – if you don’t have a premixed spice blend see tips and tricks below for a mix.
- Eggs – eggs are the perfect binder, use high quality eggs for the best richest flavor.
- Garlic – garlic has an intense flavor that when exposed to the heat adds a sweetness and richness to the chicken.
- Paprika, Onion powder – this mixture of spices adds a wonderful smokey savory flavor to the egg that binds the crispy breadcrumb coating to the chicken.
When you gather your ingredients, we will use the following process:
Season the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian spice blend. In another bowl combine the eggs, garlic, paprika, and onion powder.
Bread the chicken. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture then press it into the cheesy breadcrumb mixture to coat.
Bake. Place the chicken in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes then enjoy!
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Crispy Baked Chicken
Make your own Italian Seasoning Mix. To make your own Italian seasoning mix combine the following in a mason jar: 3 tbsp basil, 3 tbsp parsley flakes, 3 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp crushed dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Store of up to 3 months.
Make it gluten-free. If you want to make these gluten-free try substituting these panko breadcrumbs.
FAQs
If you want to make these in the air fryer lay the chicken on the air fryer rack in a single layer, set your air fryer to 350 degrees, slide the tray in and set the timer for 22 minutes. Check the chicken for an internal temperature of 165 degrees before eating.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The breading will not remain crunchy after they have cooled. I prefer to reheat them on a baking sheet in the oven.
If you want a vegan substitute for parmesan cheese, try nutritional yeast. Substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
What to Serve with Breaded Chicken
We love serving breaded chicken with toasted baked ravioli, Broccoli Cauliflower Sausage Casserole, or Sweet and Spicy Baked Cauliflower.
This simple dish is also a knockout with a Crunchy Lemon Parmesan Salad, or The Best French Onion Soup and a slice of Easy No Knead Bread.
To wash it all down we love Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade or a Pimms Cup Cocktail.
Click here to see all my chicken recipes!
Easy Baked Breaded Chicken Recipe
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Easy Baked Breaded Chicken
Equipment
- Salt and Pepper Grinder Set Of 2 – Adjustable Ceramic Coarseness, Stainless Steel, Glass Refillable Salt and Pepper Shakers & Mills For Spice, Black Peppercorn, Salt W/ Wooden Spoon & Cleaning Brush
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breast halves
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ยผ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
- 1 tbsp Italian spice blend
- 2 eggs
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- ยฝ tsp paprika
- ยฝ tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9โ x 13โ baking dish heavily with nonstick spray.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and
Italian spice blend. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, paprika, minced garlic, and onion powder. - Dip the chicken in the egg then in the cheesy breadcrumb mixture.
Press the breadcrumbs to the chicken so the chicken is coated and the mixture is sticking. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. - Set the breaded chicken breasts in the baking dish leaving space in between pieces.
- Bake 30 โ 35 minutes or until the internal temperature is
165 degrees. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.