Foodie Friday: Baked Garlic Chicken

Baked, breaded, garlic chicken. Those are 2 things I love, and one thing that is a perk. Baked, not fried, chicken. How delightful that this dish is so delicious and a fairly healthy meal! Jason and I made this for my parents and our friends on 2 separate occasions, and each time it was inhaled.

This is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe which sounded quite good, and I always like putting my own little spin on things. We topped it with a white wine sauce (we used Julia Child's herbal white wine sauce or "Sauce Chivry", but that was very ambitious of us), but simply squeezing some lemon juice on top would be fantastic too. As sides, we served mashed potatoes and fresh steamed broccoli, both of which tasted wonderful with the herbal white wine sauce. This recipe makes 4 servings.

You will need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 15 saltine crackers
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 475F
2. We'll start by preparing the breading. If you have a food processor, combine all your crackers, garlic, parsley, butter, and pepper (to taste) and run until you have a fine mixture
3. If you do not have a food processor (guilty), then put your crackers, parlsey, and pepper in a large freezer bag. Crush using your hand or the bottom of a cup. Next, press your garlic into the bag. Use a fork to mash your butter and add to bag. Shake up the bag and use your hands and the cup to mix the breading ingredients together. Set bag to the side when finished
4. Make three shallow, diagonal cuts in each side of each chicken breast. Place on a covered surface (freezer paper or a cutting board) and cover them with freezer paper or plastic wrap and beat them until they have flattened out some
5. In a small bowl, beat your egg. On 2 separate plates, pour your flour and your breading mixture
6. Prepare a flat baking sheet (using non-stick spray or foil) for your chicken
7. Begin breading your chicken by first coating one chicken breast in flour. Next, dip your chicken in the egg, and then turn it over into the plate of breadcrumbs to fully coat it. Place on baking sheet
8. Repeat breading process for each chicken breast
9. Bake chicken for 12-15 minutes
10. Serve as a whole breast with a lemon slice, or slice up and drizzle white wine sauce on top

Enjoy!