Oven Fried Chicken

Okay, when I told my husband that we were having oven fried chicken for dinner, I MAYBE should have told him that it was oven fried chicken BREASTS!

I found this recipe online at www.recipezaar.com (Recipe # 82102).  In order to bring down the calories just a bit, I dipped my chicken breasts in 1/3 cup fat free half and half instead of the butter.  And I omitted the grated cheddar cheese on top.  I took the suggestion of putting the chicken on a cookie rack, so that it would get “crispy” all over.  The result?  I ended up having to spray the chicken with Pam and then putting it under the broiler on high to try to get the crispiness.  Maybe omitting the butter made it not so crispy? 

It turned out juicy though!

Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

• 1/3 cup fat free half and half
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

Set oven to 350.  In a bowl, mix half and half, garlic, garlic powder and salt.  Set aside.  In another bowl, combine bread crumbs with and ground pepper.  Dip in milk mixture, then in crumb mixture.  Cook for 35 minutes (and then on broil for 5).

I served dinner with potato/cheese periogies (120 calories for 7) and frozen green beens sauteed in 2 tablespoons real bacon bits.

You know how you bread things, and you have your “wet” station and “dry” station, but after the first things you dip, your hands are just full of breading?  I came up with the shimy shake.  I put my bread crumbs on foil and then “toss” the chicken back and forth on the foil and my fingers never touch it.  It coated the chicken really well!

The pasta sauce is still cooking down.  It will be ready to can in a couple days.

My daughter took this picture in our back yard at sunset – can’t wait for the leaves to turn!

Night!