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Baked Chicken

Just In Time For National Picnic Day

Baked Chicken.

Say hello to dining outdoors! April 23 is the National Picnic Day!

Picnics are a wonderful way to celebrate the beauty of nature and time together free from distractions.

The picnic dates back to mid-18th century France where outdoors dining simply included a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, cheese and fruit. The French word is “piquenique” which sounds very much like the American word picnic.

We also use the word “al fresco” to describe outdoor dining. This phrase has an Italian origin. The Italians now use a different phrase to describe outdoor dining and al fresco is used as a reference to being in jail.

Life on the Blanket

For your next picnic try my Baked Chicken recipe.

This recipe was my mother’s specialty. Back in the 60s we used to take road trips to visit family in Mississippi. Because these were the days before the proliferation of fast food, my mother baked chicken and packed it in a cooler for our 10-hour car trip.

Lunch was a highlight of the trip. We would stop at a roadside park and enjoy a lunch of baked chicken and potato salad. It was better than any hamburger ever could have been.

Baked Chicken

The chicken is dipped in a mixure of melted butter and a packet of Good Seasons salad dressing mix, rolled in crushed cracker crumbs, then baked.

It is super fabulous hot out of the oven and delicious eaten cold roadside.

Be sure to be stove side when these beauties come out of the oven. My family used to argue over who got to eat the crumbs from the baking sheet. It’s just as tasty as the chicken.

Baked Chicken

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Try this baked chicken recipe that is easy. It travels well in a cooler and is a beautiful addition to a picnic as you do “life on the blanket”. Be sure to be stove side when these beauties come out of the oven. You will want to eat the crumbs off the baking sheet!

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

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• 6 chicken breasts
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 package, Good Seasons Italian Dressing
• 2 sleeves of saltine crackers

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Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 F.
2. Remove the crackers from their sleeves and place into a resealable gallon bag, sealing well.
3. Using a rolling pin or the flat side of a wooden spoon, finely crush the crackers.
4. Empty the crushed crackers onto a small rimmed baking sheet.
5. Melt the butter over low heat.
6. Add the package of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix to the melted butter and stir.
7. Dip each chicken breast into the butter mixture, then coat it with the cracker crumbs.
8. Lay the coated chicken breast on a sheet tray. Repeat until all chicken breasts have been dipped and coated.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 F.

Notes

If you pack these for a picnic, be sure to keep them well chilled.
If your chicken breasts are thick, either slice in half or pound them out.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Chicken Breast
• Calories: 440.75 kcal
• Sugar: 0.04 g
• Sodium: 121.3 mg
• Fat: 31.51 g
• Saturated Fat: 14.34 g
• Trans Fat: 0.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 1.23 g
• Fiber: 0.11 g
• Protein: 36.6 g
• Cholesterol: 151.85 mg