Fast forward a few years, and have you seen what they put in that stuff (Parmesan Crusted flavor linked)?! Ew. Luckily, I reduced the number of ingredients from a whopping 28 to 6 clean ingredients just by using stuff I already had in my kitchen. Among the 28 offensive ingredients in “Parmesan Crusted” Shake ‘n Bake: enriched wheat, partially hydrogenated GMO oils, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors…to name a few. And might I ask – when was the last time you cooked with silicon dioxide, sodium phosphate, or modified food starch? Well, if it’s been a while, you can certainly find them in a box of Parmesan Crusted Shake ‘n Bake.
I can’t say there’s any flavor lost by whipping this up without the help of a boxed coating. The panko adds a great crunch, the garlic gives a great flavor burst, and the parmesan adds a salty, cheesy dimension. And you can feel all warm and fuzzy since you did it on your own. Hot dang that feels good!
Ingredients
- 2 large defrosted chicken breasts
- 2 tsp chopped garlic (fresh or jarred)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup whole wheat panko crumbs
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Dredge each chicken breast in extra virgin olive oil.
- Make thin slices into the top of each chicken breast and stuff with garlic.
- Mix panko and parmesan together in a shallow dish.
- Dip each chicken breast into the panko/parmesan mixture then place them into a baking dish (be sure to grease it if it’s not nonstick).
- Top with a sprinkle of black pepper.
- Bake for 30 minutes then check for doneness, cook in additional 5 minute increments until there is no pink.