This Ritz Cracker Chicken Recipe uses buttery Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs for a crispy coating. Juicy baked chicken in 30 minutes! Your whole family will love this delicious chicken dinner.
Jump to:
Looking for a quick and easy recipe tonight? Coat chicken breasts in crushed Ritz crackers, toss in some butter, bake, and you've got a delicious dinner and a new family favorite!
If you want to bake tender chicken breasts that are not dry, this crispy Ritz cracker chicken is the recipe for you. The last time I made this flavorful baked chicken, it was practically fork tender -- seriously!
We had Ritz chicken growing up. It's one of my favorite chicken recipes. My kids love buttery Ritz crackers -- actually their favorite cracker! So even my picky eater loves this easy dinner recipe as much as I do.
Serve this chicken dinner with a simple salad or rice, green beans or mixed veggies! My son even likes it with cheese sauce!
Ingredients
You probably have all of the simple ingredients needed to make this crispy baked chicken recipe. If not, you can find them in your grocery store.
- Skinless chicken breasts -- or chicken tenders
- Ritz crackers -- or any round butter cracker
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Ground black pepper
- Beaten egg -- to help the cracker crumbs stick to the chicken
- Butter -- an essential ingredient for this recipe. I use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter as well.
Note -- You can add salt if you like, but it's not essential because there is plenty of salt in the butter crackers.
How to Make Ritz Cracker Chicken
First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. This is the best temperature to bake chicken without burning the coating.
Next, crush up a sleeve of Ritz crackers or any buttery type of cracker. Kids can help with this part. Mine love crushing crackers with a rolling pin in a plastic bag!
I like to crush buttery crackers in a freezer bag and use that to bread the chicken -- kind of like Shake and Bake!
Then, season the cracker crumbs with the seasonings for extra flavor.
Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl or dish. Then, dip the chicken in a beaten egg. This will help the crackers stick to the chicken.
If you don't want to use an egg, you can substitute a little mayo for the egg. I do this sometimes -- it also works well with baked breaded pork chops!
Use a dry hand or kitchen tongs to dip each chicken breast into the crumbs in the bag. Then, place the breaded chicken into a casserole dish or baking dish.
Technically, you don't have to coat the baking dish because of the melted butter. But, I usually spray the dish with nonstick spray anyway. You can also use a little olive oil if you want.
Next, add cut-up butter. Mom used to dip the chicken into melted butter, but I like adding it around the sides of the chicken and on top of the chicken.
As the chicken cooks, the butter melts and makes an awesome sauce. You can spoon some sauce over the coated chicken when you serve it.
Cook Time
So, how long do you cook Ritz cracker chicken? Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees f according to a meat thermometer.
I usually try to get smaller chicken breasts, but if your chicken is large, it may take a little longer to bake.
Total cooking time depends upon the size and thickness of the chicken and your oven.
Baked Ritz cracker chicken has a gorgeous golden brown crust. It's tender, juicy, super flavorful and absolutely delicious chicken!
Seriously, this is some of the best chicken ever, right here.
This simple recipe is also picky eater approved. My family gobbled this chicken dinner right up without one single complaint!
FAQ
Yes. You can use crushed Ritz cracker crumbs or any cracker crumbs in place of dried breadcrumbs for almost any recipe. I use them in meatloaf, to top casseroles and bread chicken, pork chops and fish.
Yes, you can make Ritz cracker chicken without eggs. Use a thin layer of mayonnaise or sour cream to coat your chicken instead of eggs. Then, press the cracker crumbs onto the chicken.
Variations and Substitutions
This is such a versatile chicken recipe that you can easily change it up to suit your tastes. Use chicken tenders, chicken thighs or chicken legs instead of chicken breasts.
To make Ritz chicken with cheese, add about ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese to the cracker crumbs.
For extra flavor, add a little Italian seasoning to the cracker crumbs. You can also add smoked paprika for color and flavor. Or use a different flavor Ritz.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for 3 to 4 days.
You can freeze the chicken for longer storage -- up to 3 months for best taste.
Reheat leftover cooked chicken in an air fryer, in the oven or in the microwave.
Recipe
Ritz Cracker Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts about 1 pound
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Remove crackers from sleeve, place in large zip top freezer bag, and crush with rolling pin. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
- Dip the chicken into the beaten egg, place in zip top bag, and coat each piece well with the cracker crumbs
- Place chicken into lightly greased 13x9 casserole dish ( I use non stick cooking spray ) and place cubes of butter around and on top of chicken
- Bake for 30 minutes or until internal temperature is 165° according to a meat thermometer
Notes
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this wonderful comfort food as much as my family does. If you try it, please be sure to leave a star rating and comment.
Looking for more easy chicken recipes or easy baked chicken recipes? Try honey mustard curry chicken, baked cranberry chicken or baked chicken Parmesan.
Or, check out my easy chicken recipes archives for more dinner ideas. You can also follow me on social media and sign up for the newsletter to receive recipes by email.
Lauren says
Do you have to flip the chicken breasts while cooking or no? I am just wondering if it will be crispy all around or just on top. It’s my oven now 🙂
Dee says
No need to flip the chicken. The top will be crispier, and the sides and bottom will be a little softer since they cook in the buttery sauce.
Leah says
Just made this & it's super delicious! My picky little girl ate it up! I used the garlic butter Ritz!
Dee says
I'll have to try that next time. Thanks for sharing!
Gwen says
Thank you for this easy recipe. The family loved it.
Dee says
Thank you for taking the time to review it! So glad you liked the chicken!
Dawn says
Can you make this and fry it in butter on the stove top? My poor oven is on the outs.
Dee says
You probably can, but I haven't tried it before. Let me know how it goes.
Jean says
My Dad’s requested birthday meal was when Mom made baked ritz cracker crusted pork chops with coconut banana cream pie for dessert! The ritz cracker coating was tried and true for many years and I cannot wait to try this with chicken!
Dee says
I'll have to try the pork chop version. Thanks for sharing!
Jean says
Hi Dee,
Well, I tried this recipe with chicken and it was very, very good! The chicken was extremely tender and flavorful and my son and I loved it! Made the recipe as written and I wouldn’t change a thing. Had parmesan risotto and steamed broccoli along with the chicken. The coating is great with pork chops that I grew up eating and equally great on chicken!
Dee says
Thank you so much for the awesome review, Jean. So glad you enjoyed the Ritz chicken!
Jesse says
This is such an easy and kid-friendly recipe! My family loves Ritz crackers and chicken, so this was an instant hit at our house! We will definitely be making this again!
Dee says
Thank you so much, Jesse! I'm glad it was a hit with your family!
Jim says
Made this for dinner last night. Everyone enjoyed it . Tender and juicy. Will be making this often.
Dee says
So happy to hear this, Jim! Thanks for writing in!
Sandra McCollum says
A new favorite at my house!! It is really delish!
Dee says
Thanks, Sandra! It's a favorite at our house now, too.
Sara Welch says
What a great recipe for busy weeknights! Made this for dinner last night and it was a hit all around the table! So unique and unexpected!
Dee says
Thank you so much, Sara! I'm happy to hear this!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says
My family loved this Ritz Cracker Chicken! I will definitely be making this again! Thank You! 🙂
katerina @ diethood.com says
I am loving this Ritz Cracker Chicken! It looks amazing!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This Ritz Cracker Chicken looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Amanda says
What a perfect way to prepare chicken, I need to try this immediately!
Dorothy Reinhold says
Those buttery crackers are so smart! I am always excited to find more chicken dishes my crew will love!