Panko Crusted Chicken

Looking for some new ways to serve up boneless skinless chicken breasts I went back to my childhood and remembered how much I used to like any meat done up in Shake 'n Bake. With a great big box of Panko bread crumbs in the cupboard I decided to create my own coating.

I really like the extra flavour and crunch this adds to the chicken without adding the extra fat of frying. You can used this to create chicken fingers or for coating pork chops or fish. The secret to keeping it crunchy is to keep the meat off the bottom of the pan. I do this by using a grate typically used in a roasting pan.

I've been thinking next time I make this up I'll add a few drops of lemon juice and lemon zest to give it a nice lemon chicken flavour.

The brussels sprouts in the picture were roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt pepper and lemon zest. B doesn't eat brussels sprouts but I can't get enough of them. Occasionally I'll just steam them and top with a cheese sauce.

Panko Crusted Chicken Breasts

• 1 cup Panko crumbs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• pinch dried basil
• pinch dried oregano
• pinch dried parsley

This will make enough breading for 4 medium sized chicken breasts.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag and mix well.
3. Put half the mixture in another container for use another time.
4. Put two medium sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the resealable plastic bag.
5. Reseal and shake until chicken is coated.
6. Place a grate on a baking sheet and place coated chicken on the grate.
7. Bake in the preheated oven 35 – 45 minutes or until internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.