Crispy Cheddar Chicken is coated in sour cream, cheddar cheese, and ritz cracker crumbs and baked to crispy perfection. Top it with a creamy sauce, and it’s to die for!
One of our go-to chicken recipes, this crispy Ritz cracker chicken is cheesy and covered in a delicious sauce. We love to serve it with garlic bread and mashed potatoes for a perfect Sunday meal.
A family favorite dish
I was recently assigned to bring a chicken dish for a big Luna Family dinner, and my mom requested this Crispy Ritz Cracker Chicken recipe. We had just tried it not too long ago, and I was happy to make it again because it was easy and really was so delicious.
It may be because the chicken is smothered in sour cream, cheese and crushed crackers and then topped with a creamy sauce that makes it so good, but we’ll take it!. 😉
The recipe actually calls for chicken breasts, but since I was trying to feed a lot I ended up using chicken tenders. They are about the third, or even a quarter the size, of large chicken breast, but they worked perfectly for our family dinner!!
I was excited to see that the chicken was all gone in a matter of minutes and several family members asked for the recipe. We had gotten it from Just a Pinch, but we made a few adjustments that we think made the recipe even better!! Give it a try yourself and let us know what you think. 😉
AKA crispy cheddar chicken
This recipe goes by many names – Ritz cracker chicken, crispy cheddar chicken – but no matter what you call it, it’s so delicious! Oh yeah – and it’s super easy to make!
3 Step Breading. Set up a station so you have 3 shallow dishes—one with the sour cream, one with the cheddar cheese and one with the crushed ritz crackers. Dip each chicken tender (or breast, if that’s what you’re using) in the sour cream, then the cheese, then the ritz crackers making sure they are well coated.
Bake. Place breaded chicken in a 9×13 baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 375° F for 50-55 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
Sauce. As chicken is finishing cooking, place sauce ingredients into a small pot and cook on medium high heat. Stir until well combined and serve over chicken along with fresh parsley.
Substitutions and variations
Cooking with an Air Fryer: Spray the basket with non stick cooking spray and place the chicken in the basket. Because a fryer cooks by circulating air around the food be sure that the pieces are not touching.
Bake tenderloins at 360º for 12-14 minutes. Bake breasts at 350°F for 15 minutes then turn and cook 5 to 8 minutes longer. To be certain your chicken is cooked, use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature is at least 165º F.
What to use instead of Ritz Crackers? One sleeve of ritz crackers contains about 35 crackers and makes 1 ½ c of crumbs. This recipe calls for 2 sleeves (or 3 cups of crumbs). With that in mind you can use an equal amount of bread crumbs, crushed corn flakes, crushed potato chips, or panko. However, be aware the substitutions will create a slightly different flavor and texture.
Change up the Flavor: You can easily change up the flavor of this dish by using a different cheese. Mozzarella or pepper jack would be great. Even adjusting the cheddar with mild or sharp would make a bit of a difference. For a hotter change, spice it up with red chili flakes.
A great freezer meal
You could prepare this chicken ahead of time, and even bake it before freezing, if you want a quick and easy meal right out of the freezer!
- To freeze raw breaded chicken: wrap each piece with plastic wrap. Store pieces in an airtight freezer safe container for 6-9 months. Thaw for several hours in the fridge, but bake before the juices turn the coating soggy.
- To freeze baked coated chicken: allow the chicken to cool and place in the freezer in a single layer. Freeze for 2-3 hours and transfer pieces to an airtight freezer safe container. Pre cooked chicken can be reheated from a frozen state. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake breasts for 20-25 minutes flipping halfway through. Tenders might cook even faster than that.
If you have leftovers that you don’t want to freeze: Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven or, if you’re in a hurry, the microwave.
So excited to have another go-to chicken dish for the monthly menu. We eat chicken at least once a week, so it’s always nice to have good recipes for it!!
We love to serve this chicken with:
For more chicken recipes, check out:
- Chicken Parmesan Bundles
- Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake
- Lemon Butter Chicken
- Crispy Chicken with Arugula
- Ranch Chicken
- Healthy Chicken Piccata
Ritz Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- fresh parsley for garnish
Sauce
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1/8 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Place crushed crackers in a shallow dish along with salt and pepper. Also place sour cream in a separate dish, and cheese in another dish as well.
- Begin by dipping each breast half into sour cream, coating all sides and then place in cheese dish, coating with shredded cheese. Then, place each breast into cracker mixture until well coated.
- Place into a greased 9x13. Cover and bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
- As chicken is finishing cooking, place sauce ingredients into a small pot and cook on medium high heat. Stir until well combined and serve over chicken along with fresh parsley. ENJOY!
Video
Recipe adapted from Just a Pinch.
Probably a silly question, but I don’t have any foil and don’t have time to get any. Can I cover it with parchment paper instead? I’m super excited to try this but I’m more of a baker and less of a cook so I really want to do it right!
I have not tried, but it could work 🙂 One way to find out 🙂
I made this tonight for my husband and it was as delicious as everyone said… and easy to make too. I will make this again for sure and recommend to others!
Awe, thank you for saying that & for recommending it! I am happy it was a hit!
Can you use cream of mishroom soup instead of cream of chicken?
You sure could 🙂 Enjoy!!
I’m making this for dinner tomorrow. I’m excited!
Pictures to come.
Hope it was a hit!! Thank you!
Crispy chIcke recipe was delicious,..loved it!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this ritz cracker chicken! it taste amazing and it’s really easy to make!
The crispy chicken with the creamy sauce is to die for! It looks like you spent hours making it too! It whipped up much quicker than I had thought it would!
The ritz crackers give the chicken a nice crunch! This chicken is very family-friendly & tastes amazing! You can add any side & make it a great meal!
A great recipe for chicken. Crunchy with a great sauce.
I’ve always used Ritz crackers to help coat chicken, but have never added cheese. Great delicious idea!
Wondering if it gets soggy on the bottom? Could it be placed on a wire rack to prevent it from getting soggy on the bottom if that’s a problem.
I haven’t had any troubles with it being soggy on the bottom, but I imagine you could place them on a wire rack if you’re worried about it getting soggy. I haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it would work.