3-Ingredient Ritz Cracker Chicken
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This deliciously easy Ritz cracker chicken recipe is a favorite in our house. I mean, what’s not to love about tender chicken breast with a crunchy Ritz cracker coating, right? You can make it lickety-split in the oven and it has only three ingredients!
Even though we have countless chicken recipes, I’m always looking to throw something new into the mix. So a few weeks ago I decided to oven fry some chicken with crushed Ritz crackers as the breading because who doesn’t love a Ritz cracker? In fact, I never buy them because they are just too good and I can’t be left alone in the house with them.
Now, I wanted a wet layer that added tenderness to the meat, kept the cracker crumbs in place, and enhanced the flavor. Instead of the usual egg and butter, I decided to go with sour cream and it did not disappoint. It’s so much creamier and makes the chicken more tender, so it’s a win-win in my books! This is a simple three-ingredient recipe (one being chicken breast) and has already made it on the menu twice since I tried it out the first time. I think your people will love it, too.
This Ritz cracker chicken recipe is about as easy as it comes. All we’re going to do is pat dry our chicken breast and then coat both sides in sour cream and Ritz cracker crumbs. That’s it! Then we just have to patiently wait for them to bake in the oven before serving. Yep, there’s no deep frying or oil involved. There’s just something about the combination of the crunchy salty Ritz cracker coating and the tender and moist chicken that makes me happy. You can serve your Ritz cracker chicken however you like. I’ve included plenty of options below.
Alright, who’s ready to make some Ritz cracker chicken?
Recipe Ingredients
- Sour cream
- Ritz crackers (I use one sleeve for three pretty good-sized chicken breasts)
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
How To Make Ritz Cracker Chicken
First, crush the crackers and pour them into a shallow dish. Then spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside before preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel.
Place sour cream in a shallow dish or plate and roll in the sour cream mixture. You’ll be surprised at how well it coats!
Roll each chicken breast in cracker crumbs.
Place on the prepared baking sheet and put in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes, flip, and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes more until golden brown.
If you’d like them a little browner you can give them a quick light spray of cooking spray (it just takes a tiny bit).
My Ritz cracker chicken recipe is a quick, easy, and simple meal for us so I just serve it with green beans.
I usually have some fresh green beans in the freezer or I use the recipe for last-minute green beans.
Storage
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. For best results, quickly reheat in the oven or the air fryer.
- You can also freeze the baked chicken for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating as above.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of chicken breasts, use chicken thighs or chicken tenders instead to make Ritz cracker chicken tenders.
- Want to add some extra flavor? Add a teaspoon of any of these seasonings: ground black pepper, onion powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or paprika.
- Instead of Ritz crackers, you can use breadcrumbs, crushed corn flakes, or crushed potato chips.
- For cheesy Ritz cracker chicken, add some shredded cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, or mozzarella cheese a few minutes before they’ve finished baking.
- An easy substitution for the sour cream is mayonnaise.
Recipe FAQs
Can I cook Ritz cracker chicken in the air fryer?
Yes, you can cook your chicken in the air fryer. At the same temperature, the cooking time will decrease to 10 to 15 minutes on each side.
What do you serve with Ritz cracker chicken?
You can serve your Ritz chicken with basically anything:
- A side salad, like German potato salad, summer corn salad, or broccoli salad.
- Mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, roasted sweet potato wedges, baked zucchini fries, or parmesan oven fries.
- Your favorite noodles, a side of rice or quinoa, or pasta salad.
- Frozen mixed vegetables, roasted vegetables, zucchini and squash, or collard greens.
You may also like these chicken recipes:
Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Blackened Chicken Recipe With a Delicious Crunchy Coating
Ingredients
- 1 cup regular sour cream
- 1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers
- 3-4 chicken breasts
Instructions
- Crush crackers and pour them into a shallow bowl. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers
- Place sour cream in a shallow bowl or plate. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and roll in the sour cream mixture. You'll be surprised at how well it coats!1 cup regular sour cream, 3-4 chicken breasts
- Roll each chicken breast in the cracker crumbs.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and put them in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, flip, and bake for 20-30 minutes more or until golden brown.
Rold Gold pretzels here, too. Also, Oreo cookies and good ol’ regular Lays potato chips. Can’t quit them when I get to eating them!
I understand the struggle!!!
I love your recipes and the chitchat. Oreos but only if there double stuff. Yum!
Ice cream is not safe in my house, no matter the temperature outside, love ice cream.
Ice cream WAS my favorite food until I met Talenti’s Gelato. Neither of these can reside in my home…even if I store them in the garage freezer! Also, Frito’s cannot inhabit my pantry. They can only be bought on the way to a football party (because they go with the dip) and will stay there!
I have heard others mention Talenti’s Gelato. I need to give it a try sometime. Or maybe I shouldn’t
I’ve made the same recipe but substituted the sour cream with a Dijon mustard/mayo combo with delicious results!
I’m the same as a previous commenter, chocolate chips are my nemesis! Love this chicken idea and will be trying soon. We make an entree for the kids by cutting the chicken breasts into smaller pieces and covering with mayo, some Parmesan cheese and then panko bread crumbs. Always looking for easy, chicken dishes.
I also use your recipe. The sour cream is something different.
I can’t bring milk chocolate chips in the house unless I immediately use them in a recipe. If not, we eat them as dessert and they are gone in a flash!
My daughter is the same way! lol When she was little I would often open up the pantry and see a little trail of chips and the corner torn off a bag of chocolate chips.
I don’t use my regular oven much in the summer but have a good toaster/convection oven. What would the baking time be for a toaster oven. Thanks!
Hey Susan! I’ve only made this in my regular oven but toaster ovens should have the same temperature settings and therefore the same time for cooking 🙂 Hope you get to make it soon!
Christy, if I might reply to this query. I have baked this in my toaster/convection oven and I use the same temperature as used in the regular oven and with great results.
Thank you so much, Claudine!! That is helpful to know and I appreciate you taking the time to be so kind 🙂
I make a version of this with some garlic powder added to the cracker crumbs and dipped in egg rather than the sour cream. And I put a few pats of butter on top. One time my brother asked me to please take the platter off the table so he would stop eating it so that’s generally a sign it’s pretty tasty.
HA! You and your brother sound like my kind of people! 🙂
I baked chicken tenders last night, brushed them with mayonnaise & rolled in crushed pork skins. to make them low carb. My husband loved them and he is not even on a low carb diet!!!!
Don’t you just love it when that happens!? Makes it so much easier to cook!
I altered the recipe. I used all seasoned salt & the sour cream & seasoned bread crumbs, then baked it in my air fryer. Served with mashed potatoes, green beans & fresh tomatoes. It was great! Thank you for the idea!
K. Falk
What time and temp did you use in the air fryer? The same as the recipe? Too hot here in the summer for my oven!
Dear everyone:
Have none of you tried substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream?!
It’s supposed to be more healthful plus mixes with berries & cereal.
I love it straight out of the carton.
From the me part of everyone:
I love Greek yogurt, too. Almost as much as I love sour cream 🙂 Have you ever tried it as a snack with a scant drizzling of molasses? YUM
I was wondering if you could do this recipe in an air fryer?
I have a Black and Decker toaster, air fryer, and rotisserie.
Will it work in air fryer if not can use toaster oven.
I think I’d try an air fryer first and, although I haven’t made it myself in an air fryer, I think it would work beautifully. (I have recently become an owner of an air fryer)