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.
Looks like a great recipe although I’ll have to find a substitute for the sour cream. I love Ritz crackers and chicken so this is a must try.
Watergate salad is something I can’t have in the house.. It just dances around my thoughts until next thing I know it’s all gone. 🙂
I use plain Yogart, Fage.
Sounds good. However, my grandchildren’s favorite chicken is your Chicken Plank recipe. Two of the foods I dread bringing into the house are coconut cake and Lay’s Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips. If left alone, I could eat almost half a cake in mere hours. I’ve had to ask my husband to just hide the chips
Ohhh goodness, Coconut cake is a hard one to pass up!!!
Great recipe Christy. Thanks for all you do. I used to not be able to leave pork rinds alone.
Thank you Sheila!!!
This chicken IS really good and so simple to make. My late friend gave me this recipe many years ago, but she used crushed Cheez-Its crackers and melted some butter in the pan and then put the sour cream and Cheez-It rolled chicken in the pan on top of the melted butter. I know the butter adds more calories, but it surely tastes great. Thank you for sharing this recipe, now I’ll have to make this again!
Lorna Doones and Banana Bread are not safe in my house! I only eat Lorna Doones when they give them to me at the Blood Bank. Am going to try this chicken dish this week. Thanks for all you do!
Lorna Doones are addictive!! Hope you are well Jane, thank YOU for all you do!!
I have never operated on the “good foods” vs “bad foods” theory, so if it’s edible and delicious, it’s welcome at our house. HOWEVER— having said that, I NEVER make deviled eggs and so limit myself to eating them at all our family gatherings that pop up throughout the year instead. This is because I can’t be be trusted to share, or to even be remotely reasonable around them, if there is a platter of deviled eggs on the table. I even find myself being territorial around them, which is odd, since I am never the one who brings them, and so I have no ownership claim ever them whatsoever. At any gathering, you’ll see me hovering around the egg platter, and periodically creating distractions or creating new topics for discussion in order to thwart anyone who is seemingly leaning in to grab one of MY precious little jewels. Note: If you don’t see me at the Pearly Gates, it’s because of my sin of coveting everyone else’s Deviled Eggs. Hey ! Do you suppose that is why they were named that ? Because they lead us into temptation ? 🙂
LOL, I definitely think you are on to something there Alicia!! They are devishly delicious!!
Stauffers Animal Crackers (cookies to us) have a very short “shelf life” at our house. My husband and I are both addicted to them and want to eat them like potato chips!
is it all animal crackers or just that particular brand?