Crispy Baked Chicken

I am not a fan of frying food. It actually kind of scares the heck out of me. When I was growing up I had a friend with horrible scars on his right arm from pulling a pan of hot oil off the counter top when he was little. Being the klutz that I was (and still am) I was terrified that I would do the same thing. Then I became a mother, and now I worry that I will somehow burn one of my children. So I don’t cook with hot oil. Like ever. I know it is totally irrational.  But I figure that fried food isn’t healthy anyway, so it’s a healthy irrational fear, right? I thought so. 🙂

Since I don’t do any frying, I look for recipes that resemble fried chicken, but without the actual scary-ness of frying. This baked chicken recipe is one that I found buried in a recipe file. It is one that my mom used to make. I loved it as a kid, and I can’t believe I forgot all about it! I pulled out the dusty ole’ card and whipped up the chicken. It was just as good as I remembered. Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside. My family loved it too.  And it is a great way to use up all those tiny chip pieces at the bottom of the bag that no one wants to eat anyway. You’re welcome.

Crispy Baked Chicken
5 oz potato chips, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
3-4 Tbsp melted butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Wash chicken and pat dry. Combine chips, garlic powder, pepper, and parsley in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in melted butter, then in chip mixture. Place on a foil lined greased cookie sheet. Tip: For chicken that is crispy on the bottom, place a cooling rack inside your pan on top of the foil. The air can circulate underneath, and the chicken comes out crispier! Bake at 375° for 40-50 minutes or till chicken juices run clear.

Note: The original recipe called for an additional 1/4 cup melted butter that you drizzle over the top of the chicken before baking. I omit that step to lower the fat a little. But you can add it if you want.