Cheez-Its Chicken

So I think I've almost perfected my Cheez-Its Chicken recipe. I saw an idea of it on Pinterest long ago but I only browsed through the pictures and didn't really read the ingredients list. That's nothing new, this is the same method I use for everything I cook. It's like art. To me, following a step-by-step recipe is much like a color-by-numbers activity... someone else's creation and not your own. Making dinner last week I finally decided to record what I do since I was sure it would turn out delicious. I was not disappointed.

Ingredients: 5 boneless chicken breasts, 1 egg, cayenne pepper, 2 cups of Cheez-Its, 1 package of cream cheese, 1 bag of shredded cheese (any kind you'd like).

Does this chicken look a little strange? That's because I had it marinating in a lime juice and cayenne pepper mixture for an entire day beforehand. Yum. I highly recommend it. 

Step Fun. I mean, Step One: Take your two cups of cheez-its, put them in a zip-lock bag, and crush them to a powder. Finer = better. 

Step Two: Beat egg and add Cayenne pepper to the mix if desired. I like my spices :)

Step Three: Microwave the cream cheese to soften it. Do it in increments of 30 seconds. 

Step Four: Once cream cheese is soft and malleable, add in the shredded cheese and mix it up. It will turn into a thick, doughy ball of stickiness. If this is too challenging, add a small quantity of melted butter or olive oil to soften, or microwave for another 30 seconds. 

Step Five: Take chicken breasts and split open about 3/4 of the way. It helps to press down with flat hand and come down to eye level with the chicken, that way you make sure to cut it correctly. 

It should look something like this. Like open wings. 

Ready for the messy part? 

Step Six: Dip chicken into egg mixture. Make sure its completely coated all around. 

Step Seven: Coat thoroughly with Cheez-It crumbs on both sides. You will get it all over your fingers, its inevitable. 

This is a messy job. 

Step Eight: Be Prepared. Take a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and spray with cooking spray. 

Step Nine: Spoon cream cheese mixture into chicken. I was a little too generous with mine and it oozed out while baking, so maybe use about a good sized spoon-full. Fold it well into the chicken. 

Step Ten: I use two toothpicks per chicken breast to keep the folds in place and the insides from spilling out during the baking time. It's easy to pull them out afterwards. Arrange (hopefully neater than I did) onto baking sheet. Cook in oven at 350 deg F for about 45 minutes. 

I should have mentioned... this makes for twice the amount of cream cheese stuff than what you need. I always spoon my leftovers into a zip lock and use them next time... this is a weekly meal at our house so it never lasts longer than that.

Regretfully, we were too excited/famished by the time I finished this meal to stop and photograph our food before we ate it. I can attest that it is delicious, simple to make, and goes with pretty much any side you can think of. Hope you like it!
Hubby's Quote: Why are you giving recipe secrets to everyone out there? We are going to open a restaurant with this! (he says that every time... its that good)