May 25

Easy Cheesy Garlic Baked Chicken

Posted by Crystal // 4 Comments »

Easy Cheesy Garlic Baked Chicken – it’s just as delicious as the name suggests. Super simple to make with only a few ingredients too – a real family favorite!

Today, I’m sharing my Cheesy Garlic Baked Chicken – a well loved family favorite that I make all the time.

Why do I make it all the time? It’s incredibly fast & easy for one, with minimal ingredients that I always have on hand, – and hello, it’s amped up with garlic & cheese! Sometimes for an added treat, I even sprinkle a little bit of crumbled bacon over the top because seriously – when is adding bacon to a recipe not a good idea?

I’ve been making this recipe for my family for close to 20 years now – (wow, time sure does go by fast.…) It’s one of my ‘go-to’ meals because we love it & it’s super simple to throw together.

Thinner chicken breasts work best for this dish as the thicker pieces don’t pull in the garlic flavor in as well – so save the thicker pieces for another recipe. We want all that gah-lic flavor here. Chicken tenderloins also work really well in this.

Here’s what you need. And yes, you need a cat named Milton looking on to make sure this recipe turns out perfect. Ok, maybe you don’t… but I do. 😉 (Milton has since passed away on May 5, 2017 – see Cinco de Milton <3)

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a bowl. Stir in 8-10 cloves of minced garlic (I use a microplane to grate mine) & 1/2 cup of olive oil.

Microwave the mixture for 1 minute. This will infuse all that fabulous garlic flavor into the butter & olive oil.

In a dish, combine 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs & 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Dip… wait, not just dip – bathe the chicken breasts in the garlic mixture – making sure to get a good bit of the minced garlic on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle on a little bit of garlic salt on each piece of chicken, then coat both sides in the bread crumb/parmesan cheese mixture.

I like to bake mine in an enameled cast iron baker because it gives it a nice crust but that’s not necessary. You can also use panko bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs for little extra crisp.

Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

Place a small handful of shredded cheese on top of the chicken breasts. I usually do colby jack, but I’ve also used all different combos when I didn’t have it on hand. Whatever you like or have on hand will work just fine.

Put the chicken back in the oven & cook for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Sprinkle with diced green onions. You can also add a little bit of chopped cooked bacon if you like, but that’s completely up to you. It’s fantastic without it though.

After just one bite, you’ll fully understand why this simple dish is so very loved by myself & the rest of my family!

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