When I was a kid, shake 'n bake chicken was one of our favorite non-Chinese meals my mom would make (and she didn't make many...).
Chicken pieces were coated in this pre-packaged seasoning mix and then roasted in the oven. We ended up with super tasty chicken for dinner, and as the commercials used to advertise, it was better than fried!
So, of course, inspired by these meals I used to enjoy as a kid, I had to try and develop a homemade version that is healthier than the packaged stuff! What I've come up with is a coating that makes chicken pieces crispy, tasty, AND it's gluten-free! Bonus!
In the packaged version, bread crumbs are a key ingredient. Obviously, if I was going the gluten-free route, I had to find an alternative...and I found the perfect solution with puffed rice cereal!
I know...who'd a thought, right?
And then came the seasonings part, where trying to achieve the right flavor and enough flavor took several tries.
Several.
So imagine how satisfying it was for me when I finally got to this attempt and the panel of taste-testers (aka The Family) all unanimously agreed that it worked! Considering my family has gotten to the point where they are quite honest about what works and what doesn't, this was a big deal!
Keep in mind that my husband and I haven't eaten the real shake n bake chicken in 10-20 years...it's been AGES. We don't really remember exactly what it tasted like!
And my boys? They've never had it at all, so they didn't have any point of comparison!
That being said, I am not claiming that this is exactly like the boxed stuff you can buy in the store...because I honestly can't remember.
However, my family and I all agree that this recipe is delicious, and you can't go wrong when I've got the tasty and gluten-free requirements checked off!
This coating works perfectly on any chicken pieces...drums, thighs, WINGS! I'm a lover of chicken wings, and homemade shake n bake on wings is AWESOME. What ever chicken pieces you use, just be sure to use skin-on pieces to get the best results!
~ Lisa.
Crispy Shake N Bake Chicken
Ingredients
Shake N Bake Seasoning:
- 3 cups gluten-free puffed rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Chicken:
- Chicken pieces, skin on
- Light olive oil
Instructions
Shake N Bake Seasoning:
- Add puffed rice cereal to a food processor and pulse a few times until cereal has a fine texture.
- Add remaining seasonings to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Chicken:
- In a bowl, add chicken and enough oil to coat the pieces.
- To coat raw chicken pieces, either add the seasoning to a bag and then add chicken pieces a couple at a time to coat. Or add seasoning to a dish and coat chicken pieces using a spoon or your hands.
- Place chicken pieces on a rack on a baking sheet.
- Bake chicken at 400 deg (200 C) for 40 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
- Store any remaining seasoning mix in an airtight container.
Notes
- Adjust the seasonings as desired according to taste.
- Add some dried chili flakes to the food processor if you want a bit of a spicy kick to the seasoning.
- The crispiness from the coating works best on chicken pieces with the skin on.
Terry Bouback
Loved this
So glad you liked it, Terry! Thanks for the comment!