spice up your chicken

does anyone else get as bored cooking chicken as i do? it's pretty easy to get in a chicken rut in our house, so i've been trying to come up with a few good chicken recipes to have on hand so we never get stuck eating plain, boring chicken when i can't think of anything else to make!

i have 3 current favorites which are all really easy and really tasty! i also love that you don't have to cook the chicken at all on the stovetop. all you do is season the raw chicken and bake it! it's nice to have a set of similar recipes that all use the same cooking temperature and time.

i highly recommend pounding out your chicken before you try any sort of baked chicken recipe. it's so frustrating to try to cook several chicken breasts that are all different thicknesses because they require different cooking times. pounding them out to a consistent thickness is really helpful!

(sidenote: there are no pictures on this post because i think pictures of chicken are just weird. i tried taking pictures of the ranch chicken that i made last night and there's just no way to make it look interesting)

#1: parmesan chicken

this is my favorite baked chicken recipe by far! it gives you really juicy chicken which is great since i find most baked chicken recipes turn out fairly dry.

chicken breasts
1 cup greek yogurt or light mayo (i prefer greek yogurt)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

1. season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
2. mix yogurt/mayo and parmesan cheese in a small bowl. spread mixture on top of each chicken breast, making sure to cover the entire top and the sides.
3. sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of cheese mixture.
4. bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.

#2: blackened chicken

blackened chicken is one of my tried and true recipes. i used to be terrified of cooking chicken and cooked it to death until 1) i was sure it wasn't raw inside and 2) it was so dry it was hard to eat. this recipe was my first success with cooking chicken in the oven! it's really spicy and i love serving it with cous cous.

i always make my own blackening seasoning depending on how spicy i want the chicken to be. the below mix is pretty much the standard. you can always change up the ratio of spices to suit your taste or buy a pre-made blackening blend.

chicken breasts
cooking spray
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1. spray chicken breasts lightly with cooking spray (this will help the seasoning stick better).
2. mix spices in a small bowl, then coat each chicken breast on all sides.
3. place chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.

#3: ranch chicken

this basic recipe can be found on the back of dry ranch dressing packets. i modify it slightly by adding melted butter to the mix. i find this makes more of a crust on the chicken and keeps it moist. i also add salt and pepper. even though the ranch dressing mix serves as the seasoning, i still think it can err on the bland side in this recipe.

chicken breasts
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
about 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
butter (or in my case, smart balance)
salt & pepper

1. melt butter in a shallow dish.
2. mix dry ranch dressing mix, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs in another shallow dish.
3. dip chicken breasts in butter, then coat in dry mixture.
4. place on foil-lined baking sheet.
5. bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes.

enjoy!!