Chicken with the Crumbs

My Children’s All-time Favorite Dinner Recipe

If I had to name the one recipe out of all my recipes that I have made more than any other, it would be my recipe for chicken with the crumbs.    When I was growing up, my mother made chicken for dinner every other Friday night in honor of the Jewish Sabbath.  She made two chicken recipes, and this recipe was one of them.  But my mother used a whole cut up chicken rather than cutlets, which I use.  I loved her chicken! Occasionally, we had leftovers, and I loved eating the chicken cold, too.  I will never forget the time that my mother packed a leftover piece of chicken for me to take to camp for lunch.  When I got to camp, I realized that I had left the lunch bag in the driveway.  To this day, I still haven’t gotten over the disappointment!  I was devastated, because I didn’t get to enjoy that 1 piece of leftover chicken for lunch.  Anyway, when I started making this recipe for my children, I realized that they didn’t enjoy eating chicken on the bone, so I adapted the recipe and switched over to cutlets.  This recipe quickly became my children’s favorite, and I definitely made it at least 2 times a week.  I can still hear either one of my sons, Danny or Benji saying to me, “Mommy, can we have chicken with the crumbs?”  I especially remember all the times I picked Benji up from his morning nursery school.  When we got home, Benji would go into the family room, and get real cozy in front of the tv to watch some of his favorite cartoons.  I’d say, “Benji do you want some leftover chicken with the crumbs?” Of course, I knew what the answer would be, so I’d fill up a plate with the chicken, and I loved bringing it to him.  He was my little prince.  Then years later, when Danny would come home from college, the first thing he asked me to make was of course, chicken with the crumbs.  I couldn’t make it fast enough for Danny. Please, try this recipe.  Your kids will be asking, “Mommy, can you make us some chicken with the crumbs?”

• thin sliced chicken cutlets (I find that Purdue are the thinnest and the best)
• Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Crumbs
• oil (light olive oil, corn or canola)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a half sheet pan (or other baking pan with sides) with aluminum foil.  Grease the foil with a tablespoon or so of the oil.  Put some oil into a bowl- about 1/2 cup to start.  Then put all your cutlets into the oil.  Smoosh the chicken around in the oil.  Pour some corn flakes crumbs onto a large plate, about 3/4 cup to start with.  Take one cutlet out of the oil after you make sure the cutlet is coated on both sides, and lay it on the crumbs.  Turn the cutlet a few times, patting the crumbs on it.  I go pretty heavy with the crumbs, but you can go light if you wish.  Then, transfer the cutlet to your prepared sheet pan.  Repeat with all cutlets.  Then, drizzle the remaining oil from the bowl over the cutlets.  The cutlets only need a drizzling of oil on top.

Bake in center of preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  If you are using thicker cutlets, I recommend you reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and cook about 30-35 minutes.  If you are using chicken pieces, I recommend cooking at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Note:  I usually use light olive oil when I make these because it’s healthier, but for the best flavor, I sometimes use corn oil.