HealthyHomemade Shake N' Bake

I hadn’t been feeling 100% last week and just needed a simple home cooked dinner, you know chicken and potatoes and veggies!  So I decided to bake some chicken breasts and coat them with my own homemade Shake and Bake mixture since I didn’t have any on hand.  I posted about this over on my facebook page and a few friends asked for the recipe, so I thought I’d share.   

Shake n’ Bake was a household name growing up and I’m sure it still is for many families but my kids honestly aren’t familiar with it. It’s something I just don’t buy from the store as it’s processed and has ingredients that are unnecessary and unhealthy.

If you aren’t familiar with this product here is what wikipedia has to say:

Shake 'n Bake, manufactured by Kraft Foods, is a flavored bread crumb-style coating for chicken and pork. The product is applied by placing raw meat pieces in a bag containing the coating, closing the bag, and shaking so the particles adhere. The coated meat is then baked in the oven.

Store bought Shake n’ Bake contains the following ingredients:

enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate Vitamin B1, riboflavin(vitamin B2), folic acid), salt, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil, sugar, contains less than 2% of paprika, dextrose, dried onions, spice, caramel color, yeast, annatto (color), and natural flavor.

Note: I highlighted the Hydrogenated Soybean Oil because Soybean oil contains high levels of Carcinogens.  A carcinogen is any substance that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer. While a little bit here and there may not be a big deal, you will notice that Soybean oils, both liquid and partially hydrogenated are sold as "vegetable oil," or are ingredients in a wide variety of processed foods and little by little it all becomes a lot.

When reading the above ingredients list I just see so many ingredients that aren’t necessary and wonder why they are included in the store bought brand. I love having the control over what is in my food, meaning I can use homemade breadcrumbs or simply buy them in the store. I can use regular spices or organic spices, organic cane sugar or refined white sugar.  I choose how healthy I want to make my food rather than the manufacturer's!  

Enough chat about ingredients - let's get to that recipe!

Healthy Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken

INGREDIENTS

3 cup whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Organic cane Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Parsley
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended and there are no big clumps.
Transfer to airtight container.

To use pour ½-1 cup mix into a large ziplock bag, add one piece of chicken breast and shake to coat. Transfer each coated chicken breast to a baking dish, bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.