Chicken Bake – It’s Great

What has happened to me? I love blogging, love reading blogs, and can’t come up with a good excuse for why I haven’t been blogging. I take back the excuse part, last summer I dropped my favorite of all times camera….crush – boom ---oops broken! You can’t just buy the same camera anymore, new ones come and go just like computers! I bought the same brand, same model, just a newer version! NOT HAPPY…..it just isn’t my old camera. So I guess that is my excuse for not blogging – Pictures are a must….I’m a visual learner!

Fast forward …. Today I am attempting to get back on the wagon and start blogging. It’s Tuesday and that means cooking up something tasty! Chicken……how many ways can you make chicken, how many recipes are there for chicken, and how difficult is it to make tasty chicken. It is usually the entree for all banquets – albeit, dry, overcooked, and served to cold! I have always been intimidated about cooking chicken for company for the aforementioned reason…dry and overcooked, making it difficult to swallow. I solved that issue by purchasing a handy dandy meat thermometer. I have a drawer full of the lovely things. I just can’t be without it! If you don’t have one, drop everything and get on over to your local store and purchase the best one they have in stock!

Okay – This recipe came from LaRue who was the secretary at my before retirement school and before her retirement days! It is everywhere in LDS Ward Cookbooks and lots of variations are also on the web. So feel free to make changes to your likin’ ….but this is how I make this tasty dish!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream



• 1/4 cup lemon juice



• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce



• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed



• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika



• 1 garlic clove, minced



• 1/2 teaspoon Spike – My favorite seasoning



• 1/4 teaspoon pepper



• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – which I cut in half again!



• 2 cups Italian bread crumbs



• 1/2 cup butter melted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine first eight ingredients. Place chicken in mixture and turn to coat. Cover and marinate several hours in the refrigerator. Remove chicken from marinade; coat each piece with crumbs. Arrange on a shallow baking pan. Drizzle butter over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. USE THE THERMOMETER… 165 degrees will make your chicken come out perfect!