Creamy Chicken Ritz has a very specific kind of pull: buttery cracker crumbs turning golden in the oven, a savory sauce bubbling around the edges, and chicken that stays tender because it never spends too long fighting dry heat. The first bite gives you salt, butter, and cream all at once, then the soft chicken underneath, then that little crackle from the top. It’s the kind of pan dinner that looks humble right up until the moment you cut through it.
When dinner needs to happen with almost no drama, this is the sort of casserole that earns its place. The ingredient list is familiar, the method is plain, and the result tastes more deliberate than it has any right to. That’s the real appeal of Creamy Chicken Ritz for weeknight dinners: it feels like someone cared, even when the cook had thirty minutes and not a minute more.
The trick is not fancy. Keep the chicken in even cutlets, keep the sauce thick enough to cling, and add the Ritz topping late enough that it browns instead of dissolving into the filling. That tiny timing shift is the difference between a soft lid and a crust worth hearing when you cut into it.
Why Creamy Chicken Ritz Belongs on a Busy-Night Menu
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The sauce does the heavy lifting: A mix of condensed soup, sour cream, broth, Dijon, and Worcestershire makes a thick coating that stays on the chicken instead of running off into a watery puddle.
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The cracker topping has a job, not just a look: Ritz crumbs bring butter and salt built in, so they brown fast and taste seasoned even before you add parsley.
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The chicken cooks evenly without babysitting: Pounding breasts or splitting them into cutlets keeps the center and edges on the same timetable, which is the part most casseroles get wrong.
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Cleanup stays sane: One baking dish, one bowl, one small bowl for crumbs. That’s the whole mess if you don’t let the sauce splatter all over the counter.
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Leftovers still eat well: The sauce thickens as it cools, so reheated portions land creamy instead of thin and loose.
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It works with real pantry food: Chicken, soup, crackers, garlic, and broth are all ordinary ingredients, but together they make a dinner that feels more complete than the sum of its parts.
Why a Ritz Cracker Top Changes the Whole Pan
A Ritz crumb is not neutral. That’s the first thing worth saying.
Plain breadcrumbs can be dry and a little boring unless you really work them. Ritz crackers already come with butter and salt in the formula, which means they brown into something richer and more fragile, almost sandy in the best way. They don’t sit on top like a hard shell. They break into little crisp bits that cling to the sauce.
I like that the topping is both simple and slightly old-fashioned. There’s no pretense here. The pan is creamy, the chicken is mild, and the crumbs give you the one sharp textural shift every baked casserole needs. Without that contrast, the whole thing can slide into one soft note. With it, the dish wakes up.
The other reason this version works is that it doesn’t lean on a roux or a long stovetop sauce. The creamy base comes together fast with condensed soup and sour cream, then the oven finishes the job. That means the chicken spends more time steaming in a thick sauce than drying out on a rack, and for a weeknight dinner, that matters more than culinary romance.
One more thing. I’d rather use coarse crumbs than a dusting of cracker powder. Bigger crumbs brown better and stay separate, while fine crumbs can disappear into the butter and go pasty at the edges.
Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes active + 10 minutes rest
Difficulty: Beginner — the method is straightforward, and the oven does most of the work.
Chill/Rest Time: 10 minutes
Best Served: Warm from the oven after the resting time, while the topping is still crisp.
What You Need for Creamy Chicken Ritz
For the Chicken and Creamy Sauce:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split horizontally into 4 cutlets or pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small yellow onion, finely grated, about 1/2 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
For the Ritz Topping and Finish:
- 1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers, about 40 crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Every Ingredient in Creamy Chicken Ritz, Explained
Chicken
What to use: 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split into 4 cutlets or pounded to 1/2-inch thickness. That thickness is the sweet spot here; it’s thin enough to cook through before the topping overbrowns, but still thick enough to stay juicy.
Preparation: Pat the chicken dry before seasoning. If the breasts are large and uneven, cut them in half horizontally or lay them between sheets of parchment and pound them into even cutlets.
Substitutions: Boneless skinless thighs work well if you want a little more richness. Cooked rotisserie chicken also works in a pinch, though the method changes a little because you’re reheating instead of cooking from raw.
Tips: Thick chicken is the fastest way to ruin this pan. If one end is much thicker than the other, that thick end will still be pale while the thin end has already overcooked.
Creamy Base
What to use: 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 small grated yellow onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon paprika. Together, they make a sauce that’s savory, thick, and a little tangy without tasting sharp.
Preparation: Whisk until the soup disappears into the sour cream and the mixture looks glossy, not streaky. Grating the onion matters more than people think; it melts into the sauce instead of leaving little raw pieces behind.
Substitutions: Plain Greek yogurt can replace sour cream if you want a firmer tang, though it’s best stirred in off the heat. Vegetable broth can stand in for chicken broth, and if you do not have Dijon, a teaspoon of yellow mustard will still bring the sauce to life.
Tips: Use low-sodium broth unless you know your soup is mild. Condensed soup, crackers, Worcestershire, and butter all bring salt to the pan, so you want control, not surprise.
Ritz Topping
What to use: 1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers, about 40 crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs, plus 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. That amount gives you a full but not ridiculous blanket over the casserole.
Preparation: Crush the crackers in a zip-top bag or a shallow bowl until they look like rough crumbs, not powder. Stir in the melted butter until every crumb is lightly coated and looks a little damp.
Substitutions: If you need a gluten-free version, use buttery gluten-free crackers with a similar fat content. Panko can work too, but it tastes leaner and needs a little extra seasoning to match Ritz.
Tips: Don’t drown the crumbs in butter. They should glisten, not swim. Too much butter can make the topping heavy, and the crust loses that sandy, crackly texture.
Finishing Touches
What to use: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika used to season the chicken and sauce. Parsley doesn’t change the flavor much, but it sharpens the look and gives the top a little freshness.
Preparation: Chop the parsley just before serving so it stays bright. Season the chicken directly before it goes into the pan rather than relying on the sauce to do all the work.
Substitutions: Chives or thin-sliced scallions can replace parsley if that’s what’s in the fridge. A tiny bit of lemon zest also works well if you want the finish to lean brighter.
Tips: Taste the sauce before baking if you can. If the soup you used is already fairly salty, you may not need any extra salt beyond the chicken seasoning.
The Tools That Make This Casserole Easier
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9×13-inch baking dish: A glass or ceramic dish works well because it keeps the sauce contained; a metal pan browns faster, so start checking a little early if that’s what you’re using.
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Large mixing bowl: You need enough room to whisk the sauce until it’s smooth without flinging soup over the rim.
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Small bowl for the topping: This keeps the cracker crumbs away from the wet sauce until you’re ready to use them.
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Whisk: A fork can work in a pinch, but a whisk gets the soup and sour cream fully blended faster.
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Zip-top bag or shallow bowl: Either one will crush the crackers without turning them into dust.
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Meat mallet or rolling pin: Helpful for evening out thick chicken breasts so they cook on the same schedule.
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Instant-read thermometer: This is the one tool I would not skip. Chicken is done at 165°F, not when you guess it looks done.
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Silicone spatula or spoon: Useful for spreading the sauce evenly and nudging crumbs into place without tearing the chicken.
How to Build and Bake the Casserole
Prep the Pan and Crackers:
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and position a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil or a thin swipe of butter.
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Crush the Ritz crackers into coarse crumbs in a zip-top bag or a shallow bowl. Stir in the melted butter until every crumb looks lightly coated and a little damp, then set the bowl aside. If the crumbs look wet enough to clump like paste, you’ve used too much butter.
Mix the Sauce and Season the Chicken:
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In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chicken broth, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, garlic, thyme, paprika, and black pepper until smooth and glossy. The sauce should look thick enough to coat a spoon.
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Pat the chicken dry, then season both sides with the kosher salt and garlic powder. Arrange the cutlets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. If your chicken breasts are still thick in the middle, split them again; even thickness matters more here than perfect shape.
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Spoon the creamy sauce over the chicken and around the edges of the pan, using the back of a spoon to spread it into an even layer. The chicken should be covered, but you do not need to bury it so deeply that you can’t see the top edges.
Bake, Top, and Finish:
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Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 18 minutes, until the chicken is turning opaque around the edges and the sauce is bubbling at the sides. If your cutlets are especially thin, start checking at 15 minutes.
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Remove the foil and scatter the buttered Ritz crumbs evenly over the top. Press them down very lightly with your fingertips so they cling to the sauce, then return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
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Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving. Finish with the chopped parsley. The sauce settles, the chicken relaxes, and the topping stays crisp instead of sliding off the first piece you cut.
How to Plate It for Dinner
Presentation: Spoon a chicken cutlet onto each plate, then add a little extra sauce from the pan around the edge so the Ritz topping stays visible on top. I prefer a shallow bowl or a rimmed dinner plate, because it keeps the sauce where it belongs and makes the meal feel more finished.
Accompaniments: Buttered egg noodles are the classic move, and mashed potatoes work if you want the sauce to disappear into something soft and starchy. Rice is fine too, though I think a simple green side—steamed broccoli, green beans, or a crisp salad with a sharp vinaigrette—helps keep the plate from feeling heavy.
Portions: One cutlet per adult is usually enough if you’re serving it with a side. If you’re feeding bigger appetites, stretch the pan with noodles or potatoes and make sure everyone gets a spoonful of the creamy sauce.
Beverage Pairing: A dry hard cider, unsweetened iced tea, or sparkling water with lemon cuts through the richness better than a sweet drink. If you prefer something warmer, a mug of plain black tea works surprisingly well.
Small Moves That Make the Bake Better
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Flavor Enhancement: Add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the sauce if you want the creaminess to taste brighter. The dish does not need lemon to work, but a little zest keeps the sauce from settling into one flat, milky note.
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Time-Saver: Buy chicken cutlets instead of whole breasts if your store carries them. You’ll save the splitting and pounding step, which is worth real time on a crowded evening.
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Texture Move: Crush the crackers coarsely and mix the butter in just until coated. Fine crumbs absorb too much moisture, and they bake into a soft blanket instead of a crisp crust.
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Heat Control: If your oven tends to run hot, place the dish on the center rack and check the top at the 8-minute mark during the uncovered bake. If it’s browning too fast, lay a loose sheet of foil over the top for the last few minutes.
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Make-It-Yours: Stir 1/2 cup frozen peas into the sauce for a little vegetable bulk, or tuck a handful of sautéed mushrooms into the pan if you want an earthier flavor. Just keep watery vegetables cooked down first so the sauce doesn’t thin out.
I also like to use a metal baking dish when I want a deeper brown edge on the crumbs. Glass is fine and a little gentler, but metal gives the top a faster start, which can be useful if your chicken is thin and the oven isn’t especially fierce.
Mistakes That Make the Sauce Thin or the Topping Soggy
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Using chicken that’s too thick: The symptom is obvious: the cracker topping turns dark before the center of the chicken finishes cooking. Split the breasts or pound them to an even 1/2-inch thickness, and the whole pan behaves much better.
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Putting the crumbs on too early: If the Ritz topping goes on before the first covered bake, it melts into the sauce and loses its crunch. Add the crumbs only after the chicken is nearly cooked and the sauce has had time to bubble.
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Adding too much broth: A thin sauce looks fine at the mixing stage and turns into a watery pan after baking. You want a mixture that clings to the spoon; if it looks loose, hold back a little broth rather than pouring all of it in.
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Skipping the rest time: Cutting into the casserole the second it leaves the oven sends sauce all over the plate. Give it 10 minutes. The texture settles, and the first serving holds together much better.
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Over-salting without tasting first: Condensed soup, Worcestershire, crackers, and butter already carry salt. Use low-sodium broth, season the chicken, then taste the sauce if you can before it goes in the pan.
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Leaving it uncovered from the start: The top may brown a little faster, but the chicken loses moisture and the sauce reduces unevenly. The covered-first, uncovered-later method keeps the chicken tender and the topping crisp at the same time.
Variations That Still Taste Like Creamy Chicken Ritz
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Garlic-Herb Ritz Bake: Add 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary or 1 tablespoon chopped chives to the sauce, then finish with a little lemon zest over the top. The flavor stays in the same family, but it leans fresher and slightly less pantry-heavy.
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Cheddar Melt Version: Stir 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar into the sauce and scatter 1/4 cup over the chicken before adding the crumbs. This version lands richer and more casserole-like, with a little more stretch in the sauce.
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Thighs and Thyme: Swap in 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs and bake them until the thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part, usually a few minutes longer than breasts. Thighs bring a deeper chicken flavor and handle a little extra oven time without drying out.
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Rotisserie Shortcut: Use 4 cups shredded cooked chicken instead of raw cutlets, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and bake just long enough to heat through before adding the crumbs. This version is useful when the goal is dinner with almost no knife work.
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Dairy-Light Swap: Replace the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt and stir it into the sauce while the soup mixture is warm, not boiling. The flavor turns a little tangier and the sauce firms up nicely, but the heat needs to stay gentle so the yogurt doesn’t split.
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Gluten-Free Crumb Top: Use gluten-free buttery crackers in the same amount and check the soup label for gluten-free status if that matters for your kitchen. The texture stays close to the original as long as the crumbs are still coarse and the butter amount stays the same.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Without Losing the Crunch
Leftovers should go into the fridge within 2 hours of baking. Spread them into a shallow container if you can; a deep, packed container traps steam and softens the top faster.
In the refrigerator, the casserole keeps for 3 to 4 days. The chicken stays safe and the sauce holds its shape, though the Ritz topping will soften a little. That’s normal. It’s still good eating.
For the freezer, wrap cooled portions tightly or pack them in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. The topping won’t stay crisp through freezing, so I like to think of frozen portions as a sauce-and-chicken meal with a soft crust, not a fresh-baked casserole. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating if you have the time.
The best reheating method is the oven: cover the dish with foil and warm it at 325°F (165°C) for 15 to 20 minutes for a portion, or a little longer for a larger slab, until the center is hot. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes if you want the top to crisp again. A single serving can also go into the microwave in 45-second bursts, but the crumb topping will soften there, so I reserve that method for lunches when speed matters more than texture.
If you want to make it ahead, mix the sauce and season the chicken up to 1 day in advance, then keep them covered in the fridge. I would hold the cracker crumbs and butter separately until you’re ready to bake, because once the crumbs meet the sauce, the clock starts ticking on the crunch.
Questions People Ask Before They Bake It
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken?
Yes, and it’s a smart shortcut when you want the pan on the table fast. Mix the sauce, fold in about 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken, bake just long enough to heat the mixture through, then add the Ritz topping so it browns in the oven instead of soaking in the sauce.
Can I make Creamy Chicken Ritz ahead of time?
You can assemble the sauce and chicken in the baking dish several hours ahead, then chill it covered. Hold the Ritz crumbs and butter aside until right before baking, or the topping will lose its texture before it ever hits the oven.
How do I keep the Ritz topping crisp?
Add the crumbs late, press them on lightly, and do not drown them in butter. The other part people miss is rest time: if you slice immediately, steam rises straight into the crust and softens it from underneath.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Absolutely. Boneless skinless thighs give you a richer, slightly juicier result and forgive a few extra minutes in the oven. Just check them with a thermometer so the thickest part reaches 165°F.
What if the sauce looks too thick before baking?
Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of broth and whisk again. The sauce should be thick like gravy, not loose like soup, because it thins slightly as the chicken releases moisture in the oven.
What if the sauce looks broken or grainy after baking?
That usually happens when the oven runs hot or the sour cream was stirred into a mixture that was too aggressive. It still tastes fine, but next time keep the bake at 375°F and whisk the sauce together before it goes near the oven, not after it has started to boil.
Can I make it without canned soup?
Yes. Make a quick white sauce with 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup chicken broth, and 1/2 cup milk; simmer until thick, then stir in the sour cream, mustard, Worcestershire, onion, garlic, thyme, and paprika off the heat. It takes a few extra minutes, but the flavor lands in the same creamy neighborhood.
Why This Casserole Stays in the Rotation
Some dinners are memorable because they ask for nothing. Creamy Chicken Ritz belongs in that small, useful category. It gives you a creamy pan, a crisp top, and chicken that stays tender without complicated handling.
What I like most is that it feels like a real meal, not a compromise dressed up as one. If you keep the chicken even, the sauce thick, and the crackers coarse, the dish comes out with a proper crust and a proper spoonable sauce underneath. That’s enough to carry a weeknight.
Creamy Chicken Ritz — Recipe Card
Recipe Name: Creamy Chicken Ritz
Description: Tender chicken cutlets baked in a thick, savory cream sauce and finished with a buttery Ritz cracker crust. It’s rich, crisp on top, and easy to pull together on a busy night.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes active + 10 minutes rest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 420 kcal per serving
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Creamy Sauce:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split horizontally into 4 cutlets or pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small yellow onion, finely grated, about 1/2 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
For the Ritz Topping and Finish:
- 1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers, about 40 crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
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Crush the Ritz crackers into coarse crumbs and stir with the melted butter until lightly coated.
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Whisk together the soup, sour cream, broth, Dijon, Worcestershire, onion, garlic, thyme, paprika, and black pepper until smooth.
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Pat the chicken dry, season with salt and garlic powder, and arrange in the baking dish.
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Spoon the sauce over and around the chicken, then cover tightly with foil.
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Bake for 18 minutes, until the chicken is turning opaque and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
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Remove the foil, top with the buttered cracker crumbs, and bake uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and the chicken reaches 165°F.
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Rest for 10 minutes, then garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes: Use coarse crumbs for the best texture, not powder. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last few minutes. Reheat covered at 325°F so the chicken stays moist.