Spicy Cheetos Crusted Chicken

Feel less guilty about eating an entire bag of Cheetos in one sitting by using it as a coating for this spicy cheetos crusted chicken!

Although the food holidays involving peanut butter are on the top of my list, today being National Cheese Doodle day entertained me enough to create something in order to properly celebrate. I’m sorry if it grosses anyone out but I was really excited about this dish. I purposely do not purchase Cheetos because I know I cannot resist them. It’s like the old slogan for Pringles -“Once you pop, you can’t stop”. Of course rather than grabbing the smaller bag, providing the exact amount needed, I let Brent talk me into getting the full size bag. I ended up munching on several handfuls while cooking dinner. Every time I told myself “just one more” I’d catch myself staring at the open bag, beckoning. Even sealing it up and putting it out of sight didn’t work. I should just give in and become one with the couch as I annihilate the rest of the bag and watch a movie. Sounds like a pretty fabulous evening to me.



And if this dish isn’t cheesy enough for you already, you will see that I have served it in the past with cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots in a cheese sauce (picture below). What goes better with cheese than more cheese? Hard to argue with that. Besides, one is powdered and the other is creamy. Texture is important too!

Post updated 3/1/17, picture just above is the original.

SPICY CHEETOS CRUSTED CHICKEN

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 1-1/2 lb. chicken tenders)

2 cups Cheetos (crunchy), processed down to 1 cup

3 Tbsp breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with nonstick spray, set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine ground Cheetos, breadcrumbs, and chili powder. In another bowl, place the egg.
3. Dip each chicken breast into the egg, allowing the excess to drip off, then coat both sides in the Cheetos mixture.
4. Place chicken breasts on the prepared pan in a single layer. Spray the tops lightly with a little more nonstick spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes (depending on thickness) or until no longer pink in the middle.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original