Monday, May 7, 2007

No-Fail Creamy Baked Chicken




No-Fail Creamy Baked Chicken
Dorcas Annette Walker

Mother’s Day is celebrated in the month of May so in honor of all our mothers this month I am going to give some quick and easy recipes that are delicious yet time saving. Today the average mother’s schedule is packed full as she juggles working full time along with raising kids. Guys will find these simple recipes handy who give their wife a day off cooking in the kitchen this month. I’m also challenging the fellows who have never cooked to pick out and try out one of this month’s recipes. Who knows? You might become addicted to cooking when you experience the ease and satisfaction of preparing a mouth-watering dish.

Chickens are the most numerous birds in the world believed to be domesticated nearly 5,000 years ago from wild birds in Southeast Asia. Poultry products have the highest per capita consumption in the United States. Poultry production is an important and diverse component of American agriculture. By 1997 there were 99,700 farms producing poultry and poultry products. Broiler chicken production is done primarily in backyard operations located in the southern and southeastern states. Today poultry is fed diets of ground corn to supply heat and energy, and soybean meal to provide protein with vitamins and minerals added to the feed. Modern poultry production occurs primarily in enclosed building to protect the birds from weather, predators, and the spread of disease from wild birds. This has allowed farmers to greatly increase production efficiency while reducing the amount of labor. Broiler production greatly increased throughout the 1980s and 1900s due to Americans becoming more health conscious. Part of the increase was also due to the poultry industry supplying products that are further processed and easier for the consumer to prepare.

Chicken is known as the most popular meat in the ministry. In fact on one site alone I found 19,852 chicken recipes. At any church dinner you will inevitably find chicken prepared in some form. It was at a church dinner at some point in my life where I discovered the recipe for my No-Fail Creamy Baked Chicken. Simple to prepare this chicken dish is an instant winner. Beneath the crusty skin hides tender meat surrounded by creamy sauce. I like to serve stove top dressing along with my No-Fail Creamy Baked Chicken. This recipe takes only five minutes to prepare and serves four.

No-Fail Creamy Baked Chicken

4 chicken breasts or thighs
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg Ritz crackers
1 stick margarine
Place chicken in baking dish. Mix can of soup with milk as directed and pour over top of chicken. Melt stick of butter. Crush Ritz cracker and sprinkle over top of chicken. Pour melted butter on cracker crumbs. Bake at 350º for about an hour until the chicken is crusty and tender when a fork is inserted in the meat. Serve hot!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by email at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

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