Home made shake and bake and brining chicken

When one of our daughters was young we found out she had food allergies. One of the biggest no nos was dyes and preservatives in foods. We had to start reading labels, and realized most boxed things were not going to be good for her. This began my make your own mixes search. The Tightwad Gazette has an easy, tasty shake and bake substitute!

Homemade Shake and Bake - (from the Tightwad Gazette)

4 cups flour

4 cups ground crackers or cracker meal

4 tbsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

3 tbsp paprika

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix well and store indefinitely in the refrigerator in a covered container. You can change the spices according to what you like, ie. Italian seasonings, Cajun, Mexican, Asian, etc.

To crush the crackers I put them in a ziploc and then used a rolling pin.

An hour before I was ready to bake the chicken I brined it! Now, if you've never brined your poultry you don't know what you are missing! The chicken becomes so much moister and more tender after brining. All you do is take 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup sugar and mix it in 8 cups of water, stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add chicken and let sit for one hour. Once you brine you won't be able to stop!

Once the hour is up you rinse the chicken and shake it in a bag with some of your shake and bake. Bake at 400 for 40-45minutes. Enjoy!