The Boxed Mix That Makes Crispy Baked Chicken 10x Better

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Baked chicken doesn't have to be boring, and we've got plenty of recipes to prove it. While the oven's dry heat can crisp up the skin on your chicken, breading is a crispy, crunchy coating that bestows unbeatable texture and flavor. Breadcrumbs may be the go-to for breaded chicken, but Red Lobster's cheddar bay biscuit mix will make crispy baked chicken 10x better.

Arguably the best restaurant chain bread ever, Cheddar Bay Biscuits debuted at Red Lobster in the 90s to immediate and fanatic acclaim. Fast forward a few decades, and you can buy Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix in stores and online. Not only can you bake a batch of fluffy, cheesy, and aromatic biscuits at home, but you can also use leftover biscuits in countless other recipes, from croutons to stuffing. For a baked chicken recipe, you can use leftover fully cooked biscuits or, for an even easier process, the mix itself. The Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix comes with a seasoning packet with garlic and herbs, saving you the effort of seasoning a standard bag of breadcrumbs for more flavorful breading.

If you're using leftover baked biscuits, you can dry them out a bit in the oven before adding them to a bag to crush into breadcrumbs. Using the mix means you can skip this step and simply add the biscuit mix and seasoning packet to a large plastic bag or bowl for dredging. Then add your boneless or bone-in chicken to coat.

Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix will crisp up beautifully in the oven and supply a cheesy, garlicky, and herby flavor to complement the savory chicken. While raw chicken is inherently moist, you'll still need a fat of some kind to help the breading stick to the chicken. Consequently, you can coat the chicken in melted butter, olive or avocado oil, or even mayonnaise before adding it to a shake and bake bag or bowl of Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix. For good measure, spray the breaded chicken with Pam to anchor the breading in place while also helping it to crisp up in the oven. You'll also need to flip your chicken halfway through the bake for an evenly crispy coating. Chicken shouldn't take too long to cook, especially at 400-degree temperatures, which is advisable for rendering the crispiest breaded coating. Still, if you want to be sure your chicken is cooked all the way through, we recommend using a thermometer like this Alpha Grillers digital thermometer. The internal temperature of perfectly cooked chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can try the Cheddar Bay Biscuit hack on some of our baked chicken recipes. Swap regular breadcrumbs and seasonings for Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix in this recipe for baked chicken Kiev. The garlic and herbs in the biscuit mix would work well as breading for this more elaborate chicken Saltimbocca. Or, toss chicken nuggets in Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix for an adult-approved air fryer chicken nuggets.