Susan and I recently watched Meredith Hayden make this on The Today Show. It looked delicious and I suggested we make if that night with chicken thighs which we had in the fridge. I had to make a few changes which I note below.

Meredith writes: “While my mom was (is) a fantastic from-scratch cook, she was never too good for a kitchen short cut, Shake ‘n Bake being a prime example. This ingenious breading method has you skip the chaos and the mess of a traditional dredging station by containing it all in a plastic zip-top bag. So, all you do is shake … and bake! Honestly, iconic. This recipe has the same mess free ethos, with the addition of a pre-panko step that coats the chicken in mayo and Dijon for maximum flavor and juiciness. (But don’t worry this step is also contained to a bag.) Served with a simple side of arugula and spicy yet sweet marinated tomatoes, it’s as weeknight as weeknight gets.”

DELICIOUS!!!

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs (I grabbed the bread crumb container by mistake! Oh well.)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (I used one teaspoon.)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 3 tablespoons hot honey, plus more for serving (I used Agave and red pepper flakes.)
• 2 tablespoons chili-infused olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I did not have them.)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (I used dried.)
• 6 cups packed baby arugula (Didn’t have so I used lettuce. BUT arugula would have enhanced the dish,)
• 2 ounces freshly shaved Parmesan cheese (I added topped the chicken with this at the end of cooking.)
• flaky salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425 F

In a large zip-top bag, combine the egg, mayo, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a couple cracks of pepper. Add the chicken to the bag and tightly zip it closed. Working through the bag, massage the chicken with your hands to fully coat it.

In a second large zip-top bag, combine the panko, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Working with one piece at a time, add the chicken from the first bag to the second bag with the panko mixture, seal the bag, and gently shake the bag to coat the chicken with the crumb mixture. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack-lined sheet pan and repeat with the remaining pieces.

Bake until the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 175 F, 25 to 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the hot honey, chili-infused oil, half of the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Add the tomatoes, chives and a pinch of flaky salt and toss to coat. Set aside.

When still hot from the oven, drizzle the chicken with hot honey and sprinkle with flaky salt. Dress the arugula with the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, remaining lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a couple cracks of pepper. Toss to coat. Gently fold in the shaved Parmesan. Plate the arugula and the chicken and top with the marinated tomatoes plus any remaining marinade from the bowl.

Note: I don’t mind dredging the chicken in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs to be honest and I feel bad about adding more plastic to the landfill.

Regardless, I recommend you try make this!