Homemade Shake & Bake Coating Mix

Shake and Bake Chicken made with a homemade Shake and Bake Mix. This recipe is a perfect, natural Copykat recipe that's even tastier than the original.  

This shake and bake mix is easy to make, inexpensive and calls for just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. You can use it on most any meat or fish, but chicken legs is my family's favorite!  

I'm sure most of you are familiar with shake and bake, but for the ones who are not, shake & bake is a quick and easy seasoned bread crumb coating mix made with bread crumbs and spices that you use to coat chicken, pork, beef or even fish, then bake it. This homemade version is a healthier alternative to store-bought and is just as tasty if not better.  

To make this shake and bake mix, combine all the ingredients listed below + the oil and store in a mason jar. You can use store-bought bread crumbs or homemade, but I prefer to use homemade. Over the summer I have worked really hard at making my own versions of store-bought items and cleaning products due to the high cost of groceries. 

I've been baking homemade bread, making my own seasoned bread crumbs (using stale bread or heels), homemade cream of soup mixes (recipe coming soon), preserving my own herbs, making our own crispy granola cereal, this chicken coating mix, pizza sauce, pasta sauce, homemade yogurt,  homemade citrus cleaners and laundry detergent. I can't tell you how much money it has saved me. 

I hate that it has taken the price of food to sky-rocket to get me to make some of my own pantry staples. I guess better late than never, right? I find it so satisfying to be self-sufficient in small ways rather than not at all. Plus, it's so fun to see all the things you can make yourself. If you grew up eating shake and bake, I hope you'll give this homemade version a try. You won't be disappointed! 

To start, gather all your ingredients. For this recipe you will need either store-bought or homemade bread crumbs. I always use homemade seasoned bread crumbs. I normally shop the discount rack at the grocery store and pay just pennies for the older bread and they're perfect to make bread crumbs. 

In the stand mixer bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Using the whisk attachment, mix everything together on low speed.

Slowly drizzle the oil into the dry mixture as it is mixing. Increase the speed just a bit and mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated into the crumbs and there are no clumps. 

Add the shake and bake mix to a quart size jar and store on your pantry shelf for 2-3 months. 

HOW TO USE SHAKE AND BAKE MIX 

• The general rule for cooking shake and bake is at 400 degrees (for bone in chicken), but that will vary depending on what type of meat you are baking. 
• Add the shake and bake coating mix to a large Zip lock bag.  
• It is not necessary to moisten the chicken before adding the breading. The shake and bake breading will stick on it's own. 
• Add the chicken to the bag and shake to coat and make sure all the chicken pieces are coated.   
• Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle oil over the baking sheet. Lay the meat out on the baking sheet. 
• Bake the chicken: Bone in legs and thighs (40-45 min), chicken tenders (20-30 min), Pork chops (25-30 minutes depending on thickness). Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, for pork 145 degrees. 

I like to season my chicken up a bit first with a few of my favorite seasoning and refrigerate for a couple hours.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and drizzle with oil. Add the shake and bake mix to a large Zip lock bag and then add the chicken no more than 2 pieces at a time. Close the bag and shake to coat, making sure all the pieces are coated. Remove from bag (toss out any remainder of coating mix as it cannot be re-used) and place the chicken on the baking sheet. Continue coating the remainder of the chicken. 

Bake chicken in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until the juices run clear and the chicken reads 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove chicken from oven, cool slightly and serve. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I plan on experimenting with a couple other versions soon, including the ranch and herb and barbecue shake and bake.  

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