Whenever there's a sale for chicken drumsticks or for pork chops I try to stock up and store them in the freezer for future dinners. One of the easiest ways to prepare the meat I get on sale is to give 'em a good ol' shake and bake!
Creating a jar of homemade shake and bake is a great way to have something on hand for days when you feel like just throwing together something simple for dinner. This shake and bake recipe is super inexpensive to make and is so tasty as well!
Have you ever purchased those pre-made boxes of shake and bake with the little baggies and whatnot to coat chicken or pork chops?
I used to buy them quite often and one day realized while looking at the ingredients I could make my own version for much much cheaper and also without all the added extra “ingredients”. I started experimenting by adding different spices to bread crumbs and used them to coat various meats until I found a combination that suited my family's tastes. The recipe I'm sharing with you is the result. 🙂
My favorite combination of spices for homemade shake and bake mix includes garlic and onion powder, oregano, paprika and a little salt and pepper. It's an awesomely simple combination of seasonings and they taste so perfect together.
Sometimes I like to add some other spices to the bread crumb mixture just to change things up a bit. I've even used a little lemon pepper in this and it works sublimely as a coating for baked fish!
To make the shake and bake mix all you have to do is combine the ingredients in the recipe below (or invent your own combination) in a sealable container such as a mason jar. Once everything's in the jar I just shake it up to combine everything.
Whenever I need some shake and bake coating I just measure out about 1/4 to 1/2 cup (for every 2 lbs of meat) and drop it into a zip top baggie along with the drumsticks or whatever I'm planning on cooking that evening.
If there are any of the leftover seasonings in the bag that didn't stick to the meat I just sprinkle the rest on top before they go into the oven to cook.
Here are some more ways you can use my homemade shake and bake mix recipe!
- as a topping for casserole
- as a filler for meatloaf, burgers or meatballs
- as a coating for fried or baked veggies (ex. would work nicely with zucchini)
I'm sure there are many more ways you can use this recipe! If you can think of some please let me know in the comments section! 🙂
Enjoy!
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Homemade Shake and Bake Mix Recipe
- Yield: About 2 cups of mix 1x
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a mason jar or other air tight container.
To use the Mix
- Use 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the mix for every 2 lbs of meat that you plan to use this with.
- In a large zip top bag combine the mix and the meat. Now shake it until everything is covered.
- Lay the meat out on a broiler pan (sprayed with cooking spray) and sprinkle any of the remaining mix over top.
- If you'd like you can drizzle a little vegetable oil over the tops of the meat to make them a bit more crispy.
- Cook the meat in the oven as you typically would making sure it reaches proper internal temperature.
- It's excellent on chicken but can be used or pork as well.
I always love hearing from my readers so please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below! 🙂