Momma Chef: Get the kids involved in making this crispy cornflake chicken

This is “Shake and Bake” à la Momma Chef. Kids love to help with the shaking step of this recipe, but be sure to keep their hands — and your hands — extra clean around raw chicken. Our family prefers chicken breasts, but a follower of Momma Chef posted that she made this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and her family loved it.

My kids typically go for the classic dipping sauce: ketchup! I like to mix it up by adding a second dipping sauce for variety. A current favorite is ½ cup (120 ml) of mayonnaise, ¼ cup (60 ml) of ketchup and a shake each of Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and black pepper. Yum!

Make the sauce ahead of time and chill it for several hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator to maximize the flavor. Make this once, and it will become a favorite in your weekly menu rotation.

• Karen Nochimowski is the author of the newly released cookbook, “6-Minute Dinners (& More!),” featuring more than 100 simple recipes. Karen started and runs Momma Chef’s Soup Kitchen and Momma Chef’s Little Free Pantries. Part of her cookbook proceeds go toward feeding those facing food insecurity.

Crispy Cornflake Chicken

½ cup (120 ml) zesty Italian salad dressing

4 cups (300 g) crushed cornflakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Pour the Italian dressing into a large bowl. In a gallon-sized zip-top bag, add the crushed cornflakes and salt.

Dip each chicken breast in the Italian dressing, then put them in the zip-top bag.

Shake to coat all sides of the chicken with the cornflake mixture.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

Tips: If you prefer, in place of Italian dressing, you can use 2 eggs mixed with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water.

If you want to add a bit of sweetness, before baking, you can drizzle a bit of honey on the chicken. I suggest trying this with half of the chicken and seeing which one you like more.

Serves 6

— Karen Nochimowski