Jalapeño Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken with Jalapeño Ranch

JALAPENO KETTLE CHIP CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH JALAPENO RANCH
There are so many wonderful ways to prepare chicken, but who doesn't like to add a new recipe to their list of ways to prepare it?  Olivia and I both like spicy food or at least foods that make your mouth sit up and take notice.  This crusted chicken recipe is guaranteed to wake up your taste buds.  The dipping sauce is a great addition that mellows and marries the flavors beautifully. She found this great recipe at a site called "my life as a mrs." Give this one a try.  If you like the idea of chicken with a little kick, you'll like this one!
-Nanette

Jalapeno Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken with Jalapeno Ranch

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25-35 minutes

Total Time: 35-45 minutes

ingredients:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
1/4 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (the powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of cayenne
5-6 hot pickles jalapeno slices, finely chopped

For the Chicken:
4 chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 - 2 pounds total)
1 bag Jalapeno Kettle Chips, crushed
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne

Directions:

For the Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce:
Mix ingredients together (adding additional buttermilk until desired consistency). Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Chicken:
Preheat oven to 375º. Place an oven safe cooling rack in a large jelly roll pan and spray with non-cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, and cayenne. Pound out chicken breasts to roughly 1/2" thickness and add to buttermilk mixture (toss to coat well).

Place crushed Kettle chips in a shallow baking dish. Pull one piece of chicken at a time out of the buttermilk and gently shake to remove some of the excess. Dip into the chips and coat thoroughly on both sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken breast are thoroughly coated.

Place into oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until cooked through (cooking times vary based on chicken thickness and actual oven temperature). Serve hot with jalapeno ranch dipping sauce.