Crouton Breaded Chicken

- 2 (4-ounce) trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to ½- inch thickness
- â…“ cup reduced-fat buttermilk
- Olive oil spray (from a spray bottle, not a store-bought, prefilled one that contains propellant; I used a Misto)
- 1 ounce (about 24 fat-free herb-seasoned croutons (I used Marie Callender’s Fat-Free Herb-Seasoned Croutons)
Instructions:
Soaking chicken in buttermilk is an amazing, guilt-free way to make it super-tender and juicy.
- Place the chicken breasts in a medium resealable plastic bag. Pour the buttermilk over them and seal the bag. Let them soak 6 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.
- Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly mist a small nonstick baking pan or sheet with spray.
- Add the croutons to a resealable plastic bag. Pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet until crushed into very fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a medium shallow bowl.
- Remove one breast from the bag and let any excess buttermilk drip off. Dip it into the crumbs, rotating it to cover the breast completely. Place the breaded breast on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second breast and place it on the baking sheet so the breasts don’t touch. If crumbs remain, press them into the tops of the breasts. Lightly spray the tops of the breasts with spray.
- Bake them 5 minutes, and then carefully, being sure not to remove the coating, flip them. Lightly mist the tops with spray and continue to bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the coating is crisp and the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve immediately.