I used to make Shake-N-Bake chicken or pork chops all the time. Wet the meat with water, combine with the coating in a plastic bag (shake!), and pop them in the oven for 25 minutes (bake!).
So easy. And I like dinners to be easy.
However, I also like them to be healthy, and with ingredients like Bleached Wheat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Shake-N-Bake is far from a clean, real-food choice.
We had planned on having pork chops for dinner last night, and while I had visions of a pan-fried pork chops stuffed with apples, onions and goat cheese, by the time I got home (from a killer strength training class!) a complicated dinner was not going to work. Plus, I didn’t have any goat cheese.
I decided to try making my own Shake and Bake mix – nothing fancy, made from clean, real-food ingredients. It took about 30 seconds longer than opening a box of the processed Shake-N-Bake!
I combined 2 tbsp cornmeal, 2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs, and 1/4 tsp each black pepper, sea salt and paprika in a medium sized container (with a lid). That’s it!
Rinse the pork chops (or chicken breasts/thighs). One at a time, add to the spice mixture, put the lid on and shake away. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400*.
Et voila! Shake and Bake pork chops. The real food way.
Who knew it could be so easy?! 
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Eat Clean Shake It and Bake It Seasoning
To season ~ 1 pound, or 4-5 pieces of meat*.
Ingredients (for one meal)
- 2 tbsp cornmeal
- 2 tbsp whole-wheat bread crumbs
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Combine ingredients in medium-sized bowl with lid.
- Rinse pork chops/chicken breasts/thighs with water.
- One at a time, add to the spice mixture, put the lid on and shake away.
- Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400*.
*I haven’t tried it, but I think extra-firm tofu could also be used!
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
LOVE this idea!!! So much better than the regular Shake and Bake.
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Reminds me of Ricky Bobby. Great idea to make your own
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ahhhhh Allison you’re always good for healhifying stuff, this is a good one, well not for me but for cooking meat for the bf . . . he loves a good bread coating!
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I LOVE THIS!
I think sometimes I forget how easily pre-made things can be when you make them yourself – thanks for the recipe
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Haha…used to LOVE shake n bake! Now I need to give it another try
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Thanks for the recipe! It sounds/looks sooo good.
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I had shake and bake for the first time EVER last week and it was SO good I love the crunch it gave to the chicken! thanks for this recipe
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Ssoo tasty. Love this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
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What an amazing idea – I used to like Shake & Bake too!
I’m going to have to try this as a creative new way to dress up pork & chicken
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What an awesome idea, Allison!! The DH and I have had a running joke for years about Shake ‘N Bake; he was trying to make it once while we were talking on the phone, and kept having to look at the directions! I kept telling him, “Sweetie, the directions are the name! You shake it, then you bake it!”
You’re an excellent food photographer, btw!
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Super easy!! I always think that I should do that too instead of shake and bake?!
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