Crispy Baked Mexicali Chicken

      This recipe for Crispy Baked Mexicali Chicken from Sargento is an easy way to bake juicy, crunchy chicken in your dutch oven without frying.  I adapted the recipe to coat 6 large chicken thighs, if you want to scale back and bake them in your smaller oven, check out the link to the original recipe.  If you're making this outdoors, I would suggest using gloves as the preparation is quite messy.  You can add more heat or even finish the chicken off with a pepper jack cheese.  To cut the calories, use baked chips and low-fat cheese.  Once you get the basic formula down, you can easily double or triple the recipe.  The chicken baked in my 12 inch dutch oven with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 26 on the lid.  After 45 minutes, I sprinkled them with cheese and they cooked for 5 minutes more.  Serve with a little salsa on the side but definitely give this recipe a try, if you do, you're sure to become the most popular dutch oven cook on your block.

Crispy Baked Mexicali Chicken
6 large chicken thighs, skin removed and trimmed of fat
1 cup ranch dressing
1 tsp hot sauce
3 cups crushed tortilla chips (about 1/2 large bag)
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup grated Mexican blend or Cheddar cheese

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch or larger dutch oven.
     Combine hot sauce and ranch dressing in shallow bowl.
     Place crushed tortilla chips in another shallow bowl.
     Dip each chicken thigh in dressing mixture, then dredge in chip crumbs, completely covering on all sides.
     Place side by side in prepared dutch oven.
     Sprinkle with chili powder.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
     Sprinkle with cheese, bake for several minutes more, or until cheese has melted.
     Makes 4-6 servings.

Look who's back, patroling the backyard in
full regalia

Dip chicken thighs in ranch dressing then roll in tortilla chip crumbs

Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees then sprinkle with cheese

Everyone went back for seconds