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Crunch Time!

(Family Features) - You make good chicken, but you are always on the lookout for a way to make it better! Just in time for the busy back-to-school dinner table, the makers of French's French Fried Onions have developed some exciting ways to add crunch, flavor and excitement by turning weeknight chicken into a family favorite.

It's not surprising chicken can be mundane. The average American consumes about 81 pounds of chicken (Source: National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association) every year! Not only is that a lot of chicken for Mom to cook, she also must balance between recipes that are easy and quick to prepare and exciting food the whole family will appreciate.

Now it is easier to add spark to your tried and true baked chicken. Instead of breadcrumbs use crushed French fried onions to create a delicious coating for boneless breasts of chicken. Simply coat the chicken in crushed French fried onions and bake. In fact in any recipe, you can easily replace breadcrumbs with crushed French fried onions; one cup breadcrumbs for one cup of crushed onions. This tasty solution will rejuvenate your recipes with delicious crunch and flavor that will revitalize your family dinners with food your family will love.

Feeling inspired. Try this quick and easy chicken recipe tonight!

Crunchy Onion Chicken
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

1-1/3 cups French's Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400°F. Crumble French fried onions with hands or rolling pin.
Dip chicken into egg, then coat with onion crumbs. Place on baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

It also works with pork. Did you know that the average American eats 51 pounds of pork per year (Source: USDA). That's almost as much as chicken and for Mom, it can be just as much of a challenge to make. Here is a crunchy way to use French fried onions to make a delicious pork dinner for your family.

Savory Pork Chops
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

1-1/3 cups French's Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
4 (1/2 inch thick) bone-in or boneless pork chops
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400°F. Place French fried onions into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin.
Dip pork chops into beaten egg; then coat in onion crumbs. Place pork chops on baking sheet.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center.

Tip: Add 1/4 teaspoon each garlic powder and thyme leaves to onion crumbs. Proceed as above.

For more great recipes and cooking tips go to www.Frenchsfoods.com.

SOURCE: French's French Fried Onions