Everything Bagel Chicken Recipe

If you've been cutting back on carbs lately, life can look pretty bleak. Goodbye pizza nights with friends. Sunday morning pancakes with the family? No, I'll just have my protein shake, thanks so much. Perhaps the most painful sacrifice is a fresh, toasted everything bagel slathered with real cream cheese. There's nothing more satisfying on a lazy weekend morning. So what's a gluten-conscious gal to do? Repurpose that delectable little treat as a protein-rich dinner.

Everything bagel chicken is a savory and salty dinner that packs a serious flavor punch without all the breading and fat. This dish is first seared and then baked to give the chicken a crispy "breading" while being perfectly juicy on the inside. Whip this up on a busy weeknight and serve with an easy side salad or up your game with roasted Brussels sprouts. Just don't pull out the barbecue sauce, ranch dressing or honey mustard for dipping. You won't need them!

Start by gathering your ingredients. This dish is delightfully simple, so you probably already have most of the ingredients in your cabinet. To make your own everything bagel mix, we'll combine minced garlic with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onion, and kosher salt. Warning: your kitchen is going to smell amazing.

To really give our chicken that everything bagel feel, we'll stuff it with cream cheese before coating it in the mix. No need to spring for flavored cream cheese — the flavoring of the mix really coats the chicken and cream cheese, so plain cream cheese is perfect.

A full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions can be found at the end of this article.

Start by placing your everything mix ingredients in a shallow bowl. We'll be coating the raw chicken breast in the mix before cooking it, so make sure to use a bowl that'll be easy to dip the chicken into. First add the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and dried onion. If you're out of dried onion, you could mince a few teaspoons of the fresh stuff too.

Next it's time to mince the garlic. I always try to avoid this step and often substitute garlic powder in recipes. It just feels like such a long step, and then of course there's the garlic smell that I have to walk around with for the rest of the day. However, if you want that chicken flavor to pop, go with fresh. It's actually a much quicker step than I had remembered. 

Add the minced garlic and kosher salt to the bowl with the seed mixture. Whisk with a fork to combine. Take a big whiff and be immediately transported to a classic New York bakery. Once you've made your mix, set it aside for now. If you're loving this homemade mix, you could double or triple the recipe to keep for future dishes. 

Now it's time to prepare our chicken. Place all four chicken breasts on a clean cutting board. They should be about the same size and thickness, so that they cook evenly. Start by slicing into the side of the first chicken breast to create a pocket for the cream cheese. Keep slicing until the chicken breast is almost in half, but make sure to not cut all the way through. Remember — the bigger the pocket, the more glorious cream cheese you can stuff in there. Repeat this process with the other three chicken breasts. 

Have your four ounces of cream cheese divided into four slabs and place each one inside a chicken breast. The cream cheese should completely fit into the chicken breast pocket and not be sticking out (at least not very much). It will start to melt during the cooking process, so stuff it in there so that it doesn't not ooze out. Once the cream cheese is firmly in the chicken breast, close the other half to seal it in.

Once all four chicken breasts are stuffed and ready to go, it's time to get ready to cook them. First, heat a large skillet over medium to high heat and coat it with olive oil, then set up your work space. Place your shallow bowl of everything bagel mix directly next to the stove. This will prevent any raw juices from the chicken from dripping on the counter as you place the coated chicken into the skillet. Once the oil in the skillet is heated, start coating the chicken.

Place one-fourth cup all purpose flour in a shallow bowl and dredge each chicken breast in it. Doing this gives the chicken a nice base that will stick to the coating. Otherwise the everything bagel mix could just slide right off. That would be a travesty!

Crack the egg into a third shallow dish and beat it with a fork. Place it on the counter between the everything bagel mix and flour bowls. Once the chicken breasts have been dredged in the flour, dip them into the beaten egg. After each is dipped, pull it out and allow the excess egg to drip off. 

Finally it's time for the best part. After the chicken has been coated in flour and egg, dip it into the everything bagel mix. Keep turning the chicken breast to ensure that all sides are completely coated. The more, the better!

Place the four chicken breasts into the hot skillet and cook for about one minute, until the bottom side is golden and crisp. Flip each chicken breast and cook the other side for one minute. This will keep the coating crisp even throughout baking in the oven. 

Transfer the seared chicken to the prepared baking dish and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Cut into one of the chicken breasts to ensure that it's done. The coating should be crispy, while the inside is juicy and covered in melted cream cheese. Serve immediately with a fresh side salad or roasted vegetables. Enjoy!