Those classic salty slightly savory crackers in the blue box, but made from scratch! Our Copycat Chicken in a Biskit Crackers recipe recreates this snack cracker favorite at home!.
If you like homemade crackers, you’re in for a treat today! I’ve been working on this recipe for a while because these classic snack crackers have been on my list to recreate for a while, and we finally have them down pat! Our Copycat Chicken in a Biskit Crackers recipe is surprisingly easy to make and tastes just like the salty butter crackers in the blue box! The original uses dehydrated ground-up chicken, but our version is vegetarian and, if I do say so myself, sooo close! I’m so proud of it and can’t wait to share it with you all!
Do you need all of these things to make these crackers? No, you don’t. If you don’t have them, look at the recipe notes or the Recipe Tips section.
People have loved chicken in a Biskit crackers as a snack since the 1960s. The name of these crackers comes from the dried chicken bits that are mixed into the dough. They taste salty, savory, and crispy. But it’s the special mix of spices that makes Chicken in a Biskit taste so good. So what is it about that famous seasoning that makes these crackers so addicting?
A Brief History of Chicken in a Biskit
Chicken in a Biskit crackers were created by the Nabisco company in the early 1960s. Nabisco was looking for a way to utilize leftover scraps and trimmings from their meat packing plants, so they came up with the idea to grind up dried chicken and mix it into a salty cracker dough.
The crackers were test marketed under the name “Nabisco Chicken Crackers” in 1963 before being officially launched as Chicken in a Biskit across the United States in 1964, They were marketed as a “chicken-flavored snack cracker” and the unique blend of flavors made them a huge hit
Over the years, Chicken in a Biskit has become a classic that kids and adults alike love to eat. Even though some of the ingredients have changed over the years, the unique seasoning blend is still what makes Chicken in a Biskit taste the way it does.
The Secret Seasoning Blend
Nabisco does say some of the things that go into the seasoning for Chicken in a Biskit, but they don’t give out the exact recipe. The key components include:
-
Salt The high salt content gives Chicken in a Biskit their signature savoriness
-
Spices and herbs Ingredients like black pepper, thyme, oregano, sage, and marjoram add layers of flavor.
-
Onion and garlic powder: Provides savory umami taste and aroma.
-
Natural flavors: Likely contains yeast extract for cheesy notes.
-
Citric acid: Adds a tart, acidic kick that balances the other flavors.
-
Artificial flavors: Probably contains compounds like monosodium glutamate (MSG) to enhance the taste.
-
Caramel color: Provides the tan hue on the surface of the crackers.
So while we don’t know the exact quantities or full list of seasonings, those key ingredients provide the bulk of the Chicken in a Biskit seasoning flavor.
Why the Seasoning Blend Works
The seasoning for Chicken in a Biskit is the best way to make food taste better. It makes a pretty basic cracker taste so good that you’ll want to eat it all the time. Because of a few things, this blend is very important to the success of the product:
-
It masks the chicken flavor: Many people are surprised to find the crackers don’t really taste like chicken. The herbs and spices disguise the poultry flavor.
-
It provides a salty, savory taste: The high sodium content satisfies snack cravings.
-
It has layered, complex flavors: No single spice dominates; they work together to create something new.
-
It includes umami flavors: Ingredients like onion, garlic, and yeast extract provide a moreish, mouthwatering quality.
-
It features both natural and artificial flavors: This combination provides a more intense and addictive taste.
-
It has a tangy, acidic accent: The citric acid brightens up the other heavy flavors.
All of these qualities give Chicken in a Biskit their signature smell, taste and texture that keeps fans coming back for more.
Recreating the Taste at Home
For those who want to recreate the Chicken in a Biskit experience in their own kitchens, it is possible to mimic the seasoning blend at home.
DIY recipes use ingredients like dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and nutritional yeast to approximate the flavors. A combination of chicken or vegetable broth powders and MSG can stand in for the elusive “natural and artificial flavors” listed on the label.
However, because the exact formula is a trade secret, no home chef has cracked the code for a 100% authentic copycat recipe. Food scientists likely spend months tinkering to achieve the perfect balance of flavors and sensory qualities that give Chicken in a Biskit their signature mouthfeel. With some trial and error, though, determined snack fans can come quite close.
At the end of the day, the mystery is part of the appeal. The cryptic list of ingredients on the box, the unmistakable scent when opening a fresh package, and the first bite of that intense seasoning blend create an experience that loyal fans just can’t resist. For more than 50 years, the unique taste of Chicken in a Biskit has made them a pantry staple that satisfies salty, savory cravings in a bite-sized snack.
Other Homemade Copycat Crackers
As always, let me know what you think if you try this recipe or any of my others. You can email me, leave a comment below, or find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Easier Thank You Think To Make
These Chicken in a Biskit Crackers may seem daunting to make, but they’re actually easier than you might think! Your handy dandy food processor will make this dough-making step a breeze.
To get crispy crackers, you need to make sure to roll out the dough very thinly. Do your best to roll it into a big rectangle and then cut the edges and move pieces around to fill in the corners to fill it out into a nice big rectangle. This is how we roll out our other crackers like our Healthier Homemade Wheat Thins.
Even better, you can just roll out those crackers on the parchment paper, cut them, poke those little holes, and then just move that parchment paper onto your baking sheet!.
This copycat recipe has a thick layer of seasoning on top of the cracker, just like the original. This gives it a lot of flavor and leaves a salty, tasty bit on your fingers after you eat them. We tried dozens of different versions of this to get it just right for you.
Add a full coat of the seasoning on top of your cut crackers. Sprinkle it on and then use your hands to gently spread it over it so it’s all nicely coated.
Baked to crispy perfection in just 10 minutes.
Copycat Chicken in a Biskit, done!! Buttery crackers with just the right amount of a snap, just a touch of sweetness, and topped with as close as you can get to the original seasoning to give you all that you want from that classic blue box, but made easily at home! Trust me, this one is real close thanks to the citric acid and the right balance of the seasoning on top that we tried over and over again until we got it just right.
Just the right amount of snap to these buttery incredibly flavorful crackers!
Nope! You don’t absolutely need one, although if you are going to make more crackers or cook from scratch more, we highly recommend one as they are a great kitchen tool investment! To make it without a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour, then use either a hand mixer to mix in the oil and water into a dough, or just a fork. See recipe notes.
You want your crackers to be nice and thin, so roll that dough out to at least a 1/8 of an inch down to 1/16 of an inch. Also, be sure that your dough is evenly rolled out because that will ensure even baking of your lil crackers.
No need to mess with rolling and cutting and moving little cut-out cracker doughs around! You can roll out that dough on your parchment paper, cut out those cracker shapes, and then transfer that parchment paper right onto your baking sheet.
Nope! You can of course use a butter knife to cut out your crackers, too. No problem. But a wheeled dough cutter is fun to add those scalloped edges of the crackers for these, Saltines, and for Homemade Ravioli.
Citric acid in powder form is one of the most common food additives in the world and is used in medicines, supplements, juices, powdered beverages, frozen foods, and even some dairy products. It is used as a food additive for natural flavoring. And while our strive to cook from scratch is to eliminate as many food additives as possible, this is one that we do keep around to aid in cheese making and now these crackers because it’s safe, may have some health benefits, and is the most common.
Totally! These crackers are still sooo delicious without them. In our recipe testing though, we found that just that tiny bit of citric acid added the acidic pop that the original Chicken in a Biskit crackers has that enhances the rest of the flavors – which makes sense since it’s one of the added ingredients to the original crackers!
How fun are these?! These classic snack crackers are one of my husband’s favorites, so it was so fun to recreate them with this Copycat Chicken in a Biskit Crackers recipe!
Chicken in A Biskit NEW Ranch Flavored Crackers REAL Review
FAQ
What is the powder on Chicken in a Biskit?
INGREDIENTS: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL, SUGAR, SALT, DEXTROSE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SOY LECITHIN, BAKING SODA, ONION POWDER, DEHYDRATED COOKED CHICKEN, HYDROLYZED CORN AND YEAST .
What flavor is Chicken in a Biskit cracker?
Featuring a zesty ranch flavor and seasonings that include chicken, these baked crackers are tasty snacks with a crunchy texture.
Why does Chicken in a Biskit taste so good?
No problem. They actually contain dehydrated chicken (flavoring — but real stuff) in them. So they genuinely taste “chickeny” when you eat them. Licking the yummy, slimy, crummy goodness off my fingers in the end is the best part. well, that, and doing my bit to offset the harm done by vegetarians, that is.
Why was Chicken in a Biskit discontinued?
Manufacturing was moved to China. Australian Kraft Chicken in a Biskit said that chicken meat was one of the ingredients, but a separate chemistry test found “no protein from any meat species” in the food. Production of the ‘In a Biskit’ range was discontinued in March 2015.