Cruises are known for the abundance of food and a themed buffet at every corner, and since it's all included you feel obliged to over indulge. Disney Cruise Line works hard to make sure your taste buds are delighted and your waist line is expanded and they are very good at it.
Disney invented rotational dining for their Cruise Line, allowing guests to dine in a different restaurant every night while your server team rotates with you. In addition to each standard restaurant menu there are themed nights with special menus served across all restaurants. One of these such themes is the Captains Gala. This formal night menu boasts lobster tail, but if crustaceans aren’t your thing I recommend the fettuccine with parmesan crusted chicken.
The most important thing to know about this menu selection is that the description does the dish a vast disservice. The menu reads, “chicken encrusted in parmesan cheese with sweet peppers and mushrooms in a cheddar cheese sauce” which sounds, in a word, disgusting.
The cheddar cheese description immediately had me envisioning a heap of noodles soaked in Cheez-Whiz with a chicken on top, but I was delightfully surprised when I saw normal looking noodles without said envisioned cheddar cheese. The cheddar flavor is barely there so it doesn’t conflict with the parmesan crust on the chicken and the peppers and mushrooms give the sauce flavor and add extra texture to the dish.
The flavors are surprisingly complimentary and not at all as described. I call this “Shake and Bake chicken” and I say that with the fondest of memories and highest esteem for the herbed seasoned crumbs that embodied many dinners during my childhood.
In a spoiled cruise vacation setting where you’re eating filet every night the divine simplicity of this dish is just what the taste buds ordered. This savory dish is the perfect solution if you need a break from red meat and don’t eat seafood, when you order this dish remember this article and then I can say with conviction, "It's Shake and Bake and I helped!"
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