I've seen a lot of different knockoffs. Essentially it's just spices with flour and/or crumbs, and the crumbs can be corn flakes, bread crumbs or other types. Pretty simple actually. You could even add some parmesan cheese to it or modify in other ways to your tastes.

Another one of those things I wonder why it sells so well, along with blue box mac & "cheese", Hamburger Helper, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Shake N Bake

I have never eaten shake & bake....so I don't know what it tastes like. But I make my own crumb topping. I save bread ends and grate them in the food processor and toast them in a slow oven 300 until very dry and lightly browned ( I want something that won't spoil and doesn't need refrigeration.
I make several "flavors" of home made crumbs. One is a cup of bread crumbs 1/2 tsp of good garlic granules ( I use Penzeys) 1 T. dried parsley, 3/4 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp dry oregano. I use that on chicken and pork chops.
Another is a cup of crumbs, 1/2 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp dried dill weed and 2 tsps grated lemon rind...I use that on fish.
Then if I have lots of bread crumbs....I may mix up some for apple topping.
Mix 2 cups dry crumbs with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1/2 cup ground pecans. This has to be refrigerated or frozen.
Then I can just slice some apples into a pie plate, dot with butter, sprinkle with sugar and top with the crumb mix and bake.
You can also use the crumb mix for casserole topping....and you can mix it with butter to make it clump and make yummy crispy clumps of topping!
Note....n o salt....there is salt in the bread and I find that's enough, add more if you want.
I roll the meat to be coated in cream or beaten egg or mayonaise or dijon mustard.....it all works!
Linda C

I am not a fan of shake n bake, I had it once and that was more than enough.

I do use this to make chicken nuggets for The Princess, though, and it's not bad. I gotta tell you, though, her favorite coating is Doritos, crushed in the food processor until fine, then the chicken is dipped in buttermilk and shaken in the crumbs. Probably more chemicals than Shake N Bake!

Anyway, this one has parmesan cheese, so you need to refrigerate it.

HOMEMADE SHAKE-BAKE

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 c. cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Mix all thoroughly and store in a jar in refrigerator. Use as needed for chicken, pork chops, or fish.

Annie

I have a lasting affection for Shake and Bake. That, plus Tuna Helper and Top Ramen, were the Holy Trinity that nourished me for half of my adult life. Quite the gastronomic pinnacle among my onetime circle of starving male college students without their mommies. That said, I haven't had it for ages (decades? generations?) so I think I'll try one of these homemade versions soon. Thanks for posting!

Thanks everyone. I will experiment with these recipes.They all sound good. Thank you once again !!! Diana55

Cynic, the reason Blue Box sells so good is because kids love it. I used to have to beg for it when I was a kid. I must have asked Mom why she didn't fix it because I remember her telling me about the time when she & Dad were deer hunting in Colorado. They got snowed in and their only provisions were twelve boxes of Kraft Mac/Cheese. I could relate to that after having been on an 'all you can eat' canned pineapple binge at Grandma's. (Fortunately, I recovered my taste for pineapple)

DSII loved it but he's sophisticated his taste. Now he wants the 'Thick and Creamy' Great Value mac/ cheese from Wal-Mart. But most of all, he loves home-made mac/cheese. (Once, when the boyz were small, I made home-made mac & neither of them would eat it because it didn't taste like the bluebox!)

ci lantro, I've never liked the blue box stuff but my girls and the grand kids did. Then Ashley discovered Velveeta Shells and Cheese. She still doesn't like the homemade stuff.

The Princess? She'll eat any of it, sh eloves the stuff, but her very favorite is Kframe's Mac and Cheese, made with a good amount od Dubliner.

Annie

I've had this recipe for years, and it's the only one I use, when I get the urge for shake and bake.

2 cups flour
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp each oregano, thyme and basil
4 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger

Mix thoroughly and store in a jar in the cupboard.
When ready to use, combine 2-3 tbsp of mixture with 1 cup of fine bread crumbs.

My MIL is a terrible cook, yet everyone raves about her meals - inside I'm screaming "Don't encourage her!!!!! Her specialty is PORK Shake & Bake on CHICKEN - yuck!