9/29/2011

Freezer Friday - Chicken parmesan

One of our favorite freezer recipes is Chicken Parmesan. Everyone likes it. 
Here is the recipe from my mom:
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon water
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - (pounded thin)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup heated pizza sauce 
Whisk egg whites in bowl with water until foamy. Stir in garlic. Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan and seasonings in shallow bowl. Dip chicken in egg whites then in crumbs. Repeat. Heat 1 ½ tablespoon of olive oil in skillet, add chicken. Cook for 4 minutes until golden brown. Add remaining oil to pan and turn chicken over. Cook 4 minutes longer or until cooked through. Top each chicken breast with cheese and cook until melted. Transfer to serving dish and drizzle with sauce.

This is how I adapt it for the freezer: 

I cook an obnoxious amount (usually about 10 pounds), but at the end of the day you have several dinners but the same amount of dirty dishes. Once the chicken is browned on both sides, instead of covering it with sauce I let it cool slightly on the cooling racks. Then you know the drill, the pans go into the freezer to freeze them quickly. Once they are frozen I put the amount my family will eat into labeled gallon size Ziploc bags and then right back into the freezer. 

When we are ready to eat I put the frozen chicken into a baking dish and cook @ 350 for 30-45 minutes (can vary depending on thickness of chicken). Towards the end of cooking I put the sauce and mozzarella cheese on. This keeps them nice and crispy, not soggy. Sometimes we just eat them plain with no sauce.  I love having these in the freezer, they are so tasty and really freeze well. Be sure to use fresh, not previously frozen chicken.  



I really need to learn to take better pics - these don't look very appetizing, but man they smell and taste so good. 
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