Day Before Chicken Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Whisk together all the marinade ingredients, except the chicken, and place in a large bowl or plastic bag. Submerge the chicken in the marinade, cover bowl or seal bag, and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or, better, overnight.
• Make the coating: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cayenne, salt and chile powder. Place a paper bag inside another paper bag (to prevent seepage, use large bags or several small ones) and transfer the flour mixture into it. This is so you can shake the chicken pieces. (You can also just mix flour in a bowl and dredge the chicken parts in it, or use a heavy-duty plastic zipper bag for shaking.)
• Take a piece of chicken out of the marinade and place it in the bag with the flour mixture. Close the bag and shake it so the chicken is fully coated. (Or, if you are using a bowl, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.) Remove and place on a plate or sheet pan. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces, one by one. Let chicken rest for 30 minutes so it can come to room temperature. Reserve the coating mixture.
• In a large Dutch oven or heavy skillet with a lid, heat the oil until it reaches 350 degrees. Just before frying, shake the chicken pieces in the coating mixture once again, one by one.
• Fry the chicken for 6 minutes, covered, then uncover the pot and flip the chicken with tongs. Continue frying for about another 6 minutes, or until the coating is dark golden brown and the juices run clear when the meat is pricked with a fork.
• Place chicken on a wire rack set over a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Serve within 8 hours, but it's best to serve within 4 hours and leave the chicken at room temperature, rather than chilling it.

SLOW-COOKER MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN

Steps:

• Spray 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix oil, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Add chicken; turn to coat.
• Add chicken to slow cooker; pour 1/4 cup water over chicken. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or until chicken is tender and easy to shred.
• Transfer chicken to cutting board; cool slightly. Shred chicken, then toss with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard remaining liquid.
• To Freeze: Divide chicken into 2 portions (about 2 cups each). Place each portion in freezer container or resealable freezer plastic bag. Label with date. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 1 hour. Transfer to freezer; freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight or until completely thawed. Use in recipes calling for cooked chicken.
• To Make in Oven: Heat oven to 425°F. Place rack in large rimmed sheet pan. Spray rack and pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix oil, salt, garlic powder and ground red pepper. Add chicken; turn to coat. Place in single layer on rack in pan. Roast 33 to 38 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of largest thigh reads 180°F and meat is tender enough to shred. Remove from oven; let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Toss shredded chicken in pan liquid to coat.

EASIEST CHICKEN MARSALA (MAKE THE NIGHT BEFORE)

Steps:

• Scramble egg in small bowl.
• Dip chicken breasts into egg and dredge into bread crumbs on both sides.
• Saute breasts in a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan; set aside.
• Saute mushrooms and garlic in a small amount of olive oil.
• Add broth and wine and bring to a boil.
• Lay chicken breasts side by side in baking dish.
• Pour mushrooms and wine sauce over chicken.
• Marinate overnight in fridge.
• Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes uncovered until hot.
• Serve with rice or noodles.
• **The sauce absorbs into the chicken so you want alot of sauce to begin with.
• Also realize the alcohol burns off during the cooking.
• If you choose to have less sauce, broth and wine should be of equal proportions.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add flour, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Add chicken; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered 13 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F). Transfer chicken to cutting board. Using two forks, shred into large bite-size pieces, and return to Dutch oven; heat to simmering.
• In medium bowl, stir Bisquick™ mix and milk together until soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering stew. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 9 to 11 minutes or until dumplings are completely cooked in center.
• To freeze: Cook chicken stew as directed in recipe in steps 1 and 2. Cover and refrigerate chicken stew 30 to 40 minutes. Divide stew between two 1-quart freezer containers; cover and freeze up to 2 months. To finish chicken and dumplings: Place frozen chicken stew containers in large bowl filled with hot water about 5 minutes or until stew can be slid out of containers into 4-quart Dutch oven. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until stew is heated to boiling. Make and cook dumplings as directed in step 3.

25 QUICK CHICKEN RECIPES

Steps:

• Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Most of these recipes are also freezer-friendly and can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• To reheat, simply reheat in the air fryer at 300F for 5-10 minutes, or in the oven at 300F for 10 minutes. You can also reheat on the stove over medium heat until fully warmed through. the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes. If heating from frozen, let it thaw first in the refrigerator and then reheat.

MAKE-AHEAD GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to broil.
• Brush the chicken all over with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 10 minutes; flip the pieces and broil until cooked a little less than medium well, another 10 minutes.
• When ready to finish the chicken, prepare a grill for high heat.
• Grill the chicken until the skin is crispy and has a good char, no more than 5 minutes per side (the center of the breasts should register 165 degrees F).

DAY BEFORE CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large greased baking or roasting pan, place the chicken breasts and top with all of the vegetables.
• Sprinkle with the seasonings and cheese.
• Top with the spaghetti sauce mixed with the wine.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours.
• Refrigerate overnight to meld and deepen flavors.
• Reheat uncovered at 350 until hot and bubbly.
• If you're not counting carbs, serve this over pasta, but it's just as great on its own.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN DIVAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine Cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, cover, and steam until tender, 2 to 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; saute until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Whisk condensed soup, sour cream, milk, and mayonnaise together in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved Cheddar-Parmesan mixture and season with salt and pepper. Add the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine the sauce.
• Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Add cooked rice as the bottom layer. Add cooked broccoli as the next layer, and then layer on the cooked chicken. Cover with remaining sauce. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar-Parmesan mixture, plus extra Parmesan if desired, and continue to bake until browned, about 15 minutes more.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer., In a large bowl, combine the chicken, corn, broccoli, soup, milk, sour cream, mayonnaise, pepper and mushroom mixture; transfer to a greased 13-in x 9-in. baking dish. Top with stuffing. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until stuffing is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD CHICKEN MARSALA RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• On a cutting board, fillet each chicken breast and trim off any fat. Place two pieces of chicken at a time between two pieces of parchment paper as seen in photo below. Pound with a flat mallet, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick. Set aside and repeat until all the chicken is pounded thin. Put some flour in a shallow dish. Season each side of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet lightly on each side with flour. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is nice and hot, brown a few cutlets at a time for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden. Once the chicken is brown, place the pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet with a rim, or a glass casserole dish. Continue until all the chicken is browned. Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, sauté for a minute or two until browned. Add the mushrooms, season with a little salt and pepper and sauté until they are nicely browned on each side. Turn up the heat and pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a minute so the alcohol cooks off. Then add the chicken stock and the butter. Allow it to cook for a minute or two. Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover with foil and place in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving. Cook's Notes: Entertaining a large crowd: I love to make chicken Marsala for large parties or family dinner parties. It's such a yummy treat and everyone seems to love it. You can easily double or triple the recipe. If I'm having a large dinner party I will usually make things ahead of time and refrigerate them. You can sauté the chicken, place it in a baking dish or cookie sheet and cover it with foil. Then cook the sauce separately and set aside in a separate bowl. Refrigerate everything and take it out 20 minutes before company arrives. Then preheat your oven, pour sauce over chicken and cook for 20-30 minutes before serving.