Who doesn’t LOVE a warm, cheesy, restaurant-worthy Italian dish on a cold snowy evening?! I sure do! And so does my family.
We try to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, but we’re also firm believers of “everything in moderation”. Chicken Parmesan often involves breading and frying chicken cutlets before covering in sauce and cheese. This healthier version takes away the stress, mess, and extra fat and calories from frying. All you have to do is bread and freeze the chicken for up to three months. Then, on a cozy Sunday afternoon, you pop it in the oven (still frozen!) and bake for 1-2 hours. Add some sauce and cheese at the end to melt and brown. So easy!
I love this method because you can spend and hour or so breading several pans, store them in your freezer and be ready for a company-worthy meal at the drop of a hat. You don’t even have to thaw it before putting it in the oven!
This is how Kelly and I prepared all of the dishes in our Freezer Oven Mini eCookbook and I know you’re going to love this new chicken parm recipe.
Easy Freezer-to-Oven Chicken Parmesan
Yields: 6 – 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 20 oz jar marinara sauce (not needed until day of cooking)
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (not needed until day of cooking)
To Freeze and Cook Later
- Coat 9×13″ pan with cooking spray. (An aluminum or disposable pan will work. I don’t recommend using glass because it can’t go straight from the oven to the freezer.)
- Add flour to a shallow bowl or plate.
- In a separate bowl, combine egg and milk.
- In a third bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients (breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic powder).
- Dip each chicken breast in flour first, then wet mixture, then dry mixture, and place in pan.
- Cover pan with lid or aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months*
To Cook
- Pre-heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Add frozen pan to oven and bake 1 1/2 hours covered.
- Uncover, pour on sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
*If you want to skip the freezing step, bake for 30-40 minutes covered and then an additional 15 uncovered with sauce and cheese.
Serve with pasta and a fresh garden salad.
Jill Petrush Rogers is an artist and former bookbuyer/seller. Jill recently moved back to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA with her husband, Tom, and their two energy-filled boys. Jill loves to channel her creativity by coming up with recipes as a contributing writer for New Leaf Wellness.
[…] Chicken Parmesan is another meal that is sure to be loved by the whole family and the best bit about this recipe is the new mom just has to take it out of the freezer and put it straight in the oven. It’s the perfect freezer meal for the days when everything goes a little topsy turvy! (via New Leaf Wellness) […]
[…] Easy Freezer to Oven Chicken Parmesan from New Leaf Wellness […]
What a great meal for families with new babies! Definitely appreciated. This looks scrumptious and easy to prepare. Just what I love about a recipe.
[…] Chicken Parmesan […]
Hi! Is the chicken in this recipe cooked before you freeze it? Thank you! Looking forward to trying this!
No, all of my recipes are frozen without any cooking ahead of time.
Can the initial chicken be frozen, too? No sense defrosting just to bread and freeze, right?
If you can bread the chicken without thawing it, it will work.
[…] Photo & Recipe Credit: Family Freezer […]