5 Steps to the Best Freezer Chicken
Ever come home and wonder what's for dinner? Of course you have, but there is nothing thawed out and everything will take a longer time than you have to cook it. One of my favorite go to staples is to have precooked chicken breasts in the freezer so I can warm up and add to any dish. I usually do all my freezer prep on Sunday and then I have multiple options during the week. When I shop, I buy a large package of chicken breasts and cook the whole package which usually ends up being 9 breasts.
The first part of freezer chicken is to prepare and cook the chicken. This is comprised of 5 steps: Brine, Basting, Seasoning, Baking, and finally Resting.
Things you will need:
- Chicken Breasts
- Butter or Oil
- Seasonings
- A Large bowl
- Ziplock bags
- Baking pans
1) Brine: In a large bowl put in warm water (enough to cover all the chicken) and some salt. I use Himalayan salt, but any salt will do. I don't measure the salt but if you are brining 9 breasts like I do, I would say that it is about 1/2 tbsp. Place breasts in the water and set your oven to 450 degrees. I leave the breasts in until my oven reaches that temp.
During the brining time I pull out my pyrex glass baking pans and brush butter or oil along the bottom so that the breasts will not stick to the bottom.
2) Baste: Pull the breasts out of the water one by one and inspect them. Remove any extra fat you don't want and either hammer them or cut them so that the breasts are about even thickness. Then take them and brush them with butter or olive oil so that the seasoning will stick. Lay down in the pan and repeat the step until all your breasts have been cut.
3) Season: Sprinkle with seasonings. I use a combination of basic go to flavors so that it will complement any added sauce or dish when it is time to use them. My seasonings consist of: pepper, Jane's krazy mix up seasoning, garlic powder (not garlic salt as that is too much salt if you use another salt option), and 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes. Make sure to sprinkle on both sides to really attach the flavors.
4) Bake: Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes. I put 3 pans in my oven at the same time so I did it for 20 minutes checking the internal temp with my meat thermometer to confirm they were cooked.
5) Rest: Pull pans out and allow your chicken to rest and cool. If you are going to use some for your dinner that evening, still allow it to rest at least 5 minutes to reabsorb the juices. Otherwise allow to cool for 20-30 minutes as you don't want the chicken to be too hot to melt the bag. I always wait until they are cool enough for me to pick up with my hands.
Next I place one breast in each ziplock bag and all of those bags into a larger freezer bag to help keep away freezer burn. Make sure you write on the bag when they went in and if you did some seasonings on one and different on some others, make sure you write that too. It will be hard to tell seasoning differences unless there is a color difference.
For thawing:
You can always pull a bag out the night before and allow to thaw in your fridge until you are ready to use it. If you forgot, don't worry, I got you! Take out your breast and stick it into a shallow dish and cover half with water. Put in your microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Take out and flip over the breast and put back in at 50% power for another 2 minutes. This thaws the breast nice and slow so you don't get dry hard spots and the water allows it to rehydrate. Chicken breasts are finicky so you want to make sure you give it moisture. Then just chop and serve. You can add sauces or add to any dish.
I hope you find this tutorial easy to follow. Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. I would love to know if this worked for you, so please leave me a comment.
As always,
Live, Love, June
The first part of freezer chicken is to prepare and cook the chicken. This is comprised of 5 steps: Brine, Basting, Seasoning, Baking, and finally Resting.
Things you will need:
- Chicken Breasts
- Butter or Oil
- Seasonings
- A Large bowl
- Ziplock bags
- Baking pans
1) Brine: In a large bowl put in warm water (enough to cover all the chicken) and some salt. I use Himalayan salt, but any salt will do. I don't measure the salt but if you are brining 9 breasts like I do, I would say that it is about 1/2 tbsp. Place breasts in the water and set your oven to 450 degrees. I leave the breasts in until my oven reaches that temp.
During the brining time I pull out my pyrex glass baking pans and brush butter or oil along the bottom so that the breasts will not stick to the bottom.
2) Baste: Pull the breasts out of the water one by one and inspect them. Remove any extra fat you don't want and either hammer them or cut them so that the breasts are about even thickness. Then take them and brush them with butter or olive oil so that the seasoning will stick. Lay down in the pan and repeat the step until all your breasts have been cut.
3) Season: Sprinkle with seasonings. I use a combination of basic go to flavors so that it will complement any added sauce or dish when it is time to use them. My seasonings consist of: pepper, Jane's krazy mix up seasoning, garlic powder (not garlic salt as that is too much salt if you use another salt option), and 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes. Make sure to sprinkle on both sides to really attach the flavors.
4) Bake: Bake at 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes. I put 3 pans in my oven at the same time so I did it for 20 minutes checking the internal temp with my meat thermometer to confirm they were cooked.
5) Rest: Pull pans out and allow your chicken to rest and cool. If you are going to use some for your dinner that evening, still allow it to rest at least 5 minutes to reabsorb the juices. Otherwise allow to cool for 20-30 minutes as you don't want the chicken to be too hot to melt the bag. I always wait until they are cool enough for me to pick up with my hands.
Next I place one breast in each ziplock bag and all of those bags into a larger freezer bag to help keep away freezer burn. Make sure you write on the bag when they went in and if you did some seasonings on one and different on some others, make sure you write that too. It will be hard to tell seasoning differences unless there is a color difference.
For thawing:
You can always pull a bag out the night before and allow to thaw in your fridge until you are ready to use it. If you forgot, don't worry, I got you! Take out your breast and stick it into a shallow dish and cover half with water. Put in your microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Take out and flip over the breast and put back in at 50% power for another 2 minutes. This thaws the breast nice and slow so you don't get dry hard spots and the water allows it to rehydrate. Chicken breasts are finicky so you want to make sure you give it moisture. Then just chop and serve. You can add sauces or add to any dish.
I hope you find this tutorial easy to follow. Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. I would love to know if this worked for you, so please leave me a comment.
As always,
Live, Love, June
Comments
Post a Comment