Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [14]
3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled
1. Rinse and trim chicken as desired. Divide chicken evenly among the three freezer bags.
2. Combine rum, barbecue sauce, lime juice, molasses, hot pepper sauce, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Divide the marinade evenly over the chicken.
3. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. Prepare a medium-low fire in a gas or charcoal grill.
3. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 170ºF. Discard remaining marinade.
Here’s a wonderful family-friendly recipe from our friend Shawnee, who told us: “My youngest loves those well-known fast food chicken bites. Looking for a healthier alternative, I combined and adapted several recipes to come up with a baked variation that the whole family enjoys.” Try any leftover chicken strips chopped and served over salad with candied pecans, blue cheese, and honey mustard dressing. —KN / LT
PECAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN STRIPS
MAKES 3 ENTRÉES, ABOUT 12 STRIPSEACH
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN HALF-BREASTS
2 cups honey
1 cup spicy brown mustard
¾ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1½ cups (8 ounces) pecans, finely ground
6 one-gallon freezer bags, label 3
3 one-quart freezer bags
1. Rinse and trim chicken as desired. Cut each half-breast lengthwise into three strips. Divide chicken evenly among the three unlabeled 1-gallon freezer bags.
2. Combine honey, mustard, oil, salt, garlic, and pepper in a medium bowl. Divide sauce evenly over the chicken.
3. Seal bags.
4. Into each of the three 1-quart freezer bags, measure 1 cup panko and ½ cup pecans; seal. Place one bag of chicken and one bag of pecan/breadcrumb mixture into each labeled 1-gallon bag.
5. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Place breadcrumb mixture on a plate. Shake excess sauce off each piece of chicken, roll in crumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken pulls apart easily and is no longer pink in the thickest part, and crust is golden.
DOUBLE THE SAVINGS
Once you get the hang of our Tray Pack Method, you can begin making groups of recipes that use similar ingredients. This will allow you to take advantage of warehouse club pricing while also reducing waste.
Take honey as an example. Purchasing honey at the grocery store can cost 2 to 4 times more per ounce than at the warehouse club. Yet, to get that great price, you must buy a great amount—96 ounces (6 pounds) at our local club versus 32 ounces (2 pounds) at the grocery store. Instead of passing up the value or having most of the bottle go unused, why not select several recipes that use large amounts of honey? The 8 cups of honey in that 96-ounce container can be used in one cooking session to make Pecan–Crusted Chicken Strips, Honey–Glazed Chicken Thighs, Honey and Spice Pork Kabobs, and Granola. Together, these recipes use 7 of the 8 cups in the large container, leaving a reasonable bit for day-to-day use.
The delicious handmade barbecue sauce in this dish, featuring port, offers more complex flavors than most other barbecue sauces. Feel free to pump up the zip by adding more crushed red pepper. Try this chicken in our Port BBQ Sauce Chicken Salad and on our Port BBQ Sauce Chicken Pizza on the following two pages. —KN
PORT BARBECUED CHICKEN
MAKES 3 ENTRÉES, 4 SERVINGS EACH
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN HALF-BREASTS
½ cup (1 stick) butter
5 ounces shallots, minced (about 1 cup)
1½ tablespoons dry mustard
1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups ketchup
¾ cup Worcestershire sauce
cup port
cup water
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
3 one-gallon freezer