Day Before Chicken Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD FRIED CHICKEN

Fried chicken is one of the few fried foods that tastes just as good served at room temperature as it does when it's served hot enough to burn your fingers. This recipe has been specially engineered to be made in advance. It's seasoned assertively, so the flavors won't dull as it cools. But the real key is double-dipping the chicken in the flour mixture before you fry it, making for an extra-crunchy crust that holds up all afternoon. And it lets you serve fried chicken to your guests and still have enough time to clean the kitchen and take a shower before they arrive. Although the recipe calls for all drumsticks, which won't dry out as they sit, feel free to substitute other chicken parts.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories dinner, lunch, main course

Time 1h

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

Make-Ahead Fried Chicken image

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.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 852, UnsaturatedFat 21 grams, Carbohydrate 80 grams, Fat 34 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 54 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 1131 milligrams, Sugar 13 grams, TransFat 0 grams

Ingredients

1 quart buttermilk
2 torn bay leaves
2 thinly sliced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
12 drumsticks, about 2½ to 3 pounds chicken
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon good chile power such as chipotle powder
Corn, grapeseed or vegetable oil, for frying

MAKE-AHEAD FREEZER CHICKEN PARMESAN

My family loves chicken Parm but making it from scratch on a busy school night is next to impossible. The good news is the chicken can be made ahead and frozen along with the right portion of sauce and cheese for a quick weeknight meal. Serve with pasta and Caesar salad.

Provided by Cari Sultanik

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 1h15m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 8

Make-Ahead Freezer Chicken Parmesan image

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
Pound chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness or less.
Place beaten egg in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in another bowl. Dip each chicken breast in egg, then roll in bread crumb mixture to coat evenly. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 10 minutes more. Let cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
Freeze in a 1-gallon resealable bag with smaller bags of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
To serve: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat chicken at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) until heated through and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Top chicken with tomato sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and bake until cheese is melted, an additional 3 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 258.9 calories, Carbohydrate 10.7 g, Cholesterol 126.9 mg, Fat 8.7 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Protein 33.3 g, SaturatedFat 3.9 g, Sodium 602.6 mg, Sugar 3.2 g

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 large egg, beaten
⅓ cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese