Freezer Food Fest #11

It’s official! We’re moving!! So, I have been given a “request” by the Cavewoman to empty the freezer before we hit the road. The pressure is on!

After being down for the count for nearly a week with a nice little bug passed on from one of my walking petri dishes, also known as my daughter, I was itchin’ to get back in the kitchen. Plus, I was long overdue for making another dent in this icy odyssey that only has a few weeks to go. As I was digging through the freezer, I found something I had bought for my Veggie wife to try after her obvious pangs of jealousy over not being able to indulge the last time I made my Easy Chicken Parm. Though, as I pulled it from it’s chilly sanctuary, I realized I had bought the wrong variety. Instead of the plain original MorningStar Chik Patties I had inadvertently picked up the Parmesan Ranch. I was afraid they might be too seasoned … But, these would have to do.
I whipped up a batch of Italian Sauce, dressed up the chicken breasts for the Parm, and got ready to prepare the faux-chicken using the “Oven Method” described on the box. My plan was to get them ready to get sauced and cheesed when I did the same to the real chicken the Cavekids and I would be eating. Surprisingly, everything went perfectly! About 5 minutes after completing the last steps I pulled it all out of the oven, served it all up with some spaghetti, and a nice salad the Cavewoman put together.

Vegetarian Chicken Parm

As usual, the short-people devoured their plates with the sounds of chewing being almost the only thing audible from their sauce-covered faces. The best sound, however, was my wife getting her first taste of Chicken Parm since before her 12th birthday and absolutely loving it. Though, after several bites she did note that the Parmesan Ranch Chik Patties were a bit salty. Ahhhhhh … bummer! My purchasing faux pas had ended up coming back to haunt me after all. I was quickly heartened, though, when my wife said she’d be eager to try it again with the original version of the product. She still somehow managed to “muddle” her way through the salty version.
Regardless, we all had a great dinner together (the first time this week we all sat together for dinner), and I was able to score another notch in my ice pick. Best of all, I also managed to make a couple extra “real” chicken breasts that will be perfect for leftover Chicken Parm Sandwiches. Guess what I’m having for lunch today?!?! 😉

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Easy Chicken Parm

A quick and easy version of the Italian classic … Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Chicken Breasts, boned & skinned, 1/2 inch thick
2 Cups of Cave’s Italian Sauce, warmed
8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2/3 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/3 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, finely grated
1/2 Cup Milk

RECIPE

Preheat oven to 415°. If Chicken breasts are too thick, butterfly cut them to the proper size. You will probably end up with about six pieces of Chicken when properly sized.

Put bread crumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese on a plate and combine well.

Put milk onto similar sized plate (make sure the plates have raised edges to prevent spillage) and place next to bread crumb/cheese mixture. Take each breast and first fully coat in milk.

Then, take the breast and fully coat with bread crumb/cheese mixture.

Place evenly on cookie sheet or baking pan lightly coated with no-stick cooking spray and place into oven.

Cook for 20-25 minutes until edges turn golden brown and then carefully flip each breast. Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Then evenly spread approximately 1/3 cup of heated Italian Sauce on each breast.

And, cover each breast with Mozzarella Cheese.

Again, return to oven for another 2-3 minutes until cheese is fully melted. Serve with a side of pasta, salad and warm bread.

Prep Time = 5 minutes
Cook Time = 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.