Ques about making Chicken Parmesan ahead of time...& some pix!

16 years ago

You may recall that--awhile ago--I posted that I must have cooked really well at my DH's retirement party, because that led to a little job for a friend's daughter's Renewal of Vows ceremony this past August. I was also asked to "officiate" at that re-commitment ceremony. I met with the couple, wrote up a program, and worked with them about whatever scripture or poems or special words they wanted in the ceremony etc. It was sooooo cool to do this!!! (see photos below)

Since then, and based on word of mouth, I've been asked to "do" a Renewal of Vows ceremony for a couple who will celebrate their 25th Anniversary in December, AND to cook for 16 guests, too. I love it!

The anniversary couple selected Chicken Parmesan as the entree. I've got a good handle on everything else, but I have a question about the Chicken Parmesan. Normally, I'd make this fresh right there --pound the breasts flat, then dip in egg, dredge in seasoned bread crumbs mixed with Parm, pan fry a bit, pan it up and add sauce and cheese and put it in the oven-- but because I'll be officiating, as soon as the Renewal of Vows ceremony is over, I'll need to get the food out quickly.

The Ceremony should run about 25 minutes, so I can assemble the entree and put the chicken in the oven just before the Ceremony begins. Everything else will be prepped and ready to go.

Here are my questions:

I don't really want to put the Chicken Parmesan & sauce together the day before and haul it to it's destination, but maybe I should?

If I bread and pan-fry the chicken breasts a day ahead of time so they are partially cooked, will the breading fall off if I keep the partially-cooked chicken in a plastic ziploc bag in the fridge?

Then, I can transport the chicken in the ziploc inside my igloo along with the homemade sauce and the other food items. I just don't want to take out the chicken breasts and have all the breading fall off when I'm at my destination (about 30 minutes away)!

Thanks for any input you can give!

Smiles,

Sooz

Here is a sample of plated food at the first food event I did--Pasta Primavera Salad, Hearts of Palm salad, fresh fruit, assorted cheeses and assorted crackers:

Here is the fresh fruit plate--

...and the cheese plate

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Comments (8)

moosemac
16 years ago
Here's what I'd do:
The day before:
Pound the chicken breast to about Â¼-3/8" thickness. Shake the pounded chicken in flour, dip in a mixture of beaten egg and cooking oil then coat with parmesan bread crumbs. Place the cutlets on a wire rack sprayed with cooking oil on a cookie sheet. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Make your sauce.

The day of:
Reheat the sauce and place in a thermal container to transport.

Here are 2 options:
1. Pop the cutlets into a 400 oven for 20 minutes. Top with cheese and stick under the broiler to melt the cheese. At this point you can transfer them to a chafing dish or oven proof platter, cover with foil to transport and once there keep warm in the oven.
OR
2. Just before the ceremony, pop the cutlets into a 400 oven for 20 minutes. Then top with cheese and stick under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Just before serving pour the sauce down the middle of the cutlets so some of the cheese and cutlet are visible. Serve with extra sauce.
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lindac
16 years ago
I have no suggestions, but be sure that you have an eye to food safety. Partiallt cooked chicken, held, transported, reheated etc can be a recipe for food poisioning.
I'd do the whole assambly just before the ceremony...no hauling partially cooked chicken around.
Linda C
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User
16 years ago
Sooz, sounds like you have a new career.

Your food looks delicious.

I'm with you on not cooking the chicken a day in advance. But I would definitely, bread the chicken a day in advance.

I would rub each chicken breast with a little fresh garlic paste (Microplane the garlic).( I like fresh garlic better than garlic powder) Use your processor to make fresh bread crumbs and season the crumbs with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and egg mixed with just a little water and then into the bread crumbs. Chicken can be breaded the day in advance and then quickly fried the next day.

I'd pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of the pan, and lay the breaded chicken cutlets over the sauce. Now they are ready to be reheated in the oven. Leaving them in the sauce for an hour or two isn't going to hurt them. Add a little more sauce on top and the cheese just before they go in the oven.

Oh and if you have extra chicken, you can breaded it as above and freeze it on cookie sheets and then store in zip lock bags. Don't defrost before frying.

Ann
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kathleen_li
16 years ago
Good for you, Sooz, and your food looks good.
When I did catering I did make the Italian baked dishes the day before. I always thought those dishes tasted better the second day anyway! The breading never fell off...
Good luck with it...
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moosemac
16 years ago
Linda,
I was not suggesting and would never suggest partially cooking food and reheating. If the cutlets are 1/4" thick and baked in a preheated 400 oven, 20 mins should cook them but I always check with an instant read thermometer 170 is safe for chix breasts. I guess I should have said that in my directions.
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lindac
16 years ago
The OP said she was thinking of partially cooking the chicken, putting in a zip lock bag and assembeling at the site....
I don't think that's a good idea.
Linda C
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sooz
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for all the help and suggestions, everyone!

I guess maybe I wasn't clear about pan-frying them the day before so they are partially cooked (maybe I wanted to say that I want them just barely cooked all the way through but not so much that they'd be dry when cooked/reheated in sauce the next day)...if I did that, I was going to chill them in the fridge and keep 'em chilled in a ziploc bag while traveling...but y'know, why take a chance?

I like ann t's idea as well as kathleen's, so I'll be doing one or the other. Moosemac--thanks for your idea too! I'm just starting out with this "venture/adventure" and don't have any kind of thermal container or chafing dish--other than my igloo ice chest! :O)

Thanks again everyone for all the input!!! lindac, I appreciate your eye on food safety too! It never hurts to be reminded!
Smiles,
Sooz
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moosemac
16 years ago
Sorry Linda, guess I missed that from the OP. I engaged my fingers without before activating my brain....Mea Culpa!
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Ques about making Chicken Parmesan ahead of time...& some pix!

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Ques about making Chicken Parmesan ahead of time...& some pix!

Comments (8)

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