Wine-Sauced Chicken
Submitted by Annetra
Freezer-friendly chicken and noodle casserole in a red wine tomato-mushroom sauce with basil and garlic. Make it ahead, freeze in individual portions, and reheat on busy nights. Serves 4 to 6.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minMeal prep warriors, this one’s for you.
Tender chicken breast strips get cooked fast in a nonstick skillet, then folded into a thick, glossy sauce of tomatoes, red wine, mushrooms, garlic, and basil.
Paired with fine egg noodles and portioned into individual baking dishes, the whole thing freezes beautifully and reheats from frozen in either the oven or microwave.
Four to six future dinners, handled in about 30 minutes of active work.
Kitchen Tips
- Rinse the noodles in cold water after draining. This stops the cooking and keeps them from turning to mush when you reheat the casserole later.
- Don’t overcook the chicken strips. Four minutes over medium-high heat is enough. They’ll finish cooking when you reheat the casserole, so slightly underdone is actually ideal.
- Use microwave-safe dishes if that’s your reheating method. Label each portion with the date so you always grab the oldest one first.
Ingredients
Directions
Advance preparation time: 30 minutes Final preparation time: 10 to 60 minutes Cook noodles according to the directions on the package, except use 4 cups of hot water in a large pan. Drain and rinse with cold water, and drain again. Meanwhile, slice the chicken into ¾ inch strips. Spray a cold, large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat just until tender and no longer pink (about 4 minutes) turning the pieces occasionally. Drain the mushrooms. Cut up the tomatoes but remember to save the juice. In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes and juice, the drained mushrooms, tomato sauce, wine, cornstarch, bouillon granules, garlic, and basil. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens and is bubbly. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the chicken and the onions. Spoon the pasta to one side of 4 individual shallow baking dish es. Use microwave-safe dishes if the casseroles will be reheated in the microwave. Spoon the tomato-chicken mixture on the other side. Cover with clear plastic wrap and then foil. Seal, label, and freeze. RE-HEATING Conventional oven: Remove plastic wrap. Cover with foil. Bake frozen casserole, covered, in a 375=B0 F. oven for 1 hour or until heated through. Microwave oven: Remove foil. Cover with vented plastic wrap or wax paper. Cook on 70% power (medium-high) for 9 minutes (1 serving) or 16 to 18 minutes (2 servings) or until heated through, turning the dishes once.
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