Prepping Chicken Saltimbocca - Cutlets - Cordon Bleu - by Sunscape

The freezer was getting low on prepared meals since I was so busy preserving and canning for the past couple months. I had my husband purchase a large family-sized package of boneless chicken breasts so I could make 3 different types of meals.

Easy Chicken Saltimbocca

4 chicken cutlets, roughly 4 ounces each
salt and pepper
4 fresh sage leaves
4 slices prosciutto, you could do 8 slices and have a slice on each side if you want
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon flour
½ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup dry white wine or vermouth
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot minced or 1 small onion minced
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Slice the cutlets into thin slices and pound them out between plastic wrap to make them even.
• Salt and pepper both side of the chicken cutlets.
• Press the prosciutto into the chicken.
• Place a sage leaf on top of each piece of prosciutto and then secure it with a toothpick.
• Dredge the chicken into flour while heating the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

• Once hot, add in the cutlets, prosciutto side down, and cook for about 3 minutes. Flip and then cook on the other side until chicken is cooked through. Once done, transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil.

• Add the butter and the shallot to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until softened. then add a teaspoon of flour and cook 1 more minute.

• Whisk in the wine and broth, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, if any. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened and reduced a bit.

• Turn heat down to low and whisk in the parsley, and lemon juice until fully combined. Return the chicken to the skillet, as well as any juices that collected on the plate. Simmer the chicken until heated through. Serve with the sauce and enjoy!

I served mine with some yellow rice and fresh green beans from the garden. I froze two more meals in glass freezer containers with the sauce.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
16 slices Swiss cheese
½ lb. ham, thinly sliced
oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko or seasoned breadcrumbs

• As above, prepare thin slice of chicken breast and pound evenly.
• Layer each piece of chicken with a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss cheese.
• Roll up the cutlet and secure with a toothpick as shown below.

• Dip the chicken rolls into beaten eggs seasoned with the salt and pepper. The roll them into the panko or seasoned breadcrumbs. I use a combination of both!
• In a heated skillet with oil, cook the chicken until thoroughly brown on each side.

Remove the chicken and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:

• In a 1 ½-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the garlic until soft. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute.
• Add the milk and whisk until fully combined with the roux until no lumps remain. Continue whisking until the mixture comes to a simmer and has thickened.
• Add the mustard, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and remove the pan from the heat.
• Slice the chicken and serve drizzled with Dijon sauce.

Note: I removed the toothpicks before I froze the chicken for three meals and put the sauce in separate containers for later use.

Chicken Cutlets

I still had 4 thin chicken breasts left after making the two recipes. I decided just to dredge them in egg and breadcrumbs to be used later for Chicken Parmesan. Those cutlets were frozen, and vacuum sealed and gave me another two freezer meals.

All in all, it was a full morning preparing that large amount of chicken breasts. Now I have extra meals to have over the winter without making a mess in the kitchen every time I want to have a special chicken meal. Let me know if you prepare meals that are similar to freeze for your family.