“What can I do with frozen chicken breasts?” – Apricot Dijon Glazed Chicken with a side of Bacon, Kale and Chickpeas

We all have those nights, even if you’re great about menu planning – it is almost dinner and you don’t know what to cook. You have frozen chicken breasts that you may have forgotten to thaw out, or just had no other meal planned. Or (ahem, not like this has EVER happened to me – yeah right!) dinner was burned or in some other way ruined and you need something else to throw together.

This is one of the reasons I think it is so important to keep a really well stocked pantry and freezer full of healthy ingredients. You can throw together quick healthy meals without having to always run to the store.

I keep frozen chicken breasts around for these very reasons. I’ve come up with a ton of ways to prepare them so I don’t have to thaw them and they come out perfectly juicy every time.

This recipe is so great you may want to plan to have them sometime – not just use it as a backup plan!

The side dish was another pantry throw together. I’m always looking for a side dish other than just the boring rice/potato/pasta or steamed veggie options. Washed kale keeps in the refrigerator for several days just fine. I always have nitrate free bacon around and beans also. This is a quick saute up of all of these delicious ingredients for a veg/carb side dish in one.

Try these quick and easy recipes soon!

Apricot Dijon Glazed Chicken

Serves 4

2 tsp healthy oil/fat of your choice

4 frozen chicken breasts

Kosher/sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tb apricot preserves (simply fruit, no sugar added)

2 Tb Dijon mustard

2 Tb water

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, when hot add oil, swirl to coat. Season the chicken breasts and place in the pan. Cook until the sides begin to look opaque and the bottom is browned (this takes about 8-10 minutes). Flip and cook the other side until golden brown as well. The chicken will still probably not be done on the inside, this is okay – the key to juicy chicken. At this point mix the garlic, preserves, mustard and water together and pour over the chicken. Immediately turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes (how long depends on the size of your chicken breasts). When the chicken reaches 160 degrees – still not 100% cooked through, turn off the heat and leave covered and rest for 10 minutes – the temperature will continue to rise and the chicken will finish cooking through. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon, Kale and Chickpeas

Serves 4

4 slices nitrate free, organically raised bacon, chopped

4 cups kale, washed and dried, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp water

14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, when hot add bacon. Stir until the bacon is crispy. Add the kale, garlic and water. Stir often and cook about 8-10 minutes until the kale is tender. Stir in the chickpeas and toss together. Season with Kosher/sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Enjoy!

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