juggling dinner and after school stuff...timing questions

[My2CrazyGirls]

OK, so I try to avoid this scenario normally but I need to cook some split chicken breasts (with bones and skin) tonight for dinner. The problem is we have an appointment and will be gone from 5- 6:30pm and I don't want to start it when we get home. So if I start it beforehand, what do I do with it? I plan to bake them.....can I leave them in oven turned off or will they get dry?

 

[Alesia]

Not only will it dry out, but once it cools below 140 degrees bacteria will start to multiply.

I would come up with another plan.

 

[scrapquitler]

OK, so I try to avoid this scenario normally but I need to cook some split chicken breasts (with bones and skin) tonight for dinner. The problem is we have an appointment and will be gone from 5- 6:30pm and I don't want to start it when we get home. So if I start it beforehand, what do I do with it? I plan to bake them.....can I leave them in oven turned off or will they get dry?

Cook them now and turn them into something that uses shredded chicken. Chicken salad sandwiches, cesar salad with chicken on it, chicken noodle soup, etc.

 

[momplus3]

You could cook them in a crock pot.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Hmmmmm, they really like baked chicken. Will it really start multiplying bacteria if it finishes cooking at 5PM and is eaten at 6:30PM?

 

[aprilchem]

Hmmmmm, they really like baked chicken. Will it really start multiplying bacteria if it finishes cooking at 5PM and is eaten at 6:30PM?

I'd say yes, unless you refrigerate in the interim. Why not put them in the crock pot and let them cook in there?

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Kids like the crispy skin, so I don't want to crock pot them.

 

[Alesia]

Hmmmmm, they really like baked chicken. Will it really start multiplying bacteria if it finishes cooking at 5PM and is eaten at 6:30PM?

You're definitely risking it. Trust me, puking so hard that you burst blood vessels in your face will teach you not to mess with salmonella. I no longer eat chicken that has been sitting.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

LOL, we are not risk takers with food borne illness. hence the post for advice on this one. I know very intelligent people who let pizza sit out all night and they will eat the next day, 12- 16 hours later. YUCK, no way! I will probably just cook it at 6:30 and eat late.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I would cook them now and put them in the fridge and just reheat when you get home. Mostly when I had those days we just picked up a pizza on the way home - much easier on me. LOL

Do Not leave them in the oven for an hour and a half - you'll be risking food poisoning and that is not something you want to have!

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

New question---I usually take my time roasting chicken at 375. Does anyone do higher heat to get them done quicker? 425? 450?

 

[3Gsandme]

I'd cook it, shred it and have it for dinner as something else and plan on the baked, bone in chicken when you aren't so busy.

 

[Kae]

how about grilling when you get home

Kae

 

[Alesia]

New question---I usually take my time roasting chicken at 375. Does anyone do higher heat to get them done quicker? 425? 450?

This is how I do it: http://www.familysavvy.com/cooks-illustrated-method-for-perfect-roast-chicken-breasts/

They come out perfect every time.

 

[TwoMisfits]

LOL, we are not risk takers with food borne illness. hence the post for advice on this one. I know very intelligent people who let pizza sit out all night and they will eat the next day, 12- 16 hours later. YUCK, no way! I will probably just cook it at 6:30 and eat late.

If you are worried about eating too late, do a "split dinner" - prep the side or veg and have that as you get home and then cook the chicken the way you know they love it...no one will be melting down or starving that way, and dinner will still taste good...

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I ended up just coming home and cooking them at 450 instead of my normal 375. Everyone thought they were extra delicious! Now I will always do them this way!

 

[brennicksmom]

We have been trying to eat at home more often and with kids schedules and my husband's evening college class it is not always easy. I work some days all day and other days just an hour or two. On my busy days I need something quick. My family likes to eat dinner about 4-4:30 so I need food prepared early.

I try to buy a big pack of chicken tenders and pressure cook them or boil them. Then I freeze the broth in one container-it's ready for soup. I freeze the cooked chicken in another container. Then when I need it I can throw together a quick soup/alfredo/fried rice/wraps/etc. I do the same with ground beef. I pan fry it and stick it in the freezer. Then I can just take out what I need for chili/homemade pizza/sloppy joes/etc. It really helps on those time crunch days.

Good luck. As my kids are getting older and busier I find I don't like cooking as much so I have to find ways to make it easier for me.

 

[QueenIsabella]

If this is going to be semi-regular for you, I strongly recommend a crockpot, if you don't use one already. It sounds like you were caught off-guard this particular time, but I know, as a mother of 4, that this can happen with some regularity.

Two great sources of recipes are: Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, and Cheap, Fast, Good!. Both are cookbooks derived from blogs. The first is all crockpot recipes, the second is 30-minute meals. Both are aimed at families with children. I find them really helpful for those nights when one kid has dance, another has soccer, and a third has violin lessons and scouts--you know, a typical day.

 

[kymom99]

I would have baked the chicken ahead of time, refrigerate, then put back in the oven to reheat and crisp the skin

 

[usnuzuloose]

You could cook them in a crock pot.

Crockpot is your best friend when you don't have time to cook at the stove or don't want to. I love mine. I am on my second one. My first one broke. I would even love to have one of those new pressure cookers.