March has marched in and brought its usual unpredictable weather with it. What you can predict is Price Chopper and Market 32 will bring great meal ideas to your table with family favorites and fast fixes that keep your time and budget in shape. Up first this week, Market 32 Savings Pack Skinless Chicken Breasts or Cutlets are ready for a winner, winner, Chicken Parmesan dinner! Both value meals are four servings and under $4 each.
Sheet pans and Simply Done Aluminum Foil help you prep quickly and keep pots and pans to a minimum for quick clean up. For this deal-licous dinner, PICS Panko Breadcrumbs, rich PICS Pasta Sauce and melty Market 32 Fresh Mozzarella come together in a stick-to-your-ribs meal! Birdseye Steamfresh Vegetables (how about broccoli?) are a fast veggie fix ready at the perfect time for serving. This meal plan looks like a lot of steps, but don’t worry – we figured out all the hacks and tips to make it easy. Don’t forget some grated PICS Parmesan Shredded Cheese to add that flavorful finishing touch!
Let’s take a closer look at this week’s meal planning items!
2 lbs. Market 32 Hand Trimmed Fat Free Chicken Breasts or Cutlets
2 packs Market 32 Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (Buy one get one FREE)
1 jar (15oz) PICS Panko Bread Crumbs
1 jar (24oz) PICS Traditional Pasta Sauce
1 package PICS Spaghetti
1 package Birdseye Frozen Vegetables
1 lb. Tomatoes (about 3 total)
Fresh Basil
Winner, Winner Chicken Parm Dinner!
Make chicken parm a new favorite in your house with this delicious, easy, and cost-effective recipe!
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- (Hack- Hot water head start! Fill a large pot with water for cooking spaghetti and turn stove on to low. Place a cover on the pot.
- Open PICS Pasta Sauce and place about 1 cup in a bowl. Keep the remaining sauce in the jar, ready to use on the pasta.
- Hack – place 1 Market 32 Mozzarella package into the freezer. Set a timer for 10 minutes. The cheese will slice more easily if slightly frozen. Don’t allow the cheese to freeze.
- Place the foil on the sheet pan, and spray lightly with PICS Vegetable Oil.
- Place two cups of PICS Panko Breadcrumbs in a low-sided flat-bottomed dish. (Hack – add Italian Blend herbs for extra flavor!) Have the Birdseye Steambag and a serving bowl ready near the microwave.
- Butterfly chicken breasts and use a meat hammer to pound the chicken thin on a clean cutting board. Cutlets do not have to be butterflied or pounded before breading.
- Spray each piece of chicken lightly on both sides and dredge in the PICS Panko. (Tip – the oil helps the breading stick and helps it crisp in the oven, good for oven or air frying.)
- Place all chicken pieces on the sheet pan and place the pan on the top rack in the oven. Set the timer for 8- 10 minutes. Have clean tongs ready to flip the chicken over.
- Remove the mozzarella cheese from the freezer when the timer is done and slice it to your preferred width. Thinner slices will melt faster, and you can layer them if you like extra. Cut enough slices to cover the top of each piece of chicken. Turn the pasta water up to medium/high.
- Turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Remove the sheet pan from the oven to the stove top. Using the tongs, flip each piece of chicken over – they should be a little browned and crisped on each side. Next, spoon 2-3 Tbsp of PICS Pasta Sauce from the bowl on each one. (Food safety tip – discard any remaining sauce in the bowl.) Top with sliced fresh Market 32 Mozzarella, enough to cover most of the meat and sauce. Place the sheet pan back in the oven and set the timer for 8 minutes.
- The pasta water should be boiling – follow prep directions on the PICS Pasta box.
- Place the vegetable steam bag in the microwave, following package directions for temperature and timing. This can be started anytime and warmed for 1 more minute when the rest of the meal is plated.
- When pasta is done, remove one cup of water, and drain. Return pasta immediately to the pot, add the remaining pasta sauce from the jar and some of the reserved pasta water, stirring to combine and coat the pasta. (Tip – you can also add a can of PICS Italian Diced Tomatoes for some extra flavor, texture, and moisture. It is an easy way to nudge more tasty veggies into your meal.) Add more sauce to taste.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Heat steam bag for one more minute. Divide pasta and place on 4 plates. Using the tongs, place the hot, cooked Chicken Parmesan (instant thermometer temp should be 165 degrees) on top of the pasta and sauce. Carefully open the steam bag and place the hot veggies in the waiting bowl, then spoon a heaping serving on each plate. Sprinkle PICS Grated Parmesan Cheese on top of everything for a fabulous finish!
Shop Chicken Parm here!
Fast Fix Fresh Chicken Caprese Dinner
Enjoy the taste of summer with this incredibly fresh recipe!
- Wash tomatoes and basil under cool water, and pat dry. Set tomatoes aside on a clean cutting board with a serrated knife.
- Use the rest of the Market 32 Fresh Chicken Breast or Cutlet second pack for this quick and easy fresh meal.
How you cook the chicken is up to you, or you can let one of your dinner mates feel special and choose how to prepare it. Marinated in a vinaigrette and sauteed? Oven or air-fried with PICS Vegetable Oil and PICS Panko? Grilled with your favorite seasoning? It’s your call!
- While the chicken is cooking, place 4 dinner plates near a clean cutting board.
- Slice tomatoes in 4-5 thin slices each, and Mozzarella Cheese into slices as well.
- Layer tomatoes, cheese, and fresh basil (or jarred pesto) on each dinner plate. Add a little more flavor with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.
- When the chicken is done (internal temperature should be 165 degrees), place 1 piece chicken next to the plated Caprese salad and serve.
Shop Chicken Caprese Salad here!