Chicken parmigiana

Make midweek easier with Barney Desmazery’s new family-friendly freezer meals. This recipe is also easily doubled for extra portions

You get two freezer recipes in one here: the chicken and the sauce, which is great on its own over pasta, or spread on a pizza base. The beauty of freezing thin fillets of breadcrumbed chicken is that they can be cooked from frozen.

SERVES 4 PREP 40 mins COOK 30 mins MORE EFFORT G

2 large chicken breasts

50g plain lour

1 egg, beaten

75g fresh breadcrumbs

15g parmesan, inely grated, plus

extra to serve

4 tbsp sunflower oil

125g ball mozzarella, cut into

4 slices

300g spaghetti

For the tomato sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, inely sliced pinch of caster sugar splash of red wine vinegar

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

or passata

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Cut each chicken breast in half lengthways so you have four fillets. Put the fillets on a board, cover with a sheet of baking parchment and bash with a rolling pin until they are the same thickness all over.

2 Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with a little salt. Put the egg into another dish, then the breadcrumbs and parmesan into a third dish, stirring to combine. Working with one chicken fillet at a time, coat in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat in the cheesy breadcrumb mixture. Transfer the breadcrumbed fillets to a plate as you go. To freeze, stack the fillets in a freezerproof container between sheets of baking parchment. Will keep frozen for three months.

3 To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and sizzle the garlic for 2 mins. Sprinkle in the sugar and add a splash of the vinegar, then tip in the tomatoes or passata. Add the oregano, season and simmer for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally until thickened. To freeze, leave to cool completely, then transfer to a freezerproof container (portion it into more than one, if you like). Will keep frozen for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a pan until piping hot.

4 Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the breadcrumbed chicken fillets for 3 mins on each side (fresh or from frozen) until golden and crisp. Arrange on a baking tray. Spoon a little of the sauce over the middle of each fillet, and top each with a slice of mozzarella. Heat the grill to high. Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then drain and toss with the remaining sauce. Grill the fillets for about 3-4 mins, or 1-2 mins more if they’re from the freezer, until the mozzarella is melted and bubbling, then serve.

GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING 405 kcals • fat 20g • saturates 4g • carbs 27g • sugars 8g • ibre 3g • protein 27g • salt 0.4g

Barney is Good Food’s skills & shows editor. He has worked as a chef in London, France and Australia, and is a pro at adapting restaurant recipes to make at home. @barney_desmazery

Omit the parmesan and add panko breadcrumbs to the breading mixture to make the illets into the base for a katsu curry You can use pork loin or turkey breasts in place of the chicken breasts If you don’t want to make the sauce or use mozzarella, the breadcrumbed chicken alone makes a great freezer staple. Serve it with veg, or as a chicken burger