Save some time when preparing a holiday dinner for the family by preparing this Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken. The chicken is moist, crisp, and delicious, but it also goes great with all kinds of tasty sides. The best part is Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken is also freezer friendly to prep and make-ahead as a freezer meal!
If you have ever thought about making a chicken for Christmas, you are in for a real treat. This Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken is perfect for a large family that wants to go a different route for the holidays. You can have the most delicious and juicy chicken on Christmas day and I’m going to show you how! This meal is also fantastic because you can make it ahead of time and serve it on the day of your choosing. If you have those in your family who prefer a classic holiday dish, then make them our Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, our Instant Pot Ham, or our Make-ahead Seafood Casserole.
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What Do You Eat on Christmas Day?
When you think about Christmas Day, what do you usually eat at the dinner table with your family? When preparing a meal for such a large family, you want to have an entree with plenty of sides for everyone to grab and add to their plates.
You might like to have meat as the entree and main course, along with many different trimmings to have on the side, including other veggie dishes. If you are trying to come up with some good ideas for Christmas dinner, the Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken is an excellent choice because you can prepare it ahead of time.
What Should I Serve on Christmas Day?
You should serve the Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken for dinner. The boneless, skinless chicken breasts taste great with the butter-flavored cracker coating and the assorted seasonings used to give it more flavor, including paprika, garlic powder, and celery salt.
You should serve Christmas Day Chicken for dinner with some of the other popular side dishes that taste great with chicken, such as homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, twice baked sweet potatoes, and roasted or steamed vegetables.
What Is a Good Meat For Christmas Dinner?
The Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken is good meat for Christmas dinner for several reasons. Chicken is a fantastic source of protein. This recipe shows you how to make the chicken differently from what you usually would do when preparing meat for the family. The recipe calls for up to 16 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, so you will have plenty of chicken for your large family to eat.
Chicken is the type of meat that most people like. You may not hear fussing and fighting over what is on the dinner table when you make this meal for Christmas. It is a great way to prepare chicken while adding more flavor to it. The recipe is great for adults, but children tend to love it just as much because it reminds them of chicken nuggets and tenders that they typically like to eat. No matter your children’s ages, you can expect to see smiling faces at the dinner table when you make this meal.
What Can I Make Instead of Turkey For Christmas Dinner?
While turkey is a popular choice for Christmas dinner, this Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken will make you change your mind about having turkey. You can prepare it in advance by preparing the marinade and then covering the chicken breasts in the marinade.
You would need to put the marinated chicken into airtight containers and keep them sealed in the refrigerator for up to three days. It is even possible to freeze the marinated chicken for six months. When you are ready to cook the Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken, simply defrost and cover the chicken in the cracker crumbs before putting it all in the oven to bake.
How to make Christmas Chicken Ahead and Store it
To make the Christmas Day Chicken ahead and store it, Prepare the marinade as directed, coating the chicken. Next, place the chicken in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 months. Finally, when you are ready to cook, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator. Coat the chicken in the cracker crumbs and proceed as directed.
Need more ideas to feed your Large Family over the Holidays?
I am very excited to share this newest big-batch cookbook with you because I truly believe it will be helpful as you plan your family holiday get-together meals (or, really, any large family gathering where you need to feed a crowd)!
In my Make-Ahead Holiday Meals to Feed a Crowd, you will find some of those wonderful and traditional holiday favorites like green bean casserole, stuffing, and gravy. But you also will get some “out-of-the-box” recipes that might just possibly become your family’s NEW holiday favorites!
Here are more make-ahead dishes for your holiday meal!
- Large Family Turkey and Gravy Leftovers Casserole Bake
- Make-Ahead Stuffing dish
- Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole
- Make-Ahead Gravy Recipe
- Make-Ahead Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
- Make-ahead Seafood Casserole
Big Family Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken
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Save some time when preparing a holiday dinner for the family by preparing this Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken. The chicken is moist, crisp, and delicious, but it also goes great with all kinds of tasty sides. This Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken is also freezer friendly!
Ingredients
- 12 to 16 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 3 cups sour cream
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 sleeves butter-flavored crackers, crushed
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup butter, melted
Instructions
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Divide the chicken between 2 to 4 gallon size freezer bags or place in a large bowl. (The bowl should be able to fit into your refrigerator.)
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings until well blended.
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Add the mixture to the chicken, turning to make sure all sides are coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
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To cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare four 9×13 casserole dishes with nonstick cooking spray.
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Coat the chicken breast on all sides with the cracker crumbs before placing in the baking dishes.
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Whisk together the olive oil and melted butter. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the chicken.
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Bake the chicken uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
To make ahead:
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Prepare the marinade as directed, coating the chicken.
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Place the chicken in airtight containers and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 months.
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When ready to cook, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator. Coat the chicken in the cracker crumbs and proceed as directed.
Keywords: Make-Ahead Christmas Day Chicken
This make-ahead Christmas Day chicken will give you more time with your family on Christmas day. Not just that, this Chick cooks up tasty with lots of juicy flavors. Give it a try and let me know in the comments who it worked for your family!
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