This chicken cutlet module takes about an hour to prepare and get into the freezer. It’s worth it, though, because you can make several dishes with the cutlets - dishes that are actually good enough for your family and fancy enough for holiday company. I sometimes prepare three or four bags of chicken at a time, so there are enough cutlets in the freezer that I can use them for a dinner party or two.

When purchasing bags of chicken breasts, make sure you buy the ones that are at least 97% fat free. There are some brands sold at warehouse stores and some grocery stores that don’t have 97% fat free written on the package; I’ve found that they have so much fat, veins, and other gross stuff that I end up throwing away the equivalent of two or three whole chicken breasts.

Basic Chicken Cutlet Module

6 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, or 18 good sized chicken breast halves

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil
 
Thaw the boneless skinless chicken breast halves under warm running water until they are almost thawed, but still very cold.

With a sharp boning knife, remove any fat or veins from each piece of chicken. Using the knife, cut through each chicken breast horizontally, creating two chicken cutlets.
 


 






Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large pie plate or shallow pan. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet to high. Dip the damp chicken cutlets into the flour, then place in the skillet.

Quickly brown each side of the cutlets in batches, making sure they are only browned and not cooked through. Let the skillet heat between batches, and add more olive oil as needed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cool thoroughly, then divide up into freezer bags, 4-6 to a bag, depending on the size of your family. Label and freeze.
 
Note: each 6 pound bag of chicken breasts contains 14-18 chicken breasts. If the breasts are large, you may want to cut them into three thin cutlets instead of two. There are 10 pound bags of chicken breasts sold at warehouse stores that have 5 ounce chicken breasts; I find they are too small to use in this module.
 
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Nutrition Facts for each cutlet:
Amount Per Serving
Calories 170 Calories from Fat 74
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 43% Protein 44% Carb. 13%

Nutrient Amount per
Serving
Total Fat 8 g
Saturated Fat 2 g
Cholesterol 51 mg
Sodium 140 mg
Total Carbohydrate 5 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 19 g

Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 4%