Chook Me!

Can I prepare my chicken casserole dish the night before, with unthawed chicken tenderloins, to cook tomorrow?

Whole pieces of chicken, not cut up. not fully thawed yet. My dish has chicken tenderloins on button of dish, cheese on top, then cream of chicken over that, bread crumbs. Would this be ok to sit over night and cook next evening?? Or should the chicken at least be thawed already? Thank you!

Public Comments

1. The chicken should be thawed and if it is not a good idea to prepare a raw chicken dish and allow it to sit overnight. The chicken can spread bacteria to the other ingredients. Leave the chicken in the fridge overnight to defrost. If it needs to be seasoned, do so in the morning and return to fridge. Grate, shred or whatever you need to do with the cheese and measure out what you need for the recipe and refrigerate.. Measure out the breadcrumbs. It should not take you more than 5 minutes to put the casserole together if all or most of your ingredients are measured out ahead of time.
2. KayLynn, This dish would be ok in the refrigerator overnight, but not on the counter. Check the temperature in the fridge, if it is close to freezing the chicken will not thaw in time. Your fridge should be about 40 degrees farenheit. When you put the chicken in the oven, check the thickest part of the tenderloins with the tip of a knife. If there are still ice crystals, add extra cooking time, and check the breasts to be sure they are completely cooked before serving. If the chicken is still frozen solid, order a pizza.
3. as long as you are keeping it in the fridge it doesn't matter if your chicken is thawed or not when you are making your casserole to cook tomorrow night, I say go ahead and layer everything and get it ready for tomorrow, cover it well, then chill out till time for you to make it! Be sure you take it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking!