Turn Frozen Tenders Into Shortcut Chicken Parm With Nearly Zero Effort

Crispy and craggy at the edges, smothered in aromatic sauce and topped with the gooiest smothering of cheese, chicken parm is everything all at once. A smorgasbord of tastes and textures, this Italian classic makes a heavenly weeknight meal or leisurely Sunday lunch. The thing is that it takes quite a bit of effort to prep the chicken, which can be a real bummer when you're craving its cheesy and crunchy character post-haste. The good news? You can bypass pounding out your chicken and coating it with eggs and breadcrumbs with one brilliant shortcut: Using frozen chicken tenders.

Available in a variety of sizes, from short and stubby to chunky and broad, frozen chicken tenders are superb for those moments when you want dinner on the table at speed. Plus, you can purchase plain options that have a neutral crispy coating or hotter ones loaded with spicy seasonings. The key to using frozen chicken tenders to make chicken parm is to assemble each element of your dish individually. That means warming up your jarred marinara and shredding your cheese while your tenders are baking in the oven. Then you can simply spoon your warmed sauce over the crispy surface of your chicken and top with a scattering of cheese before popping under the broiler. The upshot of this technique is that your cheese will melt super-quickly under high heat, preventing your chicken from overcooking and becoming dry in the center while developing a super-crispy texture on the periphery.

Once you've mastered whipping up chicken parm at lightning speed you can experiment with adding a variety of toppings, such as halved olives, jalapeños, or capers to your layer of mozzarella. Each of these bright and briny options is perfect for imbuing a cheesy chicken parm with a tangy zing. Moreover, there's zero prep work involved; simply open up a couple of jars and strew your extra condiments over the top of your shredded cheese. To elevate your cheat's chicken parm further, consider drizzling over a dash of garlic-infused oil and garnishing with fresh herbs before serving with a salad, a side of fries, or a swirl of spaghetti.

If you prefer breading your own chicken tenders with a customized coating, you can always make a double batch, freeze them on a sheet tray in a single layer, and portion them up into freezer bags (reusable freezer bags are a great investment if you like to batch cook). Then you can pull out as many as you need and bake them just like a store-bought bag before adding your sauce and cheese. Any leftovers are perfect for piling into a hot hoagie or boosting the protein in a batch of homemade loaded fries.