Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Make Ahead Meals: Manti Pageant Chicken





Have you been to the Manti Pageant?   If you live in Utah you have probably been.  If not I'll explain.  
The Manti Pageant  also know as the "Mormon Miracle Pageant"  is held every summer in Manti Utah.  Thousands of people make the trek to Manti to watch this free pageant that details the life and teachings of Joseph Smith.  

The best part of the Manti Pageant is the food.  Before the pageant you can have a delicious dinner of  barbeque turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, roll, and a dessert for only $7.00.  It is a wonderful thing.  

I haven't been to the pageant in years but I still remember the food.  My mom passed this recipe onto me and it is great for the summer.  Make it ahead of time and throw it on the grill right before you are ready to eat.  Traditionally this recipe is made from turkey, but I have a hard time finding great turkey for grilling so I use chicken.


This is one of my favorite recipes.  It works great as a make ahead meal or a freezer meal. 
  
Manti Pageant Chicken
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup oil
2 cups 7-up
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder  (not garlic salt, not fresh garlic)
1/2 cup soy sauce
½ tsp horseradish (optional)
Chicken - 4-6 chicken breasts, or turkey  (fresh is best, it marinades better, frozen will work).




Mix together first 5 ingredients in a gallon zipper bag.  Add turkey or chicken and smoosh around.   






Store uncooked:  In the fridge--1 week , Frozen 3 months.

Defrost meat.  Remove chicken from marinade.  Discard marinade. 
Grill until cooked through. The temperature at the thickest part of the chicken should read.  165 degrees Fahrenheit.

This post is part of my Make Ahead Meals series.  These meals can be made ahead of time and either stored in the freeze for up to a week OR frozen for up to 3 months.  Here are the others in this series:

Chili Lime Mango Chicken
Manti Pageant Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Greek Oregano Chicken
Lime Chicken Tacos