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 

Freezing Rolls-Brown and Serve Rolls

Let me just be honest I always want to eat fresh homemade rolls when I am having a nice meal, but I just don't always have time.  A few years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner I had the most amazing rolls and I asked who had made them.  Well my friend Katie fessed up that she had broght them and technically baked them but they were frozen.  That is when I found out that Pillsbury makes frozen already cooked rolls that you warm in the oven. Needless to say I went to the local grocery store and found that they were really expensive so I decided to make my own.  I did a little research. Thank you USU extension and did a little practicing and now when I have time I make a large batch of rolls and then freeze them for later.  I usually make the Lion House roll recipe but make what ever is your favorite. 

 

Brown and Serve Rolls

—or use your own favorite roll recipe.

Bake  rolls  until they are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool in pans for a few minutes. Remove to racks to cool completely, then place on a tray and put in freezer until firm.  Place in plastic freezer bags and freeze.  To complete cooking, place as many frozen rolls as you need on a baking sheet and bake at 400° until golden brown, about 6 or 7 minutes. 

**For some reason when you warm the rolls up they tend to stick to the cookie sheet so I always use parchment paper.