Often, area meat markets will put boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for low prices ($1.39-1.79/lb) when sold in 10 pound bags. It’s a great opportunity to save the most on meat that your family will use!
Just in case you’re thinking to yourself, “10 POUND BAGS?!? That’s a LOT of chicken,” think again. Ten pounds of chicken can make about 4-6 meals for a family (depending on the size of your family and the amount of chicken in your meals). I like to buy a couple 10 pound bags when chicken goes on sale this low, bring it home and trim it all at once (Bonus: I’m not a big fan of chicken juice, so this reduces the number of times I need to trim and handle raw chicken in my kitchen). I portion the chicken into amounts sized for my family and freeze.
Most of the time, I take this process one step further and find a way to marinate, bread, coat, cook or prepare the chicken in advance for future meals (batch cooking) to save both time and money. I like to bread 10 pounds of chicken for parmesan chicken, for example, flash-freeze it on cookie sheets, then package for meals. If Parmesan chicken is on the menu, it’s thawed overnight and ready to bake – a nice meal made easy – and I don’t have to handle raw meat again!
Keep it easy: consider making a chicken meal for dinner tonight and doubling the recipe to save future preparation – freeze the extra for a busy night ahead!
Here are some simple chicken breast recipes to get you thinking:
- April’s Chicken Marinade
- Black Bean Salsa Chicken (easy in the crockpot!)
- Chicken Taco Rice
- Dijon Chicken
- Dump Marinade Recipes (as easy as it gets!)
Citrus Ginger, Cranberry, Garlic Dijon, Honey Glazed, Lemon and Garlic, Lemon, Pepper Lime, Spicy Sweet Glaze, Sticky Chicky, Sweet and Sour, Sweet and Spicy or Teriyaki! - Fajita Marinade
- Garlic Lime Chicken
- Hoisin Chicken Marinade
- Mandarin Orange Chicken
- Mexican Chicken (crockpot)
- No Fuss Chicken Cordon Bleu
If you need help and hints about freezing, visit 30 Day Gourmet and Once a Month Mom for more information!
Do you have any great chicken recipes to recommend?
Shannon M says
You had me at Freezer Friendly 😀 I have quite a collection of freezer recipes, and I have about 20 that my family likes enough that I try to keep them in the freezer. At one point I had about 60 meals in my freezer! Some of these sound really good, I’ll have to try them 🙂 Thanks!
Shannon M says
Here’s a few freezer chicken recipes I like. I have a ton more LOL!
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
(adapted from the KraftFoods recipe at http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/bruschetta-chicken-bake-65546.aspx)
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 box (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.
2. Place chicken in 13×9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.
3. Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.
My Adaptation:
TO FREEZE: Prepare through step 2. Cover and freeze.
TO SERVE: Thaw in refrigerator. Preheat oven and continue with step 3.
Chicken and Broccoli Bake
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
2 (10 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
1 (10 oz.) package frozen broccoli florets
1/4 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Put cooked chicken in the bottom of a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish. In a bowl, combine soup, broccoli, milk and 3/4 cup cheddar cheese. Pour mixture over chicken and top with remaining cheddar cheese.
To Prepare:
Thaw in refrigerator or microwave. Preheat oven to 375. Cover tightly and bake for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes. I like to serve this over brown rice.
Jen B says
I’m making a bunch of meals for my friends who are having babies over the next few months. I’ll be all ready for them. Just pack aside dish, then I’m all set. BTW you have some of the recipes crossed off, instead of underlined. 🙂
Carrie says
I’ve been buying in bulk, trimming, and then grilling all of the chicken at once. Then I freeze it in individual bags. It’s so easy to pull out and add to a dish!