Something I do on a regular basis is to prep ahead Chicken Breast Recipes to Freeze Ahead. I don’t really have the time or energy to do a whole day of Freezer Meals so I use these Easy Boneless Chicken Breast Recipes for the Freezer or I prep the way I’m going to show you. My prep time needs to be quick and easy even when I’m making bulk meals.
Prepping my chicken this way actually makes it easier for flexible meal planning too!
As often as I can, I buy in bulk to save HUGE amounts of money on my grocery bill. I buy large quantities of Chicken when it’s on sale and use this method!!
Quick Links
Chicken Breast Recipes to Freeze Ahead
Here is a step by step tutorial of what I do the day I get a large amount of Chicken Breast’s from the store or that I have bought in bulk.
I can get large quantities of chicken cooked and prepped in less than 2 hours and then we have many varieties of meals for weeks, even months!
How do I prepare chicken breast for freezing?
I always rinse Chicken Breast off before I put them prep it, cook it and put into freezer bags.
Line a couple of cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper.
Lay out your Chicken Breasts on the cookie sheets.
Spray chicken breasts with cooking oil and lightly season with your fave Chicken seasoning (I use Johnny Seasoning‘s).
How long to cook chicken breasts?
Cook your sheet of whole chicken breasts for 1 hour at 375 to 400 degrees. Make sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly after removing from the oven. This means no pink on the inside when you cut the largest part of the chicken open.
Once cooked I chop these up into strips and bite size pieces. I then put them on a CLEAN lined cookie sheet and flash freeze.
What is flash freezing chicken?
To flash freeze, simply put the chicken in the freezer on a cookie sheet for about 20 min. ~ this keeps all the chicken from sticking together when you put it into a freezer bag together. This is how the grocery stores do it too!
Then I will package the cooked cut up chicken up into portions either plain or I add Taco Seasoning or my Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce. Then they are already ready for quick easy meals!
Can I Freeze Chicken in Marinade?
Yes you totally can marinate chicken and then freeze it! I cut up some of the raw chicken and put into freezer bags uncooked with Teriyaki Sauce, Italian Salad Dressing and many other marinades. While the chicken is thawing it is also marinating! I also leave some chicken plain for freezing that I will use for other casseroles or quick stove top dinners.
I will leave the rest unprocessed and whole for grilling, baking and other recipes. I cook chicken in so many meals and in so many ways that I need Chicken that is not seasoned in any way.
That’s it! It takes me about an hour and half to 2 hours to process all of the Chicken.
Now I could cut the veggies and all of that, and I actually used to do that, but since it’s so easy for me to just chop them up now with my little Ninja food processor , I just do it when I’m ready to make a meal,
Also, I don’t take time for veggies when I’m packaging the chicken. It’s just too much for me to do all at once. It also eliminates the feeling of being overwhelmed at such a simple task.
That’s it!
Chicken Breast Recipes
- Creamy Baked Million Dollar Chicken Spaghetti
- Easy Cheesy Layered Chicken Breast Recipe
- Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken Taco and Rice
- Baked Club Chicken
- Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Easy Boneless Chicken Breast Recipes for the Freezer
PIN FOR LATER!
Here are some great Beef recipes if you buy it in bulk:
Easy Ground Beef Recipes for the Freezer
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Patties to Freeze for Later
Be Blessed Today! q
More Freezer Cooking Tips and Ideas
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says
Thanks so much for sharing this. I’m always look for new tips and recipes for freezer cooking. Pinning this one!
Shari Lynne says
You are so welcome Heather! Freezer Cooking saves SO much time and money doesn’t it 😀 Thanks for stopping by! Blessings!
Carol says
Just tried to look at the Zaycon website, but couldn’t: They make you REGISTER first!
Oh well, it was a nice thought!
I do really like your ideas and they way you freeze for meals, though. I’ll be using them on other meat that I buy conventionally.
Shari Lynne says
Hmmm..that’s weird. Usually you can look all over the website. The only thing that I’ve had to register for was to receive emails for updates about when they have sales or when they are going to be in your area and where. There are no other spammy emails. Promise. I still get them. I’m glad you like the tips though Carol because for sure they can be used with any type of meal plan you have 😀 Thank you so much for stopping by and have a blessed Christmas!
Carol says
Did you try the link in this article? What I got was a page with your name and only a registration page and them telling me that they will send you a “Thank you” for referring me…
Shari Lynne says
Oops, thank you Carol. I hadn’t logged out of my account. However you don’t have to register to look around the site. You only have to register if you want email updates and reminders of when Zaycon is going to be in your area. Otherwise you have access to see the rest of the site. As far as me getting compensated…I am compensated $1 for every “order” not every person that registers. At no cost to you of course. I just wanted to say because I don’t want you to think that it is a scam of any sort. It’s a great deal, but I totally understand…it’s a waaay different way to shop AND it’s a large portion of food. Thank you for taking time to let me know about the link! I really appreciate that! Have a blessed week!
Gail @ BibleLoveNotes.com says
While I’m not sure I could handle those quantities of meat, I want to leave a comment and say “well done!” You are very resourceful and you’re making healthy and inexpensive meals. And anyone can incorporate your freezer meal ideas even if they don’t buy 40 pounds of chicken : )
Thanks,
Gail
Shari Lynne says
Aww thanks Gail! Yes for sure…anyone could use these tips with even a couple of pounds of chicken. It’s mostly about time saving and convenience isn’t it. Thank you for stopping by and blessings to you! 😀
Rachel says
Zaycon sounds awesome. I’m bookmarking your site for when we return the the USA . I love your idea of processing everything. Do you order other meats from them too?