One Hour: 8 Chicken Freezer Meals

Do you have an hour? Have you happened upon a great sale on chicken breasts? Maybe, you ordered a Zaycon chicken package and you aren’t sure what to do with all that chicken! We have a easy and great way for you to whip up 8 homemade meals for your family in just around an hour!

Tip: Right now Zaycon is having a $1.69/lb chicken sale! Be sure to check it out! Great way to save quite a bit on chicken! 

• Orange Chicken (x2)
• Sweet Asian Chicken (x2)
• Dijon Chicken (x2)
• Panko-Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders (x2)

To make these recipes even more economical, you can purchase all the ingredients at Aldi. Here’s a handy printable shopping list that you can take to the store with you: Chicken Freezer Meal Shopping List (PDF).

Pantry Items: 

Items that you most likely already have in your pantry!

• White Vinegar @$0.79
• Brown Sugar @ $1.19
• Flour @$1.39
• Garlic Powder @$0.99
• Garlic, minced @$1.99
• Olive Oil @$2.99
• Pepper @$1.19
• Red Pepper Flakes @$0.99
• Salt @0.39
• Vegetable Oil @$1.89

Shopping List: 

• Approximately 16 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts @$2.79/lb ~ $45
• 2 cups chicken broth @ $1.39
• 2/3 cup Dijon Mustard @$0.99
• 2/3 cup Spicy Mustard @$0.99
• 2/3 cup + 1/2 cup Soy Sauce @1.19
• 1 1/3 cup Honey @2.99
• 6 ounces Pecans @3.39
• Sriracha Sauce (Yes, Aldi does carry this!) @1.99
• 2 Limes @$0.33/each = $0.66
• 2-4 Oranges, medium = $1.99 for a bag
• 4 eggs @ $1.59 for a dozen
• 8 ounces Panko Bread Crumbs @$1.29
• One Gallon Freezer Bags @ $1.69
• One Quart Freezer Bags @$1.99

To purchase all the ingredients even the pantry ingredients at Aldi, it is around $80. If you are only purchasing the shopping list items, it brings your price down to just $67 for this meal plan. Even at $80 for everything, this makes it just $10 a meal, each dish feeding approximately 4 people, for $2.50/serving. Add some inexpensive sides like frozen vegetables, rice, or mashed potatoes to complete your meals.

Before starting, you will want to prep your bags. Either print labels using our ready to print labels or use a sharpie marker to label each bag. Label each bag with recipe name, date prepared, and cooking instructions. This is very important and it is best if you label before you package the bags as they will not stick as well if you try to label a bag after filling. Trust me, I’ve tried and it’s not fun playing guess the freezer recipe months later!

We have created this FREE printable label that is designed to be used with Avery 8163 Shipping Labels.

• Chicken Freezer Meal Labels (PDF)

Now that you have that underway. You can start on filling your bags!

Assembly Instructions in printable format: Chicken Freezer Meal Assembly Instructions

[Sweet Asian Chicken Assembly]

Place the gallon freezer bags in a medium size bowl and fold the top over the edges to make it easier to fill the bags. In a medium size bowl, combine ⅔ cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup soy sauce, and juice from 2 medium lime.  Divide 4 lbs of chicken and sauce evenly among two freezer bags. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper in each bag. Seal and freeze.

[Dijon Chicken Assembly]

Place the gallon freezer bags in a medium size bowl and fold the top over the edges to make it easier to fill the bags.  In a medium size bowl, combine ⅔ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ cup olive oil, and ½ cup vinegar. Divide 4 lbs of chicken and sauce evenly among two freezer bags. Add ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper to each bag. Seal and freeze

[Orange Chicken Assembly]

Place the gallon freezer bags in a medium size bowl and fold the top over the edges to make it easier to fill the bags. In a medium size bowl, combine 2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup white vinegar, ½ cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Sriracha, ½ teaspoon pepper. Cut approximately 4 pounds of chicken into 1” pieces. Divide 4 lbs of chicken evenly among two freezer (gallon) bags. Add ⅔ cup of sauce, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and ½ of the orange zest to each bag. Remaining sauce, divide equally in two freezer (quart) bags. Place the chicken bag and the additional sauce bag within another gallon bag. Seal and freeze.

[Panko-Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders Assembly]

Place the gallon freezer bags in a medium size bowl and fold the top over the edges to make it easier to fill the bags. In a medium size bowl, combine 1 ⅓ cup honey, ⅔ cup spicy brown mustard, ½ cup olive oil, 2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoon pepper. Divide equally among each bag. Divide 4 lbs chicken tenderloins evenly among two freezer (gallon) bags. Combine 2 cups panko and 6 ounces finely ground pecans. Divide evenly among two freezer (quart) bags. Place chicken bag and crust bag within another gallon bag. Seal and freeze.

I was able to assembly all of these recipes in just an hour! It may take you more or less time. I did have some practice with the Panko-Pecan Crusted Tenders recipe as I have made that one multiple times in the past. All the others were new to me when I put them together.

Free Printables: 

• Chicken Freezer Meal Shopping List
• Chicken Freezer Meal Labels
• Chicken Freezer Meal Assembly Instructions

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.