That picture may not look like much, but it’s actually three meals for my family prepped in just 10 minutes!
Last week, I picked up one of those big packages of fresh (not frozen) Empire boneless, skinless chicken breasts at Costco. Sales on kosher meat are virtually unheard of in Kansas City, so I have to make do with the “bulk” sizes at Costco.
There are ten large breasts in a package, which is way more than even my very healthy eaters can consume in one meal. So, instead, I divide up the package and freeze it in meal-size portions.
This time, I decided to prepare some “dump recipes”. You just dump in the chicken, add a marinade and freeze. Then when you’re ready to cook your chicken, simply defrost overnight in the fridge and cook the next day – either on the grill, in the oven, on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
I prepped three different recipes, which took me less than 10 minutes – eight of which were slicing and dicing the chicken.
Italian Chicken
I cut five chicken breasts in half – to make normal size portions for a Shabbat lunch with guests. This is about $11 worth of chicken.
Then I squeezed in some Italian dressing (yes, I did – I’m fancy like that), which of course I picked up on sale with a coupon. I squished out the air, sealed it up, and froze it flat. When it’s time to defrost, I’ll just follow the “cooking instructions” above.
This Italian Chicken is great for a simple lunch, with sides of rice or orzo, a green veggie and one other salad. It’s yummy served warm or cold.
Sesame Chicken
I diced up three out of the five remaining chicken breasts into bite-size pieces for a stir-fry or oven-bake. This is about $7 worth of chicken.
Then I tossed in a teaspoon of dark sesame oil, two tablespoons of soy sauce, a half a teaspoon of sesame seeds, and a few shakes of the garlic powder. I squished up the bag with my hands, squeezed out the air and sealed it up.
This sesame chicken will be used for a Friday night when it’s just the five of us. Serve it over brown rice with sauteed veggies for a yummy and simple Chinese-style dinner.
Fajita Chicken
For this one, I diced up the last two chicken breasts – about $4 worth of chicken. Then I mixed in one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, the juice from one whole lime, and several shakes of garlic powder, cumin and cilantro.
I’ll use this for Fajita Chicken Dinner – my favorite! Just defrost, then grill (or quickly stir-fry on the stove top), along with some peppers, onions and tomatoes, a side of black beans and lots of homemade salsa.
And there you have it: One Shabbat lunch for guests and two Shabbat lunches for family are in the freezer in just 10 minutes!
Do you do “dump chicken” recipes? Which one is your favorite?
You can check out more of my Chicken and Meat Recipes at the Kosher on a Budget Recipe Index.
that is genius.
I’m definitely doing this the next time make a trip to the butcher.
the sesame chicken sounds great!
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
try w/marinara sauce and some extra spices; serve over pasta.
yummmm… Some of my favorite dump recipes include cranberry chicken and hawaiin chicken. I usually make them with chicken on the bone (our preference), so the prep takes a little longer, but the results and the saved time are worth it!
Is your chicken already frozen? Our Costco empire chicken comes prefrozen and I’ve always thought you aren’t allowed to defrost and then refeeeze w/o first cooking or baking. Did you debunk that??
As long as you defrost your chicken properly, it’s safe to refreeze. See http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp#14
You have the IQF at your Costco? The only problem with making meal bags out of those is that you don’t always know what you’re getting in the bag of chicken. Also, the large frozen chunks don’t compress well into the freezer. But defrosting them in whatever marinade in the fridge and then dumping them into the pot/pan/grill works really well.
Oh, and pls do more menu planning posts! Been craving those lately
Do you chop it frozen? (Do you have better knives than I do?)
Ack! Sorry you guys! I bought fresh chicken. If yours is frozen, you can keep it whole (don’t chop – it’ll dull your knives like crazy, even if they are really good) and throw in the marinade.
Shaindy says otherwise, but I’d always heard that you should not defrost and refreeze without cooking it first.
HTH!
Clearly, I cannot read today. You did write fresh above. I just haven’t seen fresh kosher chicken at our Costco. 🙂
Also, if you want to “vacuum seal” your bags on the cheap, stick a straw in the corner and suck out the remaining air, pull the straw out, and seal.
how much is the chicken breasts by the lb at costco?
I really like this post; I can see why it’s so popular! I tend to dump in condiments that are taking up space in my fridge, and sometimes stumble onto something good. 🙂 Last week I wound up putting raspberry vinaigrette & mustard together as a sauce for chicken. It was really good.
question, did you defrost the chicken and then refreeze it?
ok, I just realized that was already talked about, sorry
I haven’t done any “dump” chicken recipes, but your post sure gave me a few good ideas on faster meal prep. I like the idea of pre-marinating, it saves time. Thanks for sharing.