5 Chicken Freezer Meals in 30 Minutes

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Even if you are new to meal prep and creating freezer meals, you can prepare these 5 chicken freezer meals in just 30 minutes time and make dinnertime stress-free!

5 chicken freezer bag meals on white counter

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Meal prep always sounded nice to me but honestly it got overwhelming thinking about spending hours on the weekend creating a disaster in my kitchen just to get a few freezer meals ready. I began a hunt through all of my recipes here on the blog to try and pull together a few to make meal prep easier.

These recipes are:

  • easy and fast to meal prep
  • family friendly
  • easy to cook on busy weeknights
  • use simple, everyday ingredients
  • inexpensive and budget friendly

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

These are the recipes we will be preparing, you can visit each page and print the recipes for reference if you like:

These are great for prepping when chicken breast goes on sale or you have the opportunity to buy in bulk! First our shopping list:

Shopping List

As of December 2020 I purchased most of the needed items (I had some of the basics from the pantry already) for just over $34 total at my south Georgia Walmart. For 5 meals for a family of 5, that’s a great value!!

Pantry

  • olive oil
  • soy sauce
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • dijon mustard
  • maple syrup
  • red wine vinegar
  • ranch seasoning, 1 packet
  • cumin
  • chili powder
  • salt & pepper
  • bay leaf
  • chicken broth, 4 cups

Meat & Dairy

  • 10-12 pounds boneless chicken breasts
  • 8 pieces thick cut bacon
  • 16 ounces cream cheese

Canned Goods

  • 15 ounce can Rotel tomatoes and peppers
  • 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
  • 4 ounce can chopped green chili peppers
  • 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cans Great Northern Beans, 15 ounces each

Produce

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño, finely diced (optional for white chicken chili)
chicken meal prep ingredients on white counter

Supplies

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • knife and cutting board (one set for produce, one for meat)
  • skillet for browning bacon
  • meat tenderizer
  • can opener
  • 5 freezer bags, gallon size
  • food storage bag holders (optional but helpful!)
  • permanent marker

Tips before starting

  • Always label bags with both the recipe and the date. You can also add cooking instructions for easy reference.
  • Gather ALL ingredients before getting started to save a lot of time and headache. The 30 minutes prep time doesn’t include the amount of time it takes you to gather ingredients.
  • The number of chicken breasts in each recipe is an estimate, this can vary based on size and your actual package of chicken. Count how many you have before starting and divide accordingly. The chicken tortilla soup will use 1 chopped chicken breast, the chili can use 3 or 4 chopped chicken breasts, and the others should be divided evenly if possible as they use whole chicken breasts. A serving of chicken is 4 ounces so I feed my family of 5 with 3 or 4 full breasts, at about 5-6 ounces each.
  • I have listed easy side dish serving suggestions for each recipe below the instructions.
labelled freezer bags

30 Minute, 5 Chicken Dinner Meal Prep Instructions

  1. Label each freezer bag with the recipe name and date.
  2. Place bags in holders if using. Pack the chili and tortilla soup bags first.
freezer bags in holders with chicken inside
  1. Chop bacon into 1 inch pieces and place in a skillet over medium heat. Allow to cook until brown, stirring occasionally, as you move on through the meal prep. After cooking remove to paper towel lined plate until ready to use.
  2. Chop onion, cilantro, and dice jalapeño. Mince garlic if needed (I buy jars of pre-minced garlic.)
  3. Chop 1 chicken breast into small, bite-size pieces and place into bag labeled for tortilla soup.
  4. Chop 3 or 4 other chicken breasts into bite size pieces and place into chili bag.
  5. Add remaining ingredients to each of the chili and soup bags (recipes below). Seal bags, being sure to squeeze out any excess air. Set aside.
corn in freezer bag
  1. Prepare remaining recipes by placing bags in holders.
  2. Pound 9 chicken breasts to 3/4 inch thickness (estimate based on 3 each for the recipes using whole chicken breasts.)
  3. Portion chicken into bags and add remaining ingredients to each bag.
  4. Squeeze out excess air and seal thoroughly. I squeeze out excess air by rolling the bag against the chicken and pushing the air out as I seal. Freeze until ready to use, up to 3 months.
dijon chicken in freezer bag

Recipes

Marinated Grilled Chicken

  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  1. Trim chicken breast and pound to ¾″ thickness.
  2. Add chicken and all marinade ingredients to a large plastic bag and seal well, pushing all air out.
  3. When ready to eat, grill on a medium grill until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Side serving suggestions: potato salad, roasted peppers, grilled peppers

Dijon Chicken

  • 3 chicken breasts
  • ⅔ cup dijon mustard
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 1 ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • pepper
  1. Combine mustard, syrup and vinegar.
  2. Mix until uniform and add to freezer bag along with chicken. Push all excess air out of the bag and seal well.
  3. When ready to cook, bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Side suggestions: roasted potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes

Chicken Tortilla Soup

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 (15 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes and peppers
  • 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
  • (1) 4 ounce can chopped green chile peppers
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn (can substitute 2 cans if needed)
  • 3 & 2/3 cup chicken broth 
  1. Add all ingredients to a large freezer bag, push out excess air and seal well.
  2. When ready to cook add all ingredients in freezer bag along with chicken broth and frozen corn to a slow cooker and cover, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours or on High setting for 4 hours.

Serving suggestions: top with shredded cheese and tortilla strips

White Chicken Chili

  • 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cans Great Northern Beans, undrained
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced (optional for extra spice)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  1. Add all ingredients to a large freezer bag, push out excess air and seal well.
  2. When ready to cook, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. If cooking in an Instant Pot, thaw in the refrigerator overnight first and cook on soup mode with natural release of pressure. (See Instant Pot 101 for tips if you are new to the Instant Pot.

Serving suggestions: serve with cornbread and top with cheese, sour cream, green onion, or even Fritos!

Crack Chicken

  • 8 pieces thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped into 1” pieces
  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 ounce packet of ranch seasoning
  • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
  1. Add ingredients to freezer bag, push out excess air and seal.
  2. When ready to cook thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then add ingredients to Instant Pot or slow cooker. Cook in the Instant Pot on manual mode for 12 minutes with natural release for at least 10 minutes. In the slow cooker cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.

Serving suggestions: Serve over pasta, rice, or cauliflower rice (for low carb/keto) or along side roasted potatoes.

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out our entire library of 30 minute meals, instant pot recipes, and slow cooker recipes.

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