3 healthy freezer-friendly Chicken Meals that will help you save cooking time

Freezer Chicken Meals

We already talked about the meal prep and freezer meals that are heavenly saviours on rush weekdays. I like to freeze ingredients that I feel there won’t be much change in texture or taste. One among them is chicken.

Can I meal prep the chicken?

Yes. One of the best ingredients usually and included in meal prepping is chicken. This less expensive meat is often the best choice for meal preppers and the people who don’t like red meats. The less fat and healthy meat can be easily included to the people who want to lose or maintain their weight.

How do I start meal prepping?

Generic meal prepping includes:

• Recipe planning

Include your family’s favourite recipes to enjoy the meal prepping more interesting and energetic. You can expect helping hands if they found their favourite recipes on the recipe list.

1. Make sure the recipes are already tried ones so you can make them comfortably to make the meal prep process more convenient.
2. Decide the meal plan for each and every meal for a particular duration (a week, a month) to go for a smoother meal prep.
3. Are you a beginner? Choose simple recipes and plan to cook/prep it for 2 to 3 meals.
4. Decide the recipes according to your family’s diet preferences and balaced nutrient needs.
5. Try to include simple and less time-consuming recipes to enjoy the meal prepping.

• Market visit/Ingredients purchase

1. Make an Ingredients list with a reference of the meal plan.
2. Make sure to accomedate a supermarket/market that has the complete list of ingredients to buy everything/most of them in one go.
3. List out the same category ingredients together to visit and pick up the ingredients at one go.
4. Put the ingredients in a refrigerator/freezer according to its requirement immediately.

• Meal prep/Cooking

1. Allocate or do the meal prep on a separate day from the market visit to lessen the burden.
2. Take and assemble the required ingredients for a recipe.
3. Wash, peel and chop the ingredients according to the recipe.
4. Some recipes require only the meal prep. So freeze them in a meal prep container or in a zipper bag.
5. Some recipes need to be cooked completely and only requires reheating at the meal time. So, cook them accordingly and store them in a meal prep/freezer friendly containers or in a zipper bags.

• Freezing/Storing in refrigerator

1. Freeze the cooked food according to the recipe if you foolow a particular recipe. Generally, I prefer to freeze cooked meals for a week.
2. If you’d like to freeze marinated chicken or mutton it will stay good for 1 month.
3. Some of the vegetables will lose its texture and crispiness and become soggy if you freeze. Some of the vegetables and fruit stay perfect in the freezer.
4. Pulses and beans stay well in the freezer.

What should I buy for meal prepping?

There are some unavoidable and required ingredients to enjoy the meal prep more conveniently.

• Zipper bags
• Glass containers with airtight lids
• Trays or plates to flash freeze
• Big pots and vessels if you are batch cooking
• Convection oven if your recipe includes any
• Hand mixer if you intend to bake
• Blender, meat grinder and food processor according to your recipe if it requires
• Wet Grinder if you prefer Indian recipes

A glimpse of freezer/make ahead recipes

1. WHAT I MEAL PREP AND MAKE FOR FREEZER MEALS
2. LESSEN YOUR BREAKFAST PREPARATION WITH SHEET PAN PANCAKE
3. 3 QUICK TO MAKE OVERNIGHT CHIA PUDDING-HEALTHY FRUIT DESSERTS
4. HOW TO QUICK FIX THE TIME-CONSUMING PICKLES, INSTANT SWEET MANGO PICKLE
5. HOW TO MAKE TOMATO JAM RECIPE| EASY JAM RECIPE

Main course chicken dishes

HOMESTYLE CHICKEN MANDI-A homestyle chicken mandi recipe made using homemade mandi spice.

CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE IN A PRESSURE COOKER– A clay pot chicken rice made in a pressure cooker with simple ingredients to enjoy the comfort food.

FINGER MILLET/RAGI DUMPLINGS/THIKKADI-A chicken and finger millet/ragi dumpling in masala to enjoy the special occasions.

SPAGHETTI KRA PAO-A fusion recipe that includes Italian spaghetti and Thai chicken kra pao to enjoy.

TORTILLA LASAGNA ON THE STOVETOP– A chicken tortilla lasagna recipe made on a stovetop to enjoy the Friday dinner.

HOMEMADE CLEAR TOM YUM WONTON SOUP– A homemade clear tom yum wonton soup with simple ingredients.

3 Healthy make-ahead freezer Chicken Meals that will ease your life

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course after school snack, Brunch, chicken freezer recipes, Dinner, freezer meals, Lunch

Cuisine Indian

Equipment

• Convection Oven

Ingredients

  

Yogurt chicken curry

• 700 gm Chicken with bones
• 2 Onion medium sized
• 1 Tomato medium sized
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 2 inch Ginger
• 2 tbsp Yogurt
• 2 tbsp Chicken curry masala
• 4 tsp Coriander powder
• ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 Bay leaf
• 4 Cardamom
• 8 to 10 Cloves
• 2 inch Cinnamon
• Cilantro
• 1 tbsp Oil
• Salt

Chicken tikka masala

• 800 gm Boneless chicken Marination
• 1 cup Yogurt
• 1½ tbsp Garlic
• 1 tbsp Ginger
• 2 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• Salt Marination ingredients ends here
• Oil
• 2 Onions small
• 1½ tbsp Garlic
• 1 tbsp Ginger
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• 1½ tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 cup Tomato puree
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• Salt as required
• 1 tsp Brown sugar
• Water as required
• Cilantro leaves

Chicken meatballs

• 350 gm Chicken mince
• ¼ of Onion medium sized
• 3 to 4 sprinkles Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp Ground oregano
• ¾ tbsp All purpose flour
• Salt

Instructions

 

Yogurt chicken curry

• Add oil in a pan.
• Add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and cardamom. Fry for few minutes until the aroma of spices comes out.
• Add chopped onion and fry until the onion is translucent.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few minutes.Make sure the ginger-garlic paste blends together with the onion.
• Add chopped tomato.
• Add 1/4 tsp of salt along with the tomato.
• Cook until the tomato is mashed enough to make a masala.
• Add coriander powder and mix well.
• Next add chicken masala.
• Add yogurt and mix well.
• Add turmeric powder.
• Now add the chicken pieces and mix until the masala covers and coats the chicken pieces.
• Cover and cook the chicken for a few minutes.
• Add salt.
• Add water and mix well.
• Cook covered until the chicken is ¾ cooked.
• Add cilantro leaves and cook covered until the oil floats on top of the curry.
• Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Chicken tikka masala

• Add the boneless chicken pieces into a bowl.
• Add ginger garlic paste.
• Now it is time to add the masala powders. Add garam masala.
• Add turmeric powder.
• Now add the cumin powder.
• Add chili powder.
• Add required salt.
• Now add the curd and mix well. Make sure the chicken pieces are thoroughly coated with masala.
• Keep the marinade to soak at least for 30 minutes.
• Add oil in a hot pan.
• Add the marinated chicken and cook until the water evaporates and the chicken is dry enough.
• Add the required oil to make the gravy.
• Add the chopped onion.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry well.
• Add tomato puree and cook well for a tastier gravy.
• Add cumin powder.
• Add garam masala.
• Add turmeric powder.
• Add coriander powder.
• Add salt.
• Now add chili powder.
• Cook the gravy without adding any water.
• Add brown sugar.
• Now add the required water and cook.
• Now add the cooked chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes.
• Sprinkle the chopped cilantro leaves and serve.

Chicken meatballs

• Take ground or minced chicken in a bowl.
• Add salt to the ground chicken.
• Add ground oregano.
• Add Italian seasoning.
• Add all purpose flour.
• Mix well until everything blends together.
• Preheat the oven at 180 C.
• Take a teaspoon full of meat mixture and use another teaspoon to make balls.
• Use the teaspoons to make a well rounded balls.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Place the meatballs in the lined baking tray with enough room to cook.
• Place the meatballs in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Turn the ball after 4 minutes and cook for the remaining time left.
• Use the meatballs according to your recipe or store them in a freezer for future use.

Notes

Yoghurt chicken curry

• Use a blender to make the ginger-garlic paste.
• Add salt along with tomato to speed up the cooking.

Chicken tikka masala

• Add Kashmiri chilli powder for a red colour curry.
• Keep the chicken in the refrigerator until other ingredients are ready to cook.

Chicken meatballs

• Use a blender or meat grinder to grind the chicken if the ground chicken is not available.
• Grease the teaspoons with oil to ease up the making of balls.
• Adjust the oven time according to your oven heating pattern.
• Let the meatballs cool down completely before storing them in the freezer.
• Use glass containers for storing the meatballs in the freezer.

Keyword chicken freezer recipes, chicken meals, chicken recipes, freezer meals, make ahead, meal prep

Some more chicken recipes to try

ROASTED ROTISSERIE CHICKEN– A rotisserie chicken made in an oven using simple pantry ingredients to enjoy the feast.

SIMPLE CHICKEN CURRY WITH PANTRY INGREDIENTS-A simple homemade chicken curry recipe that uses a few simple masalas.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK– A homemade chicken stock that can be used as the base for soup, stew and curries.

CILANTRO LEMONY CHICKEN– A few ingredients cilantro lemon chicken to enjoy the middle eastern cuisine.

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