Lately, I’ve really been enjoying freezing meal kits.  Basically, I have everything ready in a one gallon freezer bag that I take out of the freezer the night before I want to have it and let it thaw in the refrigerator.  The next day, I take it out of the fridge and heat it up.  This method is called “dump freezing “   because you just dump everything in the freezer bag.  This method can help make meals less expensive since you look for chicken sales and buy more when it’s cheap and store these meals in your freezer. You can use any cut of chicken you want, they just have to be raw when you place then in the bag, then just add your marinade and freeze.  It’s easy, cheaper (if you buy meat on sale in bulk) and saves you lots of time in the kitchen! 

Freezing Dump Chicken

Filling your freezer with these dump meal kits requires a little organization on your part.  The best way to freeze them is to put the ingredients in the freezer bag, get all of the air out and then seal the bag.  You will then want to make sure it is flat and place on a cookie sheet and then place that in the freezer.  This is called “flash freezing.”  When it is frozen you can remove the cookie sheet and place it on top of the other meal kits that are already flat and frozen.  This way, you will be able to get more in your freezer at one time.  Another important thing is to make sure you label and date the bags so you know what they are when you pull them out to use them. 

Cooking Dump Chicken

There are several ways to cook your dump chicken meal kit after you defrost overnight in the refrigerator.  First, you can place it into a 9X12” pan and bake in the oven until done.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast usually take about 25-35 minutes, and chicken pieces will usually take about 1 hour.  I have also used some non-stick cooking spray on a frying pan and cooked the chicken in the pan until done.  Another great thing about dump freezer meals is after thawing, you can dump them right into your crock pot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours depending on the cut of chicken you use. So, as you can see, you have several options to choose from when it comes to cooking the meal kit.

Dump Chicken Freezer Meal Recipes

Here are several recipes my family enjoys for dump chicken meal kits. 

Barbecue Dump Chicken Meal Kit

 1 ½ pounds of chicken pieces

1 bottle barbecue sauce (look for this on sale during the summer months and stock up)

Place raw chicken in a one gallon freezer bag and then pour barbecue sauce over chicken.  You can smoosh the bag to make sure all the chicken is fully covered.  Get air out of bag and seal.  Lay bag flat on a cookie sheet and flash freeze the bag until frozen and then remove the cookie sheet.  When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and cook as you normally would or place in the crock pot on LOW for 6-8 hours depending on chicken cuts.

 Italian Dump Chicken Meal Kit

 1 ½ pounds chicken pieces

1 bottle Italian salad dressing

Place raw chicken in a one gallon freezer bag and then pour Italian dressing over chicken.  You can smoosh the bag to make sure all the chicken is fully covered.  Get air out of bag and seal.  Lay bag flat on a cookie sheet and flash freeze the bag until frozen and then remove the cookie sheet.  When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and cook as you normally would or place in the crock pot on LOW for 6-8 hours depending on chicken cuts.

 Orange Teriyaki Chicken Dump Meal Kit

 ¼ cup soy sauce

3 Tablespoons chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil

½ teaspoon ground pepper

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 can (6 oz.) orange juice concentrate

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Combine all ingredients except chicken.  Place chicken breast in a one gallon freezer bag and pour marinade over chicken.  Freeze in bag, date and label. Grill chicken 4-6 inches from heat source for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is done.

 Hope you enjoy these frugal, easy, and quick meal kits!

Related posts:

1. Frozen Grapes – A Summer Delight
2. Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
3. Saving Dinner – Ten for the Freezer Vol. 2

This chicken lasagna recipe is one of my favorite comfort foods of all time. Before my grandmother died she put together a cookbook of all her favorite recipes she’d gathered over the years of cooking for a large family and this recipe was one of my favorite ones in the cookbook. This meal does take some extra time to prepare but it can be assembled before hand to save some time in the kitchen. This twist on traditional lasagna reheats well for leftovers and it’s so tasty that you won’t mind eating it the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 Large Chicken Breasts
• 3 Celery Stalks
• 1 Onion, quartered
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Cup Grated Parmesean Cheese
• 1 Bunch Green Onions, Chopped
• 8 oz. Lasagna Noodles
• 4 Cups Grated Medium Cheddar Cheese

Optional: (I don’t like olives so I leave these out but I’ve been told they add a nice touch)

1 can (4 oz.) chopped Olives

1 Jar (2 oz.) Chopped Pimientos

Preparation

Chop the celery and onion. Fill a pot with water and add the celery, onion, and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Boil chicken until tender (about 45 min.). I’ve tried baking the chicken for this dish but it just isn’t nearly as good. You could do this in a crockpot the day before as well.

Remove chicken from broth when tender and shred with a fork.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and mushroom soups with sour cream, parmesan cheese, and green onions. If you are adding the olives and pimientos, add them here. Add shredded chicken to the mixture.

Boil the lasagna noodles in reserved chicken broth according to package directions. You may need to add some water to the broth to cover the noodles.

In a buttered 9×12 inch baking pan, layer the noodles (I add in some of the onion and celery the noodles were cooked with at this point just because it adds a nice touch), chicken mixture, and grated cheese in alternating layers ending with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Make Ahead Instructions

If you are short on time you can assemble this meal ahead of time and bake when you are ready to eat.

For a small head start, you could simply cook and shred the chicken the day before but be sure and save the broth if you want to add flavor to the noodles while they cook.

Related posts:

1. Pan Fried Rosemary Chicken
2. Peanut Chicken with Linguini
3. Chicken and Cream Cheese Pockets

I love pan friend chicken. Love it. It always looks like more work than it is and you can make it with an endless variety of flavors so it never gets old. This version uses wonderfully fragrant rosemary and the sweetness of onions and garlic (no arguing with me here – garlic and onions that are cooked slowly are deliciously sweet). Pan fried chicken makes a quick family dinner and even though it may not look like it, it is extremely kid friendly. My kids prefer it without the sauce because they will eat onions only if they can’t see them.

Ingredients

• Chicken
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion (any variety)
• Garlic
• Rosemary (it has to be fresh)
• Thyme (dried or fresh)
• 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup Cream
• Butter

Preparation

Pound each chicken breast until it is about 1/4 inch thick. This is great if you have an audience. My kids love watching my pound chicken for some reason. They think it’s funny that I am beating their dinner. Season each chicken breast with salt, pepper, thyme and chopped fresh rosemary.

Heat a pan and add 2 T of butter. Add the chicken to the pan and allow it to cook, undisturbed, for about 6 minutes on either side. Remove the chicken from the pan when it is cooked thorough.

Add chopped onion and garlic to the pan and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds then add 3/4 cup of chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Allow the chicken broth to cook down for about 10 minutes then add another 2 T of butter (hey, I never said it was lowfat). Slowly stir the butter in as it melts and then add 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes to blend.

Serve the chicken with the sauce drizzled over the top (or plain if you have picky eaters).

Leftover Idea

This chicken is absolutely delicious the next day when sliced and added to a salad.

Related posts:

1. Peanut Chicken with Linguini
2. Chicken Marsala
3. Chicken Lasagna

Chicken Chimichangas are a favorite from the frozen food isle but the frozen variety has a lot of extra fat and preservatives that you do not want. These homemade chicken chimichangas are super simple to make and can be created to fit your family’s tastes. This easy mexican recipe can be frozen so you have it on hand for a quick weeknight dinner. While the ingredients in these may be simple but the flavor combination is fantastic. The mouth watering smell alone is enough to bring the whole family to the table.

This recipe came from a cookbook my grandmother put together with all her favorite meals before she died. I love the fact that when I make these I’m not only giving my family a tasty meal, but I’m also passing on a little bit of my grandmother’s legacy. The real kicker though – all my kids will eat this one – and if you know my kids that is amazing. We generally have a 2 out of 3 rule – Only 2 out of 3 kids will ever eat what is served for any given meal.

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (a 12.5 oz can of chicken works well in a pinch)
• 2/3 c Pace picante sauce
• 1/3 c green onion
• /2 – 1 ts. whole oregano
• 3/4 – 1 ts. cumin
• Sharp cheddar cheese (you can use mild if you want but, as my kids put it, why would you?)
• Flour tortillas (we prefer wheat tortillas for this)
• 2T melted butter

Preparation

Cook the chicken thoroughly by baking it or pan frying it. I like to season the chicken with either salt and pepper, seasoning salt, or mexican seasoning so that it doesn’t come out tasting like chicken. Yes, I know that it IS chicken, but am I the only one who hates when chicken has that really chickeny taste? My husband thinks I’m crazy when I say that but I have met people who agree with me.

Slice or shred the chicken then mix it with the salsa, onion, and spices. Return to the pan and saute for 5 minutes. Add extra salsa if the mixture looks too dry after cooking.

Steam tortillas on both sides. No, you cannot just microwave them in a wet paper towel. You can try, but I promise you – they will crack. I boil a pot of water and use a splatter screen to hold each tortilla over the steam. Flip once to get both sides.

Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with about 1/3 cup of grated cheese (or more, because really, can you ever have too much cheese).

Fold in the top and the bottom of the tortilla and then roll the sides in so that it is completely enclosed (think frozen burrito-like). Place on a cookie sheet (non-stick or greased). Repeat until you have filled all of your tortillas.

Brush each chimichanga with butter and bake for 13 minutes at 475 degrees or until the tortillas are nice and crispy.

Top with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro if wanted.

Variation

• Add sliced cilantro to the chicken mixture
• Add beans (any variety) to the chicken mixture
• Replace the chicken with beans

Related posts:

1. Simple Lunches – Black Bean Quesadillas
2. Homemade Chicken Nuggets
3. Thai Chicken Wraps

I like to try new recipes but my family has a few favorites that we make on a regular basis because they are either easy or tasty. These chicken and cream cheese pockets are both. This simple recipe can be adapted to fit your family’s food preferences and changed to add variety to your menu plan. This recipe is kid friendly and simple enough that even the youngest cooks can help with preparation.

Ingredients

Refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 8 oz. cream cheese (or more if you prefer them extra cheesy)

Chicken, cooked and shredded (canned chicken works well for this in a pinch)

1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs or crushed dry stuffing

Butter, melted

Optional: sauteed mushrooms, bacon, etc.

Note – I enjoy the taste that these have when coated in the dry stuffing (I use a box of Stove Top stuffing) but they are generally more economical when made with the bread crumbs and I always have those on hand.

Preparation

Cook the chicken and shred it with a fork. These are really tasty when the chicken has been cooked in a crock pot with a mushroom sauce or using cream of mushroom soup but I generally use canned chicken because it is fast or quickly bake a chicken breast. Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken is wonderful in this too.

Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften, then mix with the shredded chicken. If you are adding any additional ingredients such as mushrooms or bacon, add them to the chicken and cheese mixture.

Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Scoop a small amount of the chicken and cheese mixture (about 2 T.) into the center of the dough, pull the edges to the center and pinch to seal.

Dip each dough ball into the melted butter then roll in the bread crumbs or crushed stuffing.

Bake at 375° for 14-16 minutes or until the crescent rolls are slightly brown on top and slide easily from the baking sheet.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to serve this is over rice with a simple gravy made from cream of mushroom soup and a small amount of milk. My kids like to eat these plain similar to hot pockets.

What flavor combinations can you create?

Related posts:

1. Chicken Lasagna
2. Homemade Chicken Nuggets
3. Chicken and Artichoke Whole Grain Casserole

This chicken marsala recipe is the one I’ve been asked for the most and for the longest time, going on nearly a decade. It’s a deceptively easy chicken dish to make, though time consuming, and very much worth the effort. This is not your cafeteria chicken marsala. For starters, marsala sauce isn’t a cream sauce. It’s a wine sauce with butter and mushrooms that elevates meer chicken breast to something absolutely decadent. This makes for a fabulous dish for entertaining but also one that’s easy enough to make that it is a great Sunday dinner dish as well. Serve this on a platter covered in mushrooms and sauce and no one will even remember that it’s a holiday centered around a different bird.

Chicken Marsala
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
flour for dredging
1-2 tablespoons dried Marjoram or Rosemary (preferably fresh or ground if using rosemary, in a pinch, Italian seasoning will do)
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
salt and pepper
olive oil for sautéing
12oz fresh mushrooms of nearly any kind, sliced
1/2 a bottle of marsala wine (note–do NOT use marsala “cooking” wine)
2-3 cups chicken broth or bouillon
sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/3 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Put the chicken in an open ziplock and pound to an even thickness of a little less than
half an inch.  Use the marsala bottle if you don’t have a meat hammer.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in flour seasoned heavily (you should be able to taste it if
you taste the flour) with marjoram/rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic or whatever spices you are using. Brown in olive oil over medium low heat until nearly, but not quite done.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add mushrooms to the pan and brown over medium heat. Deglaze pan with the mushrooms still in with a good quantity of marsala, scraping up bits with a spoon.  Add a few tablespoons of butter, bring up to a simmer and add bouillon or broth. Reduce the sauce to between 2/3s and half of the original volume, taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, sugar (optional–depends on the quality of the marsala you’re using) and more marsala if needed. When thickened enough to stick to the pasta and concentrated to your liking, add chicken back to pan and finish cooking. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a platter, then pour mushrooms and sauce over top. Alternately, you can drain off a lot of the sauce from the mushrooms before topping the chicken and pass the sauce separately in a gravy boat.  Chop a large quantity of fresh parsley and sprinkle generously over platter or plates.

Notes:
-This works equally well with potatoes instead of pasta, but I wouldn’t recommend rice. Serve with bread and a salad or wilted spinach.
-This reheats pretty well, but be warned that the butter will solidify in the fridge and you’ll have to break chunks off if you don’t want to reheat the whole thing.
-This scales up pretty easily–just brown the chicken in batches. You can’t go wrong with too many mushrooms, so just add more as you see fit and adjust the sauce with more wine and broth. I’ve been known to use a whole bottle while making this dish just to have a ton of sauce leftover to add to more chicken or mushrooms another day.
-If the sauce is flavored to your liking but still looks too thin, go ahead and thicken with a little cold water/cornstarch slurry. Start small and add a little at a time, as this sauce can thicken very quickly with just a little starch. The bonus to using starch to thicken the sauce is that it’s less likely to separate if it sits for a bit or goes into the fridge for any period of time, but I’d still stir it before serving or after reheating.

Related posts:

1. Pan Fried Rosemary Chicken
2. Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
3. Peanut Chicken with Linguini

As the weather cools our tastebuds year for soups and stews and all the warm goodness that they bring. This version of chicken paprikash is super easy, smells wonderful as it cooks and can take advantage of the often very cheap boneless skinless chicken thighs. The darker meat brings an incredible flavor boost to this dish without adding too much heaviness or nutritional tradeoffs as long as you trim it and skim it. The meltingly tender chicken swimming in pink-tinged gravy enriched by sour cream and served on a bed of egg noodles is entirely worth the minimal effort that this meal takes to put together.

Many people shy away from using chicken thighs, fearing that they are bad for you because they are dark meat. Not so much, actually, especially since you won’t be eating the skin and surface fat and will be skimming off the excess from the crock. This recipe shines with the rich chicken taste that comes from using the thigh meat and is a great excuse to take advantage of a very reasonably priced cut of chicken. The white meat of the chicken breasts will also benefit from the paprika bath, so don’t forego this one if that’s what you happen to have in your freezer. The whole thing is pretty forgiving as long as you don’t boil the sauce once the sour cream/flour mixture is added. By adding the flour to the sour cream you help keep it from curdling in the hot sauce, but that will only work up to a point if you overheat it.
As with many things stew and crock pot oriented, this one makes for excellent leftovers after a night in the fridge. Tradition in my family dictates serving with egg noodles, but it’s also good with roasted or boiled potatoes, rice or spaetzle.

Crock Pot Chicken Paprikash
Serves about 6

Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat and cut into chunks
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Put all ingredients except flour and sour cream into crockpot. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir to blend. Cover pot and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours until chicken is tender. Remove chicken pieces from crock and skim off as much fat as you can. Turn heat to high. Stir flour into the sour cream and stir into crock, continuing to stir until the sauce thickens. Return chicken to the pot and heat through, but be careful not to allow sauce to boil as it may separate. Serve over egg noodles tossed with a little butter and a pinch or two of dill.

Related posts:

1. Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
2. Chicken Lasagna
3. Red Wine and Garlic Crock Pot Roast

In my family there are a few dishes we fall back on when nothing else sounds good, it’s hot, or we don’t think my dad would be happy with anything else. Fajitas is one dish that satisfies when little else will and has the added bonus of being adaptable to just about any dietary restrictions that we might be dealing with at the time. There is an alchemy inherent in grilled chicken or beef and vegetables wrapped in a warm tortilla that makes the whole far greater than the sum of its parts and thus generally appealing in nearly any form. This simple marinade takes grilled chicken breast from plain to shining and balances very well with the flavors of the grilled veggies it accompanies.

This marinade recipe is as much for my mother as anything else. It came about when I needed a quick and delicious meal for my father that would not take a lot of time to throw together and used what I had on hand. The tequila in the marinade is optional, but I’d very much recommend using it if you have a bottle, even if serving to kids since the alcohol burns off when you grill. The extra agave note that the tequila gives lends itself well to the lime and garlic and helps keep the lime from turning the chicken into ceviche from the acid in the lime juice, for a while anyway. You could marinate this overnight, but the acid in the lime will turn the outside of the chicken white. This marinade works really well for when you haven’t planned half a day ahead and need to kick out a meal quickly. It would also work equally well for beef, shrimp or tuna steak, though you should only marinate for 10-15 minutes if you use shrimp or tuna steak.
The chicken and vegetables here are also excellent used on top of rice for knockoff fajita bowls or with a salad of beans, corn and tomatoes on top of a bed of lettuce for a quick lunch. You could easily marinate an extra piece of chicken in the bag to either serve another person or two or have some extra for leftovers.Also, do NOT skip the step of heating your tortillas. The number one mistake I see people make when making fajitas or anything else with tortillas at home is to use ice cold and brittle tortillas straight out of the fridge. Heat them and they’ll be a lot less prone to cracking when you roll them and taste better too.

Fajitas

Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
Fajitas
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about a pound and a half)
2 bell peppers, any color
2 small or 1 large sweet onion
corn or flour tortillas
salsa
cheese
guacamole or sliced avocado
lime wedges (optional)