Chicken Prep Ideas

I only buy chicken breasts when they are on sale under $2/lb. I buy family sized packages, 5lbs+, and usually buy at least 2 at a time to last me until the next time chicken is on sale somewhere. I prep the meat all at once, freezing it for later in quart-sized freezer bags. I use the 3 basic methods below:

Whole breasts for roasting

If I am feeling really lazy I just take sets of 2 breast halves and stuff them in a quart bag, squeezing out as much air as I can and making sure that they do not touch. I don't want them to freeze together. It is best to match equally sized breasts together so they will cook for the same amount of time, but not necessary.

I usually bake whole breasts straight from frozen in 400 degree oven for an hour with some olive oil and salt. Otherwise they take a couple days to thaw in the fridge. This is why I make sure they don't touch. They are a pain to break apart when frozen.

I either use them for roasted chicken breast entrees with various seasoned bread crumb toppings, or I cut the roasted breasts into chunks for lunch wraps, quesadillas, casseroles, soups, etc.


Chunks for sauteing or baked nuggets

The other method I most commonly employ is to cut the chicken breasts into 1" chunks and put 1-1.5lbs of chunks in each bag, pressing out all the air and pressing the chunks into a flat layer as I seal the bag. The flat layer allows for easy stacking in the freezer and efficient thawing.

The sealed bags of chicken chunks thaw in the sink quickly. I put them in a casserole dish full of the hottest tap water I can run. I set a timer for 10 minutes, then I bust the chunks up into pieces as best I can, run fresh hot tap water, flip the still sealed bag over, and set the timer for another 10 minutes. The chicken is usually thawed in less than half an hour this way.

I use the thawed chicken chunks to make chicken nuggets, stir fries, and pasta skillet dishes such as Greek Chicken Pasta.


Chicken Fillets

The final method is to cut each breast into 3rds. I cut the thickest half from the rest of the breast and then filet the thickest half into 2 thinner pieces. I put 5 or 6 of these chicken breast thirds into quart freezer bags, getting the bag as flat as I can and separating the chicken pieces as best I can. If I am really feeling motivated I will pound the chicken fillets flat to even 1/3" or 1/4" thickness.

I thaw these the same way I thaw the chicken chunks above, but they take a couple minutes longer.

I use chicken fillets to make chicken picatta, chicken parmesan, katsu/schnitzel, and also I find they are the best size to poach if I want to make quick chicken broth. Pounded chicken fillets are best for breaded and fried chicken since they cook evenly and have more crispy surface area. Unpounded fillets are better for poaching.

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