Chicken "Dump" Recipes (links)

One of my favorite things to do while freezer cooking is to prepare meals that don’t need any cook time on the actual prep day.  It’s one less step I have to take on my cooking day and means that I’ll be eating freshly cooked food throughout the month.  All you have to do is “dump” all the ingredients into a bag, seal, label and freeze.  When you’re ready to eat it you defrost and bake.  For most recipes you can reduce the marinade in a sauce pan for additional sauce.

In our house we don’t eat a lot of meat, so having a cleaned, fully prepared chicken dish all ready to bake takes the pressure off big-time when preparing for Shabbos.

In the past I posted some slow-cooker dump recipes, but since I wasn’t such a fan, I think I’ll be sticking to the more traditional chicken “dump” recipes that require an oven or grill.  So, where do I find these recipes?

Again, I use the internet search as my main source.  I do searches for terms like “dump chicken” or “freezer cooking chicken recipes” and there are tons of results that pop up!  Over the course of my research I’ve found that many blogs post many of the same marinade recipes.  Before trying a recipe I like to read the comments on each recipe to see what modifications people made and whether or not most people liked the recipe.  I then only try one meal’s worth of chicken before I decide to add it into my KOAMC repertoire.

Here are some links to sites with a large variety of chicken “dump” recipes:

Some of my favorite recipes include:

You can also go super easy and just buy a marinade to pour over the chicken and freeze.  Some that we’ve used in the past are Italian dressing and BBQ sauce.

To prepare these chicken dishes I use one-gallon Ziplock freezer bags.  Put all the ingredients in the bag, squeeze out the air, label the bag and you’re ready to freeze.

When ready to eat all you have to do is pull the bag out of the freezer and defrost it in the fridge for 12-24 hours.  I usually place the bag in a dish or on a plate in case there are any little holes in the bag.  Wouldn’t want all that marinade dripping onto your refrigerator shelves!  Then I bake, grill or broil the chicken and it’s ready to eat.  You can also boil down the leftover marinade for a delicious sauce.

Can’t get any easier than that, can it?

Until next time,
Shaindy

6 Comments

  1. It sounds great but in my case it is a bit more complicated… Where I live is very difficult to buy fresh kosher chicken. So, almost all meat and chicken I cook, I buy frozen… I need first to defrost, cook and thn freeze again.I am not sure how tasty and good my dishes will taste.
    Have you ever tried to defrost, cook and freeze again?

    • Getting already frozen chicken makes it harder to make these recipes, but not impossible. Some suggestions I have are-
      1. Defrost and refreeze raw (according to the USDA it is safe as long as the chicken is thawed correctly- see http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp#14)
      2. Partially defrost chicken- just enough to break the pieces apart and put them in the ziplock bags with marinades
      3. Cook the chicken then freeze. I’ve done this in the past and it tasted fine to me. Sometimes I wish I would do this more often because it would make dinner even easier!

      Good luck with whatever you choose!

  2. I make similar recipes, but I put them directly into aluminum foil pans rather than bags. Then I pull them out of the freezer, put it in the oven and set the oven to start baking a few hours later. Your oven is insulated so it defrosts safely. Then I come home to a fresh baked meal.

    • I love that idea, just have to make sure I have enough freezer room for all the foil pans. What temperature do you set your oven to? Is the chicken fully defrosted when you bake it? Give us more info! Sounds great for a busy day!

  3. Pingback: Freezer Cooking for the Grill - My Happily Hectic Life

  4. Pingback: Plan a Cooking Day (Step 2): Recipes - My Happily Hectic Life

Comments are closed