Chicken Meal Prep
Life gets busy, and finding time to cook a healthy meal every evening isn’t always easy. Whether you’re working long hours, juggling family life or simply don’t enjoy cooking every day, having homemade meals waiting in the freezer can be a real lifesaver.
Meal prepping frozen chicken meals allows you to cook once and enjoy several meals later. Spending a few hours batch cooking means you’ll have delicious homemade meals ready whenever you need them, saving both time and money while reducing food waste.
Why Freeze Chicken Meals?
Chicken is one of the most versatile and affordable proteins available. It works well in a variety of recipes, freezes exceptionally well, and can be paired with countless vegetables, grains, and sauces.
Benefits of freezing chicken meals include:
- Saving time on busy weeknights
- Reducing food waste
- Cutting down on takeout expenses
- Making healthier eating more convenient
- Simplifying grocery shopping
In this guide, I’ll show you how I batch cook four freezer-friendly chicken recipes. I’ve simplified the original recipes to make them more affordable, easier to prepare, and perfect for busy weeks.
Food safety is important when working with chicken.
Food Safety Tips
- Wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken.
- Use a separate chopping board for raw meat.
- Cool cooked meals completely before freezing.
- Freeze within two hours of cooking.
- Always cook chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 75°C or until the juices run clear and there is no pink meat.
- Label every meal with the contents, date prepared, and cooking instructions.
- For example:
- Chicken Pie – 22 July 2026 – Cook at 190°C for 20 minutes – Use within 3 months
The safest ways to thaw frozen meals include:
- Overnight in the refrigerator
- Using the defrost setting on your microwave
- Cooking directly from frozen if the recipe allows
- Avoid thawing chicken at room temperature, as this can encourage bacterial growth.
Freezing Tips:
- Most meals last 2-3 months in the freezer
- Cool completely before freezing
- Use airtight containers or freezer bags
- Label with date and contents
- Avoid freezing: cream-based sauces (can separate), crispy coatings, or dishes with raw vegetables that get mushy
Top Meal Prep Tips
- Buy chicken when it’s on offer.
- Freeze meals in portions you’ll actually eat.
- Use frozen vegetables to save preparation time.
- Rotate older meals to the front of the freezer.
- Keep a freezer inventory so nothing gets forgotten.
- Double recipes when ingredients are on sale.
Nessa’s Chicken Pie
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- 150g chopped onion and garlic
- 150g peas
- 150g spinach
- 150g broccoli
- 1 can chicken soup
Filling
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken, onion and garlic until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Heat the mixture. Stir well and simmer gently for around 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
Divide the filling evenly between four foil trays and let it cool.
Pastry
Ingredients
- 125g plain flour
- Pinch salt
- 55g butter
Rub the flour, salt and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add a little cold water at a time until a dough forms. Knead lightly before rolling out to fit your foil trays.
Place the pastry over the cooled filling and seal the edges.
Bake at 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for around 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
Freezing
Freeze before baking in the oven. Defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking as above.
Makes: 4 pies
Mum’s Chicken Pie
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- 15g butter
- 150g carrots
- 150g onion
- 150 green beans or peas
- 100ml Oxo stock
- 1 teaspoon flour
Filling
In a large pan, melt the butter.
Once the butter has melted, heat chicken and onion. Cook until mixture is browned.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Heat the mixture. Stir well and simmer gently for around 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
Divide the filling evenly between four foil trays and let it cool.
Pastry
Ingredients
- 125g plain flour
- Pinch salt
- 55g butter
Rub the flour, salt and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add a little cold water at a time until a dough forms. Knead lightly before rolling out to fit your foil trays.
Place the pastry over the cooled filling and seal the edges.
Bake at 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for around 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
Freezing
Freeze before baking in the oven. Defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking as above.
Makes: 4 pies
Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- 1 cup olive oil or rapeseed oil
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs with 3 tablespoons paprika mixed in
- (Optional) Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder and a little salt and black pepper into the breadcrumbs
Instructions
Cut the uncooked chicken breast into how big you want it.
Dip the piece of chicken into the bowl of olive oil to cover it all.
Then dip into the bowl of breadcrumbs.
Place onto a sheet of foil.
Wrap the foil around the chicken with 4 strips and place in the freezer in a Ziploc bag.
Serve with chips.
Freezing
Freeze the uncooked chicken strips. When you want to cook them, take them out of the freezer and use the instructions below.
Oven Baking:
- Set the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Place the strips on a lined baking tray.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning over halfway
Air Fryer:
- Set the air fryer to 200°C / 390°F.
- Arrange the strips in a single layer without crowding.
- Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through
Cut the largest piece open to check that the meat is white and the juices run clear.
Makes: Approximately 15 chicken strips
Roasted Chicken & Potato
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, cubed
- 450g Red Potatoes, cubed
- 100g carrots, cubed
- 100g onion, chopped
- 100ml Oxo stock
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
In a foil tray, put in ¼ of the chicken, potatoes, carrots and onion.
Do this so you have four foil trays.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top of the mixture.
Dissolve one Oxo stock cube in 100ml boiling water. Pour 25ml into each tray.
Mix the ingredients well.
Freezing
Then cover tightly with 2 layers of foil, then store in the freezer.
Thaw in the refrigerator the night before cooking. When ready to cook, bake at 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for about 60 minutes. Make sure the potatoes are cooked through.
Makes: 4 trays
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to batch cooking, you may also enjoy my guide to getting started with meal prepping.
To try freezing vegetarian meals, take a look at this post.
If you enjoy freezer cooking, take a look at my minced beef meal prep guide too.
Meal prepping frozen chicken meals is a simple way to save time, reduce food waste and stick to a budget. Spending a couple of hours preparing meals now means you’ll have homemade dinners ready whenever life gets busy.
Start with one or two recipes, build your freezer stock gradually and experiment with different herbs, spices and vegetables to keep things interesting. Before long, you’ll have a freezer full of delicious homemade meals that make weeknight cooking much easier.
If you’re looking for even more chicken meal prep inspiration, the BBC has a great collection of recipes:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/make_ahead_chicken_dinners
Have you tried any of these recipes? I’d love to hear your favourite chicken freezer meals in the comments below.
