I bought the Cash and Carry 40lb chicken deal knowing that there would be 4 bags of chicken breasts all frozen together. NO PROBLEM! This is a great recipe I use whenever I come across bulk chicken because it freezes wonderfully and then I have preportioned 1, 2, and 3 cup bags of yummy, cooked chicken ready to add to soups, casseroles and salads. This makes cooking dinners a breeze for the next several months! You can change up the seasonings and have italian cooked chicken, southwest spice chicken, etc. Yes, it takes some time and elbow grease to cook and prepare the chicken, but the results are worth it-- money saved on a staple item that rarely goes on super sale and the ease and time saved in preparing meals.
If you have a really big crockpot you can double or triple this recipe. Sometimes the lemon juice can be a little strong, so I sometimes cut back on that or I don’t put it in at all. Sometimes I use different spices altogether. You decide. I label the ziplock freezer bags so I know what spices I used. Try it first and see what you like. The recipe given is a great versatile recipe that works in all dishes.
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (browned on high heat in 2 Tbsp. butter or oil—not enough to cook all the way through—just to sear and turn brown) You'll probably need several skillets on the stove at once to double or triple the recipe.
1 tsp. dried oregano (basil if you want less flavor)
½ tsp. seasoned salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ c. water
3 Tbsp. lemon juice (use less if more subtle taste is preferred)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
Mix together oregano, salt, and pepper. Place as many of the chicken breasts in skillet as will easily fit. Sprinkle spices over breasts over medium to high heat, cook until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer browned chicken to crockpot. Place water, lemon juice, garlic and chicken bouillon in skillet. Bring to boil, loosening browned bits from skillet (don’t miss this step—this is where lots of the flavor comes from). Pour over chicken in crock pot.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or 4-5 hours on low—cook until chicken shreds easily with fork, or you can dice it.
Place shredded chicken with some juice (this prevents freezer burn) into ziplock bags and freeze. Store 1, 2 or 3 cup portions depending upon what you normally use for recipes or to feed your family. Save any leftover juice and freeze in ziplock bags. Add to soups, sauces or make chicken gravy from it at a later date.
4 comments:
Cassie..thanks for the great recipe. I'll have to try this one out.
Awesome recipe Cassie, but how do you defrost it??? That to me was the worst part. Is there some trick to defrost it quickly enough to deal with it all in one day?
The big box came with 4 bags (2 were big, 2 were small). I put all the bags in my freezer until I was ready to use them. I only pull out one bag at a time and then I defrosted it by putting it in my kitchen sink full of water. I washed and cleaned the sink really well first. I left the remaining bags in the freezer to deal with later. It only takes a couple of hours and then the chicken breasts separate and thaw. They don't even need to be completely thawed through. When they're thawed enough to separate I started the process of browning them in the skillet. When they're golden brown and a tiny bit crispy I plop them in a crock pot and deglaze the pan and then pour that liquid into the crock pot. I usually have several pans and an electric frying pan going and I have to repeat this process a few times depending upon how many lbs of chicken I'm cooking. I would never even think of trying to cook all 40lbs in one day! I only do 1/4 of the box at a time. If I had to go through what you did, I think I'd be wary of eating, cooking, and smelling chicken for a very long time! Hopefully you're not pregnant, or else you'll never eat chicken again!
I like your plan of tackling one bag at a time! I think where I went wrong, is that I went in on it with my mom and sister and the tree of us tried to divide it! Next time ill get my own box and follow your advice! Thanks!
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