Having chicken, vegetables and sauce already portioned in the freezer makes dinner much easier on busy nights. This batch gave me four chicken freezer meals in three flavours: two honey soy chicken bags, one butter chicken with green beans, and one sweet and sour chicken with capsicum.
I’ve made meals like this before, and I love being able to thaw a bag and cook it without having to chop chicken and vegetables first. It’s especially handy on busy days when having most of the dinner prep already done makes things much easier.
Why You’ll Love These Chicken Freezer Meals
- Four bags from one prep session: Chop and portion the chicken and vegetables while your knife, chopping board and scales are already out.
- Less work on busy nights: Each bag has the chicken, vegetables and sauce together, ready to thaw and cook.
- Three flavours to choose from: Make two honey soy meals, one butter chicken and one sweet and sour chicken.
- Easy to store: Freeze the bags flat, then stand them together like files to save freezer space.
Ingredients for Four Chicken Freezer Meals
Honey Soy Chicken with Vegetables — 2 bags
- 1 kg diced chicken breast
- 1 jar (375 g) MasterFoods Honey Soy Garlic sauce
- 200 g Birds Eye Oriental Style Stir Fry frozen vegetables
Butter Chicken with Green Beans — 1 bag
- 500 g chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 1 bottle (485 g) MasterFoods Butter Chicken sauce
- 300 g fresh green beans, washed, topped, tailed and cut in half
Sweet and Sour Chicken with Capsicum — 1 bag
- 500 g diced chicken breast
- 1 jar (515 g) Kantong Pineapple Sweet & Sour Cooking Sauce
- 1 red capsicum, cut into pieces
- 1 green capsicum, cut into pieces
Equipment
- Chopping board and knife
- Kitchen scales
- Large mixing bowl and spoon
- Two medium resealable bags (mine were 18 × 17 cm) for the honey soy mixture
- Two larger resealable bags (mine were 22 × 22 cm Hercules Twin Zip bags) for the butter chicken and sweet and sour mixtures
- Baking tray to freeze the bags flat
- Baking dish or tray to hold a bag while it thaws in the fridge
- Large frying pan and food thermometer for cooking
How to Make Chicken Freezer Meals
1. Prepare the ingredients
Dice and weigh the chicken. Wash and cut the green beans and capsicums, then set out the sauces and frozen vegetables.
2. Mix the honey soy chicken
Put the diced chicken, honey soy garlic sauce and frozen vegetables into a large bowl. Stir until everything is coated in sauce.
3. Mix the butter chicken
Add the chicken breast chunks, butter chicken sauce and prepared green beans to the mixing bowl. Stir until the chicken and beans are coated in sauce.
4. Mix the sweet and sour chicken
Add the diced chicken, pineapple sweet and sour sauce, and red and green capsicum to the mixing bowl. Stir until everything is coated in sauce.
5. Label and fill the freezer bags
Fold the top of each bag outwards to keep the opening clean. Use a large spoon to put half the honey soy mixture into each medium bag. Put the butter chicken and sweet and sour mixtures into separate large bags. Wipe the rims before sealing.
6. Freeze the meals
Place the prepared freezer bags flat in the freezer until completely frozen. Once frozen, they can be stacked to save space.
7. Freeze the bags flat
Lay the sealed bags flat on a baking tray and put them in the freezer. Once they’re frozen solid, stand them upright together like files to save space.
8. Thaw one honey soy bag
Put one frozen honey soy bag in a baking dish and leave it to thaw overnight in the fridge.
9. Heat the frying pan
Heat a 28 cm frying pan over medium heat until hot, then add 1 tablespoon of oil. On my cooktop, I used setting 4.
10. Cook the honey soy chicken
Add the thawed contents of one honey soy bag to the pan. Cook for about 9–10 minutes, stirring as needed. I increased the heat from medium to medium-high, around setting 5 out of 6, to help the sauce thicken. Take care as it can splatter. Check that the thickest chicken pieces reach 75°C in the centre before serving.
Tips for Making Chicken Freezer Meals
Get all the chopping and weighing done before filling the bags. If I’m already using the knife, chopping board and scales, making an extra batch saves me doing the same prep for another dinner.
Fold the top of each bag over before spooning in the mixture. Once it’s filled, wipe the rim, settle the contents and press out the air before closing it fully.
I tested one thawed honey soy bag in a baking-paper-lined dish at 180°C. The chicken cooked through in about 20 minutes and tasted fine, but the sauce was watery. Cooking the second bag in a frying pan gave me a thicker sauce, so that’s the method I prefer.
Variations
You don’t have to make the same four bags every time. If your family has a favourite flavour, make extra bags of that one instead. Keep the chicken, sauce and vegetable amounts in the same proportions for each batch, and use bags large enough for the mixture.
What to Serve with Chicken Freezer Meals
I served the honey soy chicken and vegetables over rice. Noodles would also work if you’d like to change it up.
I’d normally serve butter chicken and green beans with rice. Naan or roti would be nice alongside it for the sauce.
For the sweet and sour chicken with capsicum, rice is an easy choice, or you could serve it with noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these chicken freezer meals cooked before freezing?
No. The chicken and vegetables go into the bags raw with the sauce. Each bag needs to be thawed and the chicken cooked thoroughly before serving.
Can I cook a bag straight from frozen?
I thawed the honey soy chicken overnight in the fridge before cooking it. I haven’t tested cooking these bags straight from frozen, so I can’t give a reliable time for that method.
Have you cooked all three flavours?
I’ve cooked the honey soy chicken in both the oven and a frying pan. I’ve also made and cooked a butter chicken freezer meal before, which worked well, but it used a different brand of sauce and didn’t include the green beans. I haven’t yet cooked this exact butter chicken version or the sweet and sour chicken, so I’m not giving cooking times for those two.
More Recipes
For another way to prepare chicken ahead, try my Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken.
If you’re looking for another vegetable side for dinner, have a look at my Green Beans and Bacon recipe.
Storage and Reheating
Freezing the prepared bags
Label each bag with its flavour and the date. Freeze the bags flat on a baking tray, then stand them upright once solid. These bags contain raw chicken, so keep them separate from ready-to-eat food while preparing and thawing them.
Thawing
Put a frozen bag in a baking dish and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Don’t leave raw chicken to thaw on the kitchen bench. Once thawed, cook the chicken thoroughly and check the thickest pieces reach 75°C in the centre.
Storing and reheating cooked leftovers
If you have leftovers after cooking, cool and cover them, then refrigerate within two hours. Eat refrigerated leftovers within three days and reheat until steaming hot. If serving with rice, store the rice separately and eat it within two days.
If you make one of these chicken freezer meals, I’d love to hear which flavour you chose and how it turned out. Leave a comment and rating below.
PrintEasy Chicken Freezer Meals for Meal Prep
Prepare four raw chicken freezer meals in three flavours: two honey soy chicken bags, one butter chicken with green beans, and one sweet and sour chicken with capsicum.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 freezer bags (about 4 servings per bag) 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Frying
Ingredients
Honey Soy Chicken with Vegetables – 2 bags
- 1 kg diced chicken breast
- 1 jar (375 g) MasterFoods Honey Soy Garlic sauce
- 200 g Birds Eye Oriental Style Stir Fry frozen vegetables
Butter Chicken with Green Beans – 1 bag
- 500 g chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 1 bottle (485 g) MasterFoods Butter Chicken sauce
- 300 g fresh green beans, topped, tailed and cut in half
Sweet and Sour Chicken with Capsicum – 1 bag
- 500 g diced chicken breast
- 1 jar (515 g) Kantong Pineapple Sweet & Sour Cooking Sauce
- 1 red capsicum, cut into pieces
- 1 green capsicum, cut into pieces
For cooking each bag
- 1 tablespoon oil per bag, added when cooking
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken and vegetables. Dice and weigh the chicken, wash and halve the green beans, and cut the capsicums into pieces.
- Make the honey soy mixture. Mix 1 kg chicken, the honey soy garlic sauce and frozen vegetables in a large bowl until coated.
- Make the butter chicken mixture. Mix 500 g chicken, the butter chicken sauce and prepared green beans in a large bowl until coated.
- Make the sweet and sour mixture. Mix 500 g chicken, the pineapple sweet and sour sauce and both capsicums in a large bowl until coated.
- Fill the bags. Fold the tops of the bags outwards. Divide the honey soy mixture evenly between two medium bags. Spoon the butter chicken and sweet and sour mixtures into separate large bags. Wipe the rims clean.
- Seal and label. Settle the contents, zip each bag almost closed, press out the air through the gap, then seal fully. Label each bag with its flavour and the date.
- Freeze flat. Lay the four bags flat on a baking tray. Once frozen solid, stand them upright to save freezer space.
- To cook one honey soy bag, thaw it overnight in the fridge in a baking dish.
- Heat a 28 cm frying pan over medium heat until hot, then add 1 tablespoon of oil. On my cooktop, I used setting 4.
- Add the thawed contents of one honey soy bag. Cook for about 9–10 minutes, stirring as needed and increasing to medium-high heat to thicken the sauce. Check that the thickest chicken pieces reach 75°C in the centre. Serve with rice if you like.
Notes
The frying pan time above is for the tested honey soy chicken only. I’ve previously cooked a butter chicken freezer meal using a different sauce and without the green beans, but I haven’t tested this exact version yet. The sweet and sour bag has also not yet been cooked, so I’m not giving cooking times for those two versions.