5 Chicken Dump Recipes (2024)

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Usually, when I make freezer meals, I make a variety of different things including casseroles and various meat and seafood dishes. This method works well when I have a lot of time and have prepared ahead of time. But when I just want to throw some meals together quickly and don’t want to spend hours planning and shopping for ingredients, I make chicken dump recipes. Most of them can be cooked in the crockpot which saves even more time!

These time-saving recipes are just a sample of the ones I have in my ebook, Chicken Dump Recipes.

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (1)Chicken dump recipes are fast to make and they often include ingredients that I already have in the house. They are perfect to make if I happen to find some spare time. These dump dinner recipes are perfect for freezing and make a wonderful gift for someone who has just had a baby, is experiencing an illness, or going through a hard time.

To get the recipes in this article along with free printable labels and full shopping lists, sign up here.

Last week, I had some appointments booked for Wednesday but then found out that my sitter for that day couldn’t make it. I had to cancel my appointments and found myself with sort of an extra day. I went on Tuesday and bought a lot of chicken and Wednesday made two sets of ten chicken meals. Since each session took me about an hour so, subsequently I had 20 meals made in two hours!

In my morning chicken dump session, I made Chicken Hurry, Caribbean Chicken, Lemon and Garlic Chicken, Sticky Chicken, and Cantonese Chicken. I made two of each of the five recipes, therefore, I had ten meals in one hour. In the afternoon, I made Teriyaki Chicken, French Canadian Chicken, Cindy’s Chicken, Pepper Lime Chicken, and Lemon Mustard Chicken.

It is such a feeling of accomplishment to look in your freezer and see so many meals ready for busy weeknight dinners!

For all of my chicken dump recipes, printable grocery lists, and printable labels, you can purchase myChicken Dump Recipes. You can read more about it here.

You asked and it is now available! Beef Dump Recipes!

You also have the option to purchase all the chicken dump recipes and beef dump recipes together at a saving!

The key to successful chicken dump meals is having all your ingredients out before you start assembling. This saves time and aggravation!

Steps to making Chicken Dump Meals:

  1. Get out all ingredients.
  2. Label resealable freezer bags (you can use a permanent marker or print labels to stick on) with the name and cooking instructions.
  3. Press the bottom of the bags to lay flat and then fold over the top in order to keep them open.
  4. Add chicken into each bag. You can use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts.
  5. After the chicken is in all of the bags then you dump the remaining ingredients into the bag.
  6. After all the ingredients are in each bag, you then remove the excess air, seal the bags, lay flat, and freeze.

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (4)

Chicken Hurry

  • chicken
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix*

*I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6hours.

Caribbean Chicken

  • chicken
  • 8 oz. can pineapple chunks with juice
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Lemon and Garlic Chicken

  • chicken
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 Tbsp. of olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Sticky Chicken

  • chicken
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce**
  • 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
  • 3 Tbsp. ketchup

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes. **if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce

Cantonese Chicken

  • chicken
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup melted honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce**
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for one hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Notes:

  • The recipes work best with 3-5 chicken breasts or 8-10 thighs per bag. If you use a lot more or a lot less chicken, you will then need to adjust the recipes accordingly.
  • Plan the meals so that they have some common ingredients, which saves even more money, given that there is less waste.
  • All dump dinner recipes can be made gluten-free as long as you follow the notes indicated.
  • I heard from a reader who suggested using slow cooker liners. I had never heard of such a thing, however, given that it eliminates the cleanup of the crockpot, these are another time-saving strategy.
  • Don’t forget to check out the other chicken dump recipes for even more options!

To get the recipes in this article along with free printable labels and the shopping lists, simply sign up here.

Buy my Chicken Dump Recipes book which includes 25 recipes divided into 5 plans. Each plan comes with printable grocery lists and printable labels. Read the list of included recipes.

You can also purchase both the Beef Dump Recipes and Chicken Dump Recipes together for more meal options and savings!

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (6)

Print

Chicken Hurry

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Ingredients

  • chicken
  • 1/2cupketchup
  • 1/4cupwater
  • 1/4cuppacked brown sugar
  • 3Tbsp.dry onion soup mix*

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

*I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (7)

Print

Caribbean Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Caribbean

Keyword:Caribbean, chicken

Servings: 6

: 295 kcal

Ingredients

  • chicken
  • 1can8 oz pineapple chunks with juice
  • 1/4cuppacked brown sugar
  • 1/2tsp.nutmeg
  • 1/3cuporange juice
  • 1/2cupraisins

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place chicken and all other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (8)

Print

Lemon and Garlic Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

Course:Main Course

Keyword:chicken, garlic, lemon

Servings: 6

: 280 kcal

Ingredients

  • chicken
  • 2-3clovesgarlicminced
  • 4Tbsp.olive oil
  • 2Tbsp.fresh parsleychopped
  • 3Tbsp.lemon juice
  • 1/4tsp.pepper

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

  1. Add the ingredients into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (9)

Print

Sticky Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Cantonese

Keyword:Cantonese, chicken

Servings: 6

: 264 kcal

Ingredients

  • chicken
  • 2Tbsp.vegetable oil
  • 1Tbsp.soy sauce**
  • 3Tbsp.peanut butter
  • 3Tbsp.ketchup

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a large resealable (gallon sized) freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes.

Recipe Notes

**if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (10)

Print

Cantonese Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Ingredients

  • chicken
  • 1/2cupketchup
  • 1/4cupmelted honey
  • 1/4cupsoy sauce**
  • 2Tbsp.lemon juice

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken and other ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.

  2. Bake at 350° for one hour or in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.

5 Chicken Dump Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep chicken breast moist for meal prep? ›

We recommend baking your chicken on a sheet tray on a bed of chopped vegetables. As the vegetables cook, they release steam, which helps to keep the chicken moist — and you get more bang for your buck. Opt for veggies (or fruits) that cook quickly, in about 30 minutes.

How to cook a lot of chicken at once? ›

Use multiple cooking pots: If you need to cook a large amount of chicken, you may need multiple pots, like multiple slow cookers or roasting pans. You'll want to avoid overstuffing a single pot so the chicken can cook evenly and thoroughly.

Can you meal prep chicken for a week? ›

Package your chicken in an airtight container. Place containers in the fridge for use later that week or pop them in the freezer for long-term storage. Reheat chicken for a super quick and easy chicken dinner!

Can you cook chicken breasts ahead of time? ›

Although recipe calls for bone-in chicken breasts which make for a rich stock, you can absolutely poach boneless skinless breasts in this recipe instead. Either will work and both options will be equally tasty. If you're eating your chicken immediately, you can store it in the fridge for up to four days.

How do you keep skinless chicken breast from drying out? ›

To bake: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the breasts on a lined sheet tray in the oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. To maintain extra moisture, tent the foil halfway through to keep the breasts covered and lock in some more moisture.

How do you keep chicken breast from drying out when cooking? ›

Thinner breasts or cutlets are less likely to dry out, as they won't spend as much time in the pan. A simple option is to pound the chicken until it is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, using a meat mallet/pounder, heavy skillet or even a hammer. This is best done between parchment paper or plastic wrap.

How do you meal prep chicken so it doesn't taste bad? ›

If I'm going to do chicken for meal prep, I cook it in the crockpot, but I also use boneless skinless breasts and then completely cover them in broth after adding whatever spices I want to add. Then I shred it afterwards and use it throughout the week.

How do you flavor chicken all the way through? ›

Marinating is good for flavouring and tenderising your chicken at the same time. It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking.

What part of the chicken takes the longest to cook? ›

Legs and thighs are the pieces that take the longest to cook by themselves. Weight: 4 to 8 oz. Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes per side if grilled; 40 to 50 minutes if roasted or simmered in a liquid.

Is it safe to meal prep chicken for 5 days? ›

Once the chicken has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Label the container with the date of preparation so you know how long it has been stored in the fridge. Cooked chicken can be safely stored in the fridge for up to four days.

Can I just eat chicken all day? ›

Chicken is a healthy food (as long as it's poached, baked or grilled), but that doesn't mean you should eat it every single day. As both dietitians have explained, eating a wide variety of foods is the best way to give your body the nutrients it needs. It will make your meals a lot more exciting too!

Can you prep chicken for 5 days? ›

USDA recommends using cooked chicken within three to four days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less).

How do you keep chicken breast juicy when reheating? ›

Add water or chicken broth to a baking dish — just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken breasts in the baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, at least 10 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165˚F.

Is it better to cut chicken breasts before or after cooking? ›

After your chicken breasts are done cooking, let them rest for at least half the time that you cooked them for before slicing into them. This will ensure that the breasts stay super juicy and flavorful, and that they're fully cooked. Trust me, waiting the few extra minutes pays off big time — every time.

Can I freeze cooked chicken? ›

Yes, you can freeze almost any kind of cooked chicken! Whether it's roasted, grilled, poached, or sautéed, as long as it's cooked thoroughly, you can preserve its flavour in the freezer. You can freeze the whole bird – chicken thighs, breasts, wings and drumsticks.

What is the best way to keep chicken breast moist? ›

Brine the chicken: Soak the chicken breasts in a saltwater solution for 30 minutes to an hour before baking. This helps retain moisture and flavor. 2. Use bone-in, skin-on chicken: Cooking chicken breasts with the bone and skin helps preserve moisture and adds flavor.

How do you keep chicken breast moist the next day? ›

Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and a teaspoon or two of water over the chicken. This will help keep the meat moist. (You can also use water and salsa or chicken broth for extra flavor.)

How do caterers keep chicken moist? ›

Brining: Before cooking, some restaurants soak their chicken in a brine solution, which is a mixture of water, salt, and sometimes sugar and other seasonings. Brining helps to tenderize the meat and keep it moist during cooking.

References

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