From the Freezer to the Table in Less Than 30 minutes, Chicken

I can't lie, I really love meal planning.  I get a little joy and satisfaction out of planning out a different genre of food for each night of the week and adding variety to those meals with new, interesting spins on side dishes.  I love recording this on the inside of my pantry cabinet.  (I painted it with chalkboard paint years ago. A Pin-win.) Having all of this in place makes me feel ready to take on whatever may come during the week.

But, let's get real, even though I have a great plan, it usually falls by the wayside by Wednesday or Thursday.  It's one thing to have a plan, but it's another thing to follow through with the plan.  So, when I forget to thaw something overnight or forget to put something in the slow cooker in the morning, I need to have something quick to grab to make for dinner.  For this reason, I like to keep some brainless, quick cooking items in my freezer: marinated chicken, cubed ham, and taco meat.We'll start with the most versatile, marinated chicken.

I usually store each of these recipes in quart-sized freezer bags. I freeze them flat and store them upright in a little container in my freezer.  When I need to use one, I just toss the frozen bag on a plate and defrost it in the microwave for about 4 minutes.  After this step, I'm only about 15 minutes away from getting dinner on the table.

Chicken Fajitas adapted from New Leaf Wellness

1-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
The juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
(or substitute the seasonings with 2 TBS of taco seasoning)
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 cup sliced yellow onion

Combine all ingredients in a quart-sized plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.Cook in large pan on medium heat for ten minutes.  Add the fresh peppers and onions in the last five minutes of cooking. 

Serve on tortillas or rice with your favorite fajitas toppings, like shredded cheese, salsa, and guacamole.

Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken from Allrecipes

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
(or 1 TBS each of fresh herbs)
2 lemons, juiced
salt and pepper
1-2 lbs. chicken breasts

Combine marinade ingredients in quart-sized bag.  Add chicken.  Freeze. 

Thaw overnight.  Cook chicken on grill or pan on medium-high heat. 

This chicken tastes great paired with an orzo salad or used in a gyro.  For a gyro, place the chicken in a pita top it with lettuce, cucumber tomato relish, and tzatziki sauce. 

Orange Chicken adapted from ChefKey

Marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
2 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. minced ginger
a dash of honey (sugar or agave)
1 TBS. cornstarch

1 lb. chicken, cut in strips

Combine marinade ingredients in a quart-sized bag.  Add the chicken. Freeze. 

Thaw overnight.  Cook chicken in a grill or fry pan on medium-high heat. 

This chicken tastes great in a stir-fry.  After the chicken is cooked, add onions, pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and/or carrots to the hot pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.  Add a tablespoon of hoisin sauce to the veggies in the last minute of cooking.  Stir to coat. 

I also love this chicken added to salads.  I recently tried out this salad recipe with this chicken.  It was delish. 

So, next time you have some extra chicken on hand, mix up a marinade and store that chicken in your freezer.  Just getting this one step done ahead of time really helps dinner get out on the table faster.