Aldi has boneless, skinless chicken breasts this week for $1.49 a pound. Yippeee!!! That is the lowest I have ever paid. You must stock up at this price. But instead of just freezing them just plain, freeze some in marinade. Also, freeze some pre-cooked and shredded for a quick dinner. You can also grill some of the chicken and freeze.
Before you go buying over 30 pounds of chicken like I’ve done, you need to have a plan. First, make double or triple batches of marinades, and pour into gallon freezer bags. Fold the top of the bags down, to ensure the bag tops don’t get sloppy. Pour marinades into various bags, then go buy the chicken. When you get home, wash and cut the chicken into desired thicknesses, and plop in the bags. Freeze flat for easy storage. Now you have a quick dinner solution for a busy night. I love using the Asian chicken in stir fried rice!
Use your own judgement on how much marinade goes in each bag. Each marinade recipe should make enough for two bags of chicken serving a family of four. Keep in mind that citrus juice actually cooks food, so do not allow the chicken in citrus juice to thaw for several days, otherwise it will become mealy.
Garlic Dijon Chicken
2 cloves minced garlic (1/2 teaspoon minced)
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lime (or lemon) juice
Salt to taste
Lemon Rosemary Marinade Chicken
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 garlic cloves, grated
Rosemary to taste
Salt to taste
Tangy Sweet Glaze
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2/3 cup apricot or peach preserves
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Tabasco
Teriyaki Chicken
2 cloves garlic, grated
2/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine (or sherry)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced ginger
Another way to take advantage of this sale, is to make shredded chicken in the slow cooker for future use. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, onion chunks, and add some chicken broth. Cook until done, and shred. Freeze, preferably in a vacuum sealed pouch. I use this chicken in enchiladas, casseroles, quesadillas, and the like. You could also make shredded chicken bbq.
Grilled chicken freezes beautifully. Of course the possibilities are endless for uses of frozen, grilled chicken. Use it on pizza, salads, and of course as a main dish.
It’s such a piece of mind to have homemade convenience foods such as pre-marinated chicken, just ready to dump in your slow cooker at the last minute. Try these, and let me know what you think. Share some of your own marinades on this post as well!
I also dump a can/jar of salsa or jar of spaghetti sauce over the chicken and put into the slow cooker all day. Easy and great tasting!