Freezer Meals for 1 or 2 // Freezer Meals 101

 

Chicken Fried Rice Recipe:

  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 1 1⁄2 cups diced cooked chicken breast*
  • 1⁄2 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cups diced carrots
  • 1 small jar of sliced water chestnuts
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Cook the rice and add it into a large resealable freezer bag. Add chopped onion, celery, carrots, water chestnuts, and peas. Then add in the cooked chicken* (see note below). Pour garlic cloves, oyster sauce, and soy sauce into the bag. Squish everything together to combine. Remove excess air and seal. Lay flat and freeze. 

When I make freezer meals, I always make many at one time. I find that the easiest way to cook the chicken for this purpose is to lay the chicken breasts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes at 350° before cubing.

On the day you want to cook the Chicken Fried Rice, take it out of the freezer and thaw. Heat in a covered casserole dish in the oven until warm or fry up in a skillet or wok.

Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo Recipe:

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
  • 410 mL jar of Alfredo sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. pesto
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 227g bag of fresh spinach
  • 4 cups dry penne pasta

Before assembling this freezer meal, cook and cube the chicken. I prepare many freezer meals at one time, so I find that the fastest way to cook large amounts of chicken breasts is to place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven. Once they are cooked, I cube them. If you’re only making the chicken for this one recipe, you can instead cube the raw chicken and cook it in a skillet in a bit of oil on medium-high heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for 1 minute less than the box directions call for. This is because you want the pasta slightly undercooked so that it doesn’t become mushy after freezing and reheating. Drain the pasta.

In a skillet on the stovetop, heat the olive oil. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Mix the Alfredo sauce, pesto, and garlic into the drained pasta.

Add the cooked, cubed chicken, pasta mixture and spinach to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the extra air and seal before freezing.

On the day of cooking, thaw the bag before placing its contents into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Bake, covered in a preheated 350° oven for 45 minutes.

The chicken and spinach penne Alfredo has everything you need for a complete meal so you can serve it on its own or pair it with a salad and some bread.

Vegetarian Taco Soup
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: soup, taco, vegetarian
Servings6
Calories209 kcal
Ingredients
  • 14 oz. can kidney beans rinsed and drained
  • 14 oz. can white kidney beans rinsed and drained
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 12 oz. can kernel corn
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 14 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 4 oz. can diced chilies
  • 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Put all the ingredients in a large resealable bag. Squish to combine. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

    If using smaller bags or containers, mix the ingredients in a giant bowl and divide evenly among bags or containers.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. Simmer on the stovetop for 20 minutes or heat in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

Serving suggestion: Top with any combination of cilantro, diced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese. This soup also pairs well with a side of cornbread.


Easiest Butter Chicken
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: buttter chicken
Servings6
Calories257 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 375 mL jar of butter chicken sauce
For serving:
  • optional: cilantro for serving
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Cube the chicken and place it in a large resealable freezer bag.

  2. Pour the sauce over top.
  3. Remove the excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

  3. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

  4. If desired, top with coarsely chopped fresh cilantro.

Recipe Notes

Serve over jasmine or Basmati rice or with Naan.


Shrimp Stir Fry Freezer Pack Recipe:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 cup zucchini, diced
  • 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
  • 3/4 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas
  • 14 oz. can baby corn, drained
  • 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Place the shrimp, zucchini, carrots, onions, snap peas, peas, and baby corn in a large resealable bag. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil, and pepper flakes. Pour the sauce into the bag with the shrimp and vegetables. 

I use frozen shrimp that is already peeled and deveined. We rinse the shrimp under cold water in the sink to separate the shrimp and wash them. Do this quickly so that they don’t thaw before we get the shrimp stir fry packs into the freezer.

On the day of cooking, take the stir fry freezer bag out to thaw. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Next, add the bag of shrimp and veggies to the pan and stir fry for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp is pink and the vegetables are tender.

You can garnish with sliced green onions or cilantro. If you like things spicy, then you can stir in a bit of Sriracha sauce towards the end of cooking. Serve over rice.

Classic Chicken a la King

  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup heavy creamy
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup chopped drained pimientos
  • 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
INSTRUCTIONS
  • In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Add in flour and stir until there are no more specks of flour left. Pour in chicken broth and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.
  • For a richer sauce: in a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks with heavy cream. Working quickly, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously. Immediately pour this mixture back into the saucepan, whisking the entire time. Cook 2 minutes more.
  • Stir in frozen peas, drained pimientos, and cooked chicken and let heat through, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Serve hot over cooked rice, pasta, toast, or biscuits.
NOTES
Chicken a la King is served over rice, pasta, toast, or biscuits.

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1940IU | Vitamin C: 43.7mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: Chicken a 
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173 COMMENTS
Most Voted 
Nancy S
 April 21, 2020 4:19 pm

4 starsI made this recipe this week as I had been wanting Chicken a la King for a while. I loved the consistency and appearance of how this turned out. I did find it wanting for flavor so I added some diced and sauteed onion and green peppers with garlic powder to the leftovers and that helped. I will make this again with those additions (1/2 cup each of onion and bell pepper, 3/4 tsp of garlic powder. I also think the portions are generous as I halved the recipe and had four good size portions from half a recipe.

Anastasia
 October 5, 2020 9:30 pm
 Reply to  Nancy S

Yes. It’s a LOT of food! And definitely needs seasoning. I’m not allowed garlic or onion but I wish I could add. I used Roasted Bell pepper strips (drained a bit from the olive oil).

Martha E. Douds
 December 22, 2020 9:26 pm
 Reply to  Anastasia

Just wondering if you are allowed onion or garlic powder or salt? I don’t have an allergy but my stomach doesn’t tolerate it well especially if raw. I usually find recipes have way too much garlic. I cut the amount in half or use minced dried or powder. I can do onion if well sautéed. Also what about shallots? I tolerate that fairly well too.

Patty
 December 1, 2018 6:15 pm

I like that no canned soup was added to this recipe…or cream cheese.

Vivienne
 May 4, 2020 4:15 pm

This was delicious! I added a diced onion and a few garlic cloves and well as a few mixed herbs and red pepper flakes! Salt and pepper! I also added “Better than Bouillon” for a bit more flavor! Thank you so much!

Phyllis Curtis
 September 30, 2019 9:00 am

My small group raved ! Made as written with one exception. I used a quart of my canned chicken. The chicken broth from home canning is triple strength, and the best cooking discovery of mytest kitchen life…true story 🙂 I made homemade baguettes, and buttered and toasted. Wow ! Thanks for a great recipe.

 July 23, 2020 2:45 pm

5 starsI make chicken ala king all of the time, but never usinng egg yolks. I tried that today and it has a richer taste using the egg yolks. I am happy that I tried this.

 May 13, 2020 10:02 am

Excellent results from the recipe. Step 3 for richer sauce really worked well to enhance the disk. This is a keeper and goes in the file. Will make it again soon while we are in the Stay home – Stay Safe mode.

Livia Sheffield
 November 15, 2020 12:50 am

5 starsThis was absolutely delicious! I threw a crust on top and called it a Chicken a la King pot pie! I’m making it per request tomorrow over egg noodles!

Leeann
 July 5, 2020 4:29 pm

4 starsVery good. Sauteed onion and garlic with the mushrooms. Halved the recipe for 4 servings over 6 biscuits. Used half n half instead of milk. Did not use heavy cream or eggs. Used 1.5 cups chicken broth. Seasoned with season all salt n pepper before adding 1 can peas and carrots, drained. I also used rotisserie chicken breast so it all came together quick m easy. Tasted like open face pot pie. Filling.

Allen Vincent
 July 15, 2020 4:13 pm

We loved the recipe. The only thing we changed was we used frozen mixed vegetables. Delish!

Jenny Conners
 July 30, 2020 6:06 pm

This was absolutely delicious! The only thing I changed was I added chicken bouillon granular to the sauce. About a tablespoon , and I like a generous amount of pepper.

 March 10, 2019 6:13 pm

4 starsThis is very close to my mom’s recipe I grew up with. The exceptions were canned evaporated milk instead of cream. And she would add 1/4 cup of Sherry or white wine while sauteing mushrooms. I still make it to this day…it is comforting now that my mom is gone . Always creamy and alot less calories without the cream.

Juliana Baguio
 July 11, 2019 4:47 pm
 Reply to  Rachel Thomas

Hello! I wanted to ask if using evaporated milk instead of the heavy cream produces a less THICK sauce? I do like the flavors in the store bought chicken a la king, but it’s always a bit too rich for my taste. Your help is appreciated! Aloha from Hawaii – Juliana.

Admin
 July 13, 2019 10:59 am
 Reply to  Juliana Baguio

Worth a try! Evaporated milk would definitely be more thin.

 January 12, 2020 5:29 pm

5 starsVery easy to make. The recipes a keeper. Loved it .

Miss Beatrice Haven
 September 3, 2020 1:07 am

5 starsThis is an excellent Chicken ala King recipe and I love it on buttered toast. The only addition I’ve made is putting in a bit of sherry. Occasionally I omit the mushrooms, but never the peas and I always use sautéed diced red peppers instead of pimentos.

Benita
 November 8, 2021 5:17 pm
 Reply to  Miss Beatrice Haven

I also use sautéed red peppers instead of pimentos. Same vegetable! Fresh red peppers MUCH more flavorful!

Gail Crichton
 October 20, 2022 10:59 am
 Reply to  Benita

I always add a little grated fresh nutmeg to all my white sauces because my mom did and I think it adds something.

Sondra
 July 2, 2020 2:05 pm

Was very delicious. I added carrots and a little chicken bullion. My husband loved it!

Mark
 October 28, 2019 9:08 pm

5 starsAbsolutely delicious! I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and will be adding sauteed onions next time I make it.

Chris
 February 8, 2020 11:33 am
 Reply to  Mark

I add pearl onions. Delicious!




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