Earlier this week we noted that one of our local grocery stores was offering 40lb boxes of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at $1.39/lb. With that we were off to the store on Thursday and picked up a box. We quickly divided it up into separate bags and placed them into our freezer. What a great deal!
Later that evening Cassie mentioned that she wanted to make chicken salad sandwiches for the next day’s lunch. At that, an idea popped into my head! Why not buy another 40lb box with this awesome deal, cook, chop and freeze it! So yesterday morning, I was off to the store with the kids to pick up another box.
I don’t know if we understood how much work it would be but we jumped right into it. We washed the chicken with Eat Cleaner Ready to Use Seafood + Poultry Wash (link included just so you can see it – OUCH! on the price – we picked it up cheap a few months ago from a daily deals site) and boiled it in four iterations in our two large stock pots. My task was the chopping and packaging! Three hours later and we were done – 40 lb of cooked chicken! Last tweet of the process:
@thriftycouple: After boiling, cutting and packaging 40lb of bnls sknls chicken breasts….we are definitely NOT having chicken for dinner. Blech.
Half-way done!
Yes, our appetites for chicken were spent. Lets just say the chicken salad sandwiches weren’t as appetizing either. 🙂
But what did we get? We netted a total of 31 bags with approximately 2 1/4 – 3 cups of chickens in each bag. What this means is either 1-2 meals per bag!
- 18 bags of large chunk chicken breast
- 13 bags of small/shredded chicken breast
What this will do is save us time and money! Why not save ourselves a little time alongside these great savings? We’ll be able to use this over the next four months easily taking out what we need, defrosting and then either using the cooked chicken directly in salads, in casseroles, or on pasta dishes! For these dishes, we have no need to defrost, rinse, cook, and chop because it was all done that fateful Friday afternoon.
So did we dread it? Not as much as we should have! Would we do it again? Today? No. In a few months? Definitely!
One interesting tidbit: The USDA website states our cooked chicken will maintain its quality in the freezer for four months, whereas the frozen uncooked chicken will do so for nine months. What we were shocked by is the following statement: Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely. That is when the item is stored at a consistent 0 degrees Fahrenheit! WOW! Good thing we’ll be eating this soon – I’m not sure if I could stomach 10 yr old chicken. 🙂
We want to hear from you! What recipes would you use this chicken for? We would love to hear and try your ideas!
Julie
Hi, I love doing this too! 🙂 However, I buy the $.97/lb breasts WITH bone and bake them @ 350 for an hour, covered with foil. I let them cool for 15 minutes and then pick the chicken off the bone. It comes off soooooo easy because it is still warm and you can get 99% of the meat off each bone in less than 30 seconds. I find that when buying it on the bone it stays more moist when cooking it and is never dry. It is a little cheaper too. Of course, there is the fact that you are paying for the bone (a little added weight) but I don’t think each actual bone weighs more than a couple ounces. I love your blog…thanks for doing what you do. Joy to you, Julie
Julie
Hi, I love doing this too! 🙂 However, I buy the $.97/lb breasts WITH bone and bake them @ 350 for an hour, covered with foil. I let them cool for 15 minutes and then pick the chicken off the bone. It comes off soooooo easy because it is still warm and you can get 99% of the meat off each bone in less than 30 seconds. I find that when buying it on the bone it stays more moist when cooking it and is never dry. It is a little cheaper too. Of course, there is the fact that you are paying for the bone (a little added weight) but I don’t think each actual bone weighs more than a couple ounces. I love your blog…thanks for doing what you do. Joy to you, Julie
pamela wilson
I purchased chicken breast that was marked down at the grocery store and I cooked chicken spaghetti for the first time. It was great!
pamela wilson
I purchased chicken breast that was marked down at the grocery store and I cooked chicken spaghetti for the first time. It was great!
Cynthia Khan
Ok here is a few ideas… My husband ONLY EATS CHICKEN ok so first. Since it is cooked take a bag drop it in the crock pot on low and add a bottle of BBQ sauce. Or if u like spicy food, heat olive oil in a pan add the amount of chilly flakes as desired, let fry a bit then add in a can of tomatoes with sauce. This is chicken kharai Indian recipe. Then you always have hamburger helper and the cream cheese for cooking is always a good way to add a cream base over pasta. Let’s see mrs dash has alot of flavors that can ” spice” things up differently! One of the things is I use yogurt alot plain not vanilla. One cup yogurt salt pepper garlic ginger all to taste (just start with a little and change it as you go) and turmeric ( Indian spice yellow) mix all ingredients together and add to chicken. Let it marinate over night and just dump everything in the pot and cook until you have a nice paste kinda sauce and chicken is cooked of course. LOVE THAT ONE. then also kinda like the one before but instead of the turmeric, take almonds with no skin. Gring the almonds into a paste and add to the yogurt mixture. I love eating those too recipes with lettuce. Kinda like lettuce wraps. You could even add maybe other things to it. Ok I do have more but let me know what you think about these.
Thanks
Cindy
Cynthia Khan
Ok here is a few ideas… My husband ONLY EATS CHICKEN ok so first. Since it is cooked take a bag drop it in the crock pot on low and add a bottle of BBQ sauce. Or if u like spicy food, heat olive oil in a pan add the amount of chilly flakes as desired, let fry a bit then add in a can of tomatoes with sauce. This is chicken kharai Indian recipe. Then you always have hamburger helper and the cream cheese for cooking is always a good way to add a cream base over pasta. Let’s see mrs dash has alot of flavors that can ” spice” things up differently! One of the things is I use yogurt alot plain not vanilla. One cup yogurt salt pepper garlic ginger all to taste (just start with a little and change it as you go) and turmeric ( Indian spice yellow) mix all ingredients together and add to chicken. Let it marinate over night and just dump everything in the pot and cook until you have a nice paste kinda sauce and chicken is cooked of course. LOVE THAT ONE. then also kinda like the one before but instead of the turmeric, take almonds with no skin. Gring the almonds into a paste and add to the yogurt mixture. I love eating those too recipes with lettuce. Kinda like lettuce wraps. You could even add maybe other things to it. Ok I do have more but let me know what you think about these.
Thanks
Cindy
S. Heiple
I used to always freeze al of my produce and meat, that was until this past winter’s ice storm. Between two fridges and freezers we lost $246.00 in groceries. I decided this was the last time I was going to allow all my groceries to be lost. This spring I bought on Amazon a preassure canner/cooker so I could safely can all of my extra produce and meat. I plan on canning chicken when I find it on sale and any other meats I might find…I actually have a ham inmy freezer waiting me to can it right now. 🙂
S. Heiple
I used to always freeze al of my produce and meat, that was until this past winter’s ice storm. Between two fridges and freezers we lost $246.00 in groceries. I decided this was the last time I was going to allow all my groceries to be lost. This spring I bought on Amazon a preassure canner/cooker so I could safely can all of my extra produce and meat. I plan on canning chicken when I find it on sale and any other meats I might find…I actually have a ham inmy freezer waiting me to can it right now. 🙂
Andrea
My fav recipe with cooked and shredded chicken: Enchiladas – I make super easy – using a large tortilla – I add a smear of beans (re-fried or black), a smear of cream cheese, the chicken, and a couple spoonfuls of enchilada sauce. Wrap up as many as I need to feed the group – cover with enchilada sauce and cheddar or Mexican cheese. Bake until bubbly (about 20 minutes at 350). Yum!! Great leftovers too!
Andrea
My fav recipe with cooked and shredded chicken: Enchiladas – I make super easy – using a large tortilla – I add a smear of beans (re-fried or black), a smear of cream cheese, the chicken, and a couple spoonfuls of enchilada sauce. Wrap up as many as I need to feed the group – cover with enchilada sauce and cheddar or Mexican cheese. Bake until bubbly (about 20 minutes at 350). Yum!! Great leftovers too!
Louise
I buy boneless skinless breast . Pressure can. The best . I have no freezer space. A program I watched said meat could last 10 years. I used pint jars,1 pound per jar. Taste great.
Michelle
We mostly eat chicken, but my favorite way to prep them has been my favorite life hack that I have ever found on Pinterest. I slice them into strips or chop them for stew, put in a ziplock with different spices or marinades and it marinates on the defrost! So we do BBQ, Greek-oregano, s&p, lime, garlic, Mexican-cumin seed, lime, chili powder, s&up, Arabic- dried mint crushed, lime, garlic, S&p, Asian-teriyaki sauce, even Taco Bell sauce marinade leftovers, I also use dry rubs and leftover salad dressings. It is the best time saver ever, there is always variety we use it on the grill, in the oven or pan fried. Our favorite is the Arabic one.