A foolproof way to prep chicken for the 21 Day Fix, including freezing and thawing instructions (and lots of awesome ways to use that chicken!)
Hey guys!
So, this isn’t really a recipe as such, but the question of exactly how to prep a specific thing (like chicken) comes up a lot in 21 Day Fix Facebook groups and as a blogger, I get so busy (and I’ll be honest, carried away) thinking about recipes that I don’t necessarily think to cover the basics, so here we are 🙂
Let me start by saying that there are a TON of ways to prep chicken for the fix, but this is my favorite way for perfectly juicy chicken every single time and it’s what I always do (I’ve got some links to some other options towards the bottom of this post, check ’em out!).
But before we get to the instructions, here’s an amazing list of recipes that you can use this prepped chicken in! (You didn’t think I was going to leave you hanging with a crap-ton of plain, baked chicken, did you? 🙂 )
Ok <cracks knuckles>, let’s do this.
You’ll need:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (however much you want to make)
- A baking sheet
- Aluminum foil (optional, but you’ll use it if you love yourself)
- Olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray
- Salt and pepper (or other seasoning)
- Meat thermometer (highly recommended!)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil (because nobody’s got time to scrub a baking sheet), give it a light spray of olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray and set aside while you trim your chicken.
I always trim and then cut my chicken breasts in half width wise, so they cook a little faster, then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Lightly salt and pepper (as much pepper as you like) both sides of your chicken. If you can go without any salt, go for it, but I always use just a small amount. You can also use other seasonings, garlic powder, chili powder, etc… whatever seasonings you like, but I like to keep it simple so that I can use this chicken for absolutely anything.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a thermometer placed in the side of the chicken reads at least 170 degrees.
LET THE CHICKEN REST for 10 – 15 minutes (Seriously, don’t skip it! I mean, did you see all those caps? I meant business 😉 ), then chop into bite-sized pieces. (Or if you’d prefer shredded chicken, try this method from My Crazy Good Life, so awesome!)
Measure with your red container and place one “Red” of diced chicken into a snack-sized Ziploc bag.
Repeat until done 🙂
Since the snack-sized bags are only storage bags and not the thicker “freezer” bags, place all of these in a gallon-sized freezer bag and label, then throw the whole thing in your freezer.
To thaw, take the chicken out of one of the bags, place in a small bowl and heat in your microwave on the defrost setting until hot. Easy!
Some other chicken prep option:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken (or you could cube it if you’d prefer) – My Heart Beets
How to Cook Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts in the Crockpot – Livestrong
Want to try it in the crockpot instead? Check out these instructions from Nancylynn at Confessions of a Fit Foodie!
Hope this was helpful!
21 Day Fix Resources:
Your blog was so helpful with prepping the chicken. Thank you so much!!
I’m so glad!
Is 1 full chicken breast 1 red container? Or do I need to cut it up and measure to fit the red container? I’m still a bit confused on that.. Do I measure it in the container and that equals 1 red, or is it just 1 chicken breast equals 1 red container?
Hey Andi! Chicken needs to fit in the red container, so you’d chop it first and then measure. Usually 1 red is about half of a chicken breast, I’ve found.
How long does the chicken last in the freezer?
Hey Jackie! I’ve kept it as long as two months – I’ve always used it by then, so I’m not sure how much longer it would last after that 🙂