Freezer protein packs
Heat a pack, pick a sauce, and the same chicken becomes a different dinner each time.
You need protein on the table fast and have no patience for cooking meat from raw.
A portion warms from frozen in minutes, then a stir of barbecue or salsa decides what dinner is.
Ingredients
freezer pulled chicken packs starts with the groceries below, plus a realistic about 30 minutes (or 4 hours in a slow cooker), then freeze window.
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Optional finishing sauces: BBQ, salsa, or buffalo (added later)
How to Make It
Get freezer pulled chicken packs hot, sorted, and ready before the kitchen fills with shoes and bags.
- Season the chicken and add it to a pot with the broth.
- Simmer covered 25 to 30 minutes (or slow-cook on low 4 hours) until it shreds easily.
- Shred with two forks and toss with a little of the cooking liquid to keep it moist.
- Cool completely before freezing.
Freeze It
Freeze the chicken plain, without sauce, so one batch can become barbecue sandwiches one night and tacos the next. Sauce gets added when you reheat.
- Freeze plain shredded chicken in 1.5-cup flat portions with a splash of broth
- Label by date, not by sauce, since you choose that later (best within 3 months)
- Press out air so it does not dry out or freezer-burn
Thaw and Reheat on Practice Night
Warm a portion from frozen, then stir in whatever sauce matches tonight.
- Skillet from frozen: cover with a splash of broth, medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring
- Microwave from frozen: 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway
- Then sauce it: BBQ for buns, salsa for tacos, or plain over rice
- Serve with: buns, tortillas, or rice, coleslaw, steamed broccoli
Parent Tip
Pile BBQ chicken onto a baked potato for an easy no-bread version.
Make It Fit Tonight
Small Tweaks That Help This Dinner Land
Sauce it with BBQ for sandwiches
Plain chicken becomes pulled BBQ on buns in one stir.
Toss it with salsa for tacos
The same batch turns into taco filling the next night.
Coat it in buffalo sauce for wraps
A spicier finish for older kids and adults.
Stir it into a quick chicken-and-rice bowl
Plain shredded chicken drops onto rice with vegetables.
Pile it on a baked potato
BBQ chicken and cheese over a potato skips the bread.
Plan The Next Step
Cook a big batch
Use the planner to shred a few pounds and freeze it plain in dinner-sized packs.