freezer meals: Crispy Cheddar Chicken
Freezer meals are great to have on hand because they stop you from being tempted to get takeout, on those nights you don't feel like cooking a meal from scratch! This freezer meal recipe for Crispy Cheddar Chicken is super simple to make and you end up with two meals.
Ingredients Needed:
- 1.5-2 lbs. Chicken Breasts, boneless/skinless
- Ritz crackers, 16 crushed (Any type of buttery cracker will work)
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced (missing from photo)
- 1-2 scallions or green onion tops, sliced thinly
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
Freezer Supplies Needed:
- Disposable foil pans
- Sharpie marker, black
*Note: The pans I used I bought at Walmart in a 3-pack and they came with lids. You can easily use aluminum foil, freezer bags or other freezable containers.
I was able to get 8 chicken pieces out of 3 chicken breasts.
Crispy Cheddar Chicken Directions:
Step 1: Pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/4-1/2 inch in thickness. (If you don't have a meat mallet, use can use an ice cream scoop like I did)
Step 2: Take the clove of garlic and mince it up finely. Then, thinly slice the scallions or green onion tops.
Step 3: Take 16 Ritz crackers and crush them. Put them into a medium size bowl, add the minced garlic, sliced scallions or green onion tops, shredded cheese and the seasonings (salt and pepper). Mix everything together.
Step 4: Take the flattened chicken breasts and cut each one into 2 or 3 pieces enough to make 2 pans worth.
Step 5: Melt the 4 Tbsp. of butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. dip each chicken piece into the melted butter, then dip the coated chicken piece into the cracker mixture, coating both sides. Lay aside until all chicken pieces have been coated.
Step 6: Put the coated chicken pieces into freezer containers or bags.
Step 7: Write on the container or bag: Crispy Cheddar Chicken, the date it was frozen and these instructions: Bake at 350° for 30-35 mins. Serve with any type of potato, rice or other vegetable.
*Note: Bake the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.
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Do you need to thaw the container of chicken first? It doesn’t seem like frozen chicken can cook thoroughly in 30-35 minutes freezer to oven.
Thank you…the recipe looks delicious.
How do you print the recipe from your website?
Do you have to let meals set out for a while if frozen before putting them in oven? Never have done anything frozen and would like to learn more. Thanks so much !
That would need to be thawed before you could bake them on a foil lined pan. Otherwise they’d still be frozen into a big clump.
Most chicken can be put in the oven without thawing, especislly if the pieces aren’t very large. But you can do one of the following: Take out and put in fridge the night before. Take out and set on counter an hour before you want to start baking it. Or if you want to bake it from the freezer, use a baking dish or large bowl or fill your sink a bit with hot water and immerse the bottom of the foil pan 🙂
Another option would be to just check the temp or make a cut to check for pinkness and add a extra few minutes if needed.
Hope that helps! I usually do frozen meals that are to be cooked in a crock pot which makes things a little simpler.
Have you tried this yet? Did you have to thaw it first?
After coating the chicken in melted butter & submerging it into the Ritz cracker mixture before freezing…does the chicken actually turn out crispy, after it’s been baked? I would assume after being coated with butter that the normal crispy texture of the Ritz wouldn’t hold up & the breading/coating on the chicken would become rather mushy &/or soggy?
I made this recipe and it turned out crispy from the freezer! I did cook on low broil for a couple of minutes to get it to be a little more crispy. It was very juicy and not dry!
Do you have a printable link? Thanks!
Do you have a printable link for this recipe?
Do u have to defrost before cooking? Would really like to know as this looks delicious!
Do you cook this with the lid on or off? It looks wonderful and easy!
Do you cook covered or uncovered?
Why put them in the foil container if you have to cook them on a foil-lined baking sheet?
Same question does it need thawed prior to cooking, also you say bake on foil lined pan…set the freezer container (like yours) on sheet or take chicken out & bake on sheet
Do you thaw the chicken before cooking then? Thanks
I just baked this last night and it was wonderful. I let it sit out for about 30 min and it baked beautifully in about 35 min. I think because you pound the breasts flat, 35 min is long enough to cook through. It was crispy and delicious. I had cooked it immediately the first time, and this was the first time I had made it from the frozen badge. I would highly recommend it! I had just frozen mine in a gallon size freezer bags where I could lay them in a single layer. I then remove them and put them on a baking sheet.
My family loves this recipe. Quick easy and delicious. Thank you!