Freezer Meals 101

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Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

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A cold day is the perfect time for this Instant Pot white chicken chili. It’s hearty, yet light. This recipe freezes beautifully, so it’s great to make ahead and pull out on busy weekdays. Instant Pot White Chicken Chili that's freezer friendly #freezermeals101 #makeaheadmeals #chili #instantpotrecipes

Growing up, we only ever had beef chili. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of chicken chili until a few years ago. Although regular chili is still a comfort food for me, in some ways, I prefer the less heavy chicken chili.

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 onion, diced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/2 -1 cup red salsa
1/4-1/2 cup salsa verde (green)
1-2 small cans of diced green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1-2 cups chicken broth
3-4 cans of white beans (I like white kidney beans)

Instructions:

  1. Chop the veggies and cube the chicken.
  2. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function.
  3. Add the olive oil to allow it to heat up. Next, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.
  4. Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Add the taco seasoning, green chilies, tomatoes, tomato paste, and red and green salsas.
  6. Pour in the chicken broth. If you like your chili to have a more liquid consistency (similar to a soup), then add 2 cups. If you like it thicker like traditional chili, then just use 1 cup.
  7. Add the beans. Give it a stir to mix everything together.
  8. Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is closed. Set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
  9. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Afterwards, open the vent to release the remaining pressure.
  10. Sprinkle with your favourite toppings.

Freezer instructions:

  1. Allow the food to cool a bit.
  2. Place it in a large resealable freezer bag or silicone reusable freezer bag. Take out the air, seal, and freeze. Or you can put it in smaller freezer bags to create individual portions.
  3. Take out of the freezer to thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in a large stovetop pot.

Optional toppings for White Chicken Chili:

  • avocado
  • guacamole
  • tortilla chip strips
  • shredded cheese
  • sour cream
  • diced tomatoes
  • green onions
  • hot sauce
  • extra salsa

Check out some of our other Instant Pot comfort meals:

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes 

Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos Instant Pot Tomato Soup 

Print
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cubed
  • 3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1/2 -1 cup red salsa
  • 1/4-1/2 cup salsa verde
  • 1-2 small cans of diced green chilies
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1-2 cups chicken broth
  • 3-4 cans of white beans
Instructions
Instructions:
  1. Chop the veggies and cube the chicken.
  2. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function.
  3. Add the olive oil to allow it to heat up. Next, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.
  4. Place the chicken in the Instant Pot and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Add the taco seasoning, green chilies, tomatoes, tomato paste, and red and green salsas.
  6. Pour in the chicken broth. If you like your chili to have a more liquid consistency (similar to a soup), then add 2 cups. If you like it thicker like traditional chili, then just use 1 cup.
  7. Add the beans. Give it a stir to mix everything together.
  8. Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is closed. Set the Instant Pot to 15 minutes.
  9. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Afterwards, open the vent to release the remaining pressure.
  10. Sprinkle with your favourite toppings.
Freezer instructions:
  1. Allow the food to cool a bit.
  2. Place it in a large resealable freezer bag or silicone reusable freezer bag. Take out the air, seal, and freeze. Or you can put it in smaller freezer bags to create individual portions.
  3. Take out of the freezer to thaw. Reheat in the microwave or in a large stovetop pot.
Recipe Notes

Optional toppings for White Chicken Chili: avocado, guacamole, tortilla chip strips, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, green onions, hot sauce, extra salsa

Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears

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Serve these pork chops topped with spice pears to your kids and you’ll get no complaints. With ingredients like cinnamon and vanilla, it’s practically dessert for supper!

Make Ahead Spiced Pear Pork Chops #glutenfree #freezermeals101 #makeaheadmeals #familyfriendlyrecipes #easyfamilymeals #freezercookingThis meal can be made ahead and frozen. That makes for an easy supper midweek when you have a crazy busy schedule. No one will suspect how easy it was to cook.

This recipe requires slightly more prep than most of our freezer meal recipes do to make the sauce, but it’s worth it. I do recommend that because of this, you make several of this recipe at once. It takes just a minute or two more to cut more pears and the rest of the steps take the same amount of time whether you make one meal or four.

If you take that extra minute or two, you’ll be able to pull one of these out for supper every few weeks. It’s such a nice feeling knowing that there are meals ready to go in your freezer!

Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears Recipe:

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 ripe pears, peeled and chopped
  • 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless center cut pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

For cooking:

  • 1 tsp. olive oil

Assembly instructions:

  1. Peel, de-seed, and chop the pears.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add the prepared pears, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the nutmeg.
  4. Cook, stirring and mashing the pears continuously, until the “sauce” is thick and the pears are tender. This will take about 7-9 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool while you prepare the pork chops.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon, salt, paprika and pepper.
  7. Rub the spice mixture over the pork.
  8. Place the pork in a large resealable freezer safe bag or a silicone reusable freezer bag. Seal.
  9. Place the spiced pear topping in a medium sized freezer bag and seal.
  10. Staple the medium bag to the one containing the pork chops. Be sure to staple above the seal to avoid leaks.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Take the bag duo out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook them until well browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Top with the sauce and cover for a minute to allow the sauce to warm.
  3. Serve. Sprinkle with a bit of parsley if desired.

This easy family recipe is gluten free and dairy free, making it versatile for many diets.

Suggested side dishes for pork chops:

Looking for other easy family freezer meals? Our Family Favourites Meal Plan includes recipes, shopping lists, and printable labels to take the guesswork out of dinners. 

Print
Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears Recipe
Prep Time
11 mins
Cook Time
13 mins
Total Time
24 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: pork chops
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 ripe pears peeled and chopped
  • 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless center cut pork chops 1/2 inch thick
For cooking:
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Peel, de-seed, and chop the pears.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Add the prepared pears, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and the nutmeg.
  4. Cook, stirring and mashing the pears continuously, until the "sauce" is thick and the pears are tender. This will take about 7-9 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool while you prepare the pork chops.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon, salt, paprika and pepper.
  7. Rub the spice mixture over the pork.
  8. Place the pork in a large resealable freezer safe bag or a silicone reusable freezer bag. Seal.
  9. Place the spiced pear topping in a medium sized freezer bag and seal.
  10. Staple the medium bag to the one containing the pork chops. Be sure to staple above the seal to avoid leaks.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag duo out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook them until well browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes on each side. Top with the sauce and cover for a minute to allow the sauce to warm.
  3. Serve.

Our other make ahead pork chop recipes:

Simple Marinated Pork Chops Apple Pork Chops 

Honey Sesame Chicken Dump Meal

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Dump recipes are the fastest way I know to make delicious suppers. This honey sesame chicken dump meal is just that. Put it together in minutes to create a dish your whole family will enjoy.  Supper doesn't get much easier than this honey sesame chicken dump recipe #freezermeals101 #chickenrecipes #dumprecipes #makeaheadmealsWhen you’re making any type of dump recipe, it’s just as easy to make 2 or 4 as it is to make one. Just set the bags out on the counter so that the bottom is open and the top is folded over. This will allow the bag to stay open without being held. Then you can place the chicken thighs in each bag before you go along and “dump” the rest of the ingredients in.

The recipe that follows is for one bag (meal). If you’re making multiple meals, add this amount to each of the bags. Be sure to label the bags with the cooking instructions before freezing.

Honey Sesame Chicken Dump Meal:

  • 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup honey, melted
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tsp. minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • optional: 1-2 tsp. Sriracha sauce

For the day of cooking:

  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds
  • optional: sliced green onions for garnish

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken in a large resealable freezer bag or reusable silicone freezer bag.
  2. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the ingredients reserved for the day of cooking.
  3. Give the bag a squeeze to mix the sauce. Get the air out and seal before freezing.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Remove the bag from the freezer to thaw.
  2. Fry in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes, until it has begun to caramelize on the outside and is no longer pink on the inside.
  3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. You can also top with some fresh sliced green onions.

This meal is gluten free if gluten free soy sauce is used. You can adjust the spiciness level of the chicken by adding Sriracha to the honey sesame sauce.

Personally, I like things with the heat kicked all the way up, so I add about 2 tsp. of Sriracha to the sauce and then put the bottle on the table when serving so that I can add some to my chicken. A few of my kids like to improve/test their spice tolerance, so they add more to theirs as well. 

What goes with honey sesame chicken?

Looking for more easy recipes you can put together in minutes? Our Chicken Dump Recipes cookbook contains recipes that are designed to be made in minutes so that you can stock your freezer and simply your life. It also contains shopping lists and printable labels to take away all the guesswork. 

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Honey Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
  • 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup honey melted
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 Tbsp. ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tsp. minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • optional: 1-2 tsp. Sriracha sauce
For the day of cooking:
  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds
  • optional: sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the chicken in a large resealable freezer bag or reusable silicone freezer bag.
  2. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the ingredients reserved for the day of cooking.
  3. Give the bag a squeeze to mix the sauce. Get the air out and seal before freezing.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Remove the bag from the freezer to thaw.
  2. Fry in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes, until it has begun to caramelize on the outside and is no longer pink on the inside.
  3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. You can also top with some fresh sliced green onions.

Check out some of our other easy chicken dump recipes:

Chili Glazed Chicken Dump Recipe Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe 

Shredded BBQ Chicken 

Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken Poblano

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No one will ever guess that this slow cooker spicy chicken poblano is actually a freezer meal! The flavours are fresh. There is a nice kick to it and the spiciness can be adjusted to your tastes.

Spicy Poblano Chicken in the Slow Cooker (no one will ever guess that it's a freezer meal!) #freezermeals101 #freezercooking #crockpotrecipes #makeaheadmeals #slowcookerrecipesThis recipe is keto friendly (low carb, no sugar) and gluten free if served on cauliflower rice. You can adjust the spiciness of this dish by the heat of the salsa you use and the cheese you choose to top it with.

Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken Poblano:

  • 3 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 2 poblano peppers, sliced lengthwise
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 14 oz. jar medium or spicy salsa
  • 1 lime
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded taco or tex mex cheese blend
  • dash of salt and pepper

For cooking day:

  • 1/3 cup water

Assembly instructions:

  1. Slice the poblano peppers in long slices.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag or a reusable silicone freezer bag. Take out any excess air and seal the bag.
  3. Add the pepper slices, juice of the lime, the minced garlic, the jar of salsa, and salt and pepper.
  4. Place the shredded cheese in a medium sized freezer bag, seal and staple it (above the seal) to the other bag. Freeze.

Slow Cooker cooking instructions:

  1. Take the poblano chicken meal out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag (chicken and pepper mixture) into the crock pot.
  3. Add 1/3 cup water.
  4. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 4-6 hours.
  5. Top with the shredded cheese and replace the lid for 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt.
  6. Serve over rice.

What is a poblano pepper?

When it’s dried, the poblano pepper is called an ancho chile. For this recipe, you’ll be using the fresh version of poblano peppers.

Poblano peppers are on the milder side on the Scoville scale that measures the spiciness of peppers. They range between a 1,000 Scoville heat units to 1,500. For contrast sake, jalapeño peppers rate between 2,500 to 10,000 Scoville heat units.

While the poblano pepper is considered quite mild, you can occasionally get one that’s quite hot. Like most peppers, there can be quite a range.

You can find other freezer to crock pot recipes in our Slow Cooker Freezer Meal Plans. You’ll not only get the recipes, but also shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels to take the guesswork out of weeknight meals. 

Print
Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken Poblano
Course: Main Course
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs. chicken breasts boneless, skinless
  • 2 poblano peppers sliced lengthwise
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 14 oz. jar medium or spicy salsa
  • 1 lime
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded taco or tex mex cheese blend
  • dash of salt and pepper
For cooking day:
  • 1/3 cup water
  • fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Slice the poblano peppers in long slices.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag or a reusable silicone freezer bag. Take out any excess air and seal the bag.
  3. Add the pepper slices, juice of the lime, the minced garlic, the jar of salsa, and salt and pepper.
  4. Place the shredded cheese in a medium sized freezer bag, seal and staple it (above the seal) to the other bag. Freeze.
Slow Cooker cooking instructions:
  1. Take the poblano chicken meal out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Dump the contents of the large bag (chicken and pepper mixture) into the crock pot.
  3. Add 1/3 cup water.
  4. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 4-6 hours.
  5. Top with the shredded cheese and replace the lid for 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt.

  6. If desired, top with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve over rice.

Find other tasty make ahead crock pot meals:

Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole Slow Cooker Beef Curry Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos 

Dill Salmon Freezer Meal

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The pictures of this Dill Salmon don’t do it justice. It is flaky and flavourful and delicious. It is one of our favourite freezer meals. You won't believe this Dill Salmon is a Freezer Meal! #freezermeals101 #freezercooking #makeaheadmeals #salmon #easyrecipes #yum

This is so incredibly fast to put together. It bakes in less than half an hour, making it such an easy recipe. If you are new to freezer meals, this is a great one to start with.

Our nickname for this one is Salmon Dilly. I’m not sure where the name came from, but it’s stuck. When I say that we’re having Salmon Dilly for supper, everyone knows what I mean.

Dill Salmon Recipe:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets (pin bones removed)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp. dried dill
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice

Assembly instructions:

    1. Place the salmon in a large resealable freezer bag or a reusable silicone bag.
    2. In a small bowl, combine the other ingredients.
    3. Pour in the bag and squish around to coat the salmon.
    4. Remove excess air from the bag, seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 minutes on a foil lined cookie sheet.

Using tin foil on the baking sheet makes clean up a breeze!

Side Dish Ideas for Salmon:

This Dill Salmon recipe is included in our More Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan. Along with other easy recipes, it also includes printable shopping lists and labels. 

Print
Dill Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs. salmon fillets pin bones removed
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp. dried dill
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the salmon in a large resealable freezer bag or a reusable silicone bag.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the other ingredients.
  3. Pour in the bag and squish around to coat the salmon.
  4. Remove excess air from the bag, seal and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 minutes on a foil lined cookie sheet.