Sharla

Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic Mayo

This BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal recipe has always been delicious, but when my friend Christie introduced me to serving it with garlic mayo, it leveled up to drool-worthy status! Seriously, this tastes amazing.

Admittedly, this is messy to eat, but you won’t mind having drips of garlic mayo mixed with BBQ sauce and minced onions running down your wrists because it is so worth it! The garlic mayo also goes beautifully with our Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork and our Make Ahead Beef Dip.

We recently gave ourselves a challenge of making freezer meals with 5 ingredients or less and included this recipe. You can see this being put together as well as the other meals here:

BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal Recipe:

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup finely minced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

To put this freezer meal together, place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag. Remove excess air and seal.

On the day you want to serve this, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw. Cook it in the crockpot on low for 3-5 hours. Shred when done and serve in on buns on top of garlic mayo. You can also serve this shredded BBQ chicken on nachos or in tacos.

I’ve brought this with us camping and had it on a lazy Sunday afternoon and served it to company. You just really can’t go wrong when something tastes this good.

Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic

Admittedly, it is messy to eat, but you won't mind having drips of garlic mayo mixed with BBQ sauce and minced onions running down your wrists because it is so worth it!

Servings: 6

Calories: 509 kcal

Ingredients

3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup finely minced onion
4 cloves garlic minced
1 bottle of barbeque sauce or 425 mL of your own homemade BBQ sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Place the chicken, minced onion, minced garlic, barbeque sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large resealable bag.
Remove excess air and seal.
On the day you want to serve this, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw.
Cook it in the crock pot on low for 3-5 hours.
Shred.
Serve in on buns on top of garlic mayo. You can also serve this shredded BBQ chicken on nachos or in tacos.

Garlic Mayo Recipe:

1/2 cup mayo
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
dash of salt and pepper

Mix together all the ingredients and serve on buns before topping with the shredded BBQ chicken. If there’s any leftover, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container. We never have any leftovers though because it is lick-the-bowl good (or so I’ve heard)!

Garlic Mayo Recipe

Servings: 6

Calories: 126 kcal

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayo
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
dash of salt and pepper

Instructions

Mix together all the ingredients.
Serve on buns before topping with the shredded BBQ chicken.
If there's any leftover, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

This drool-worthy BBQ Shredded Chicken recipe is included in the More Family Favourites Freezer Meal Plan along with other family-friendly recipes, shopping lists and printable labels.

Here are other “freeze ahead” recipes that may also interest you:

Chicken and Spinach Alfredo

BBQ Pulled Pork

Pizza Stuffed Chicken

What Freezes Well, What Doesn’t and How to Adapt Recipes

By Sharla

Whether you are new to making freezer meals or not, you may wonder what freezes well and what doesn’t. I’ve created this reference to help you determine not only what freezes, but also how to best freeze it. I’m also including some tips on adapting freezer meal recipes if the ingredients required don’t freeze well.

I’ve also created a cheatsheet for you to print out as an easy reference to remember what freezes well.

Butter, margarine – Freezes well.

Milk in a jug – Freezes well.

Milk – Doesn’t freeze well in recipes, however recipes that call for milk can be adapted easily for the freezer by using evaporated milk or heavy cream in its place.

Sour Cream – The texture changes when frozen, but it holds up well when in cooking or baking.

Yogourt – The texture changes considerably when frozen, but it is still fine for using in smoothies. You can freeze in ice cube trays and add to resealable freezer bags to put into smoothies.

Cheese – Shred it first and seal well before freezing.

Cream Cheese – The texture changes when frozen as it is, but when mixed in a recipe it is fine.

Cottage Cheese – Freezes well within a recipe.

Custards – Do not freeze well.

Eggs (raw) – They need to be taken out of the shell first and mixed with a bit of salt or they will be rubbery.

Eggs (cooked) – Scrambled or cooked eggs freeze well, but hard boiled eggs get rubbery.

Ground meats including wild game – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.

Beef – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.

Chicken – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn. Chicken freezer burns easily unless it is in a marinade or within a freezer meal recipe.

Pork – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.

Seafood – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.

Luncheon Meat – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.

Melons, lime, lemon, grapefruit – Do not freeze well.

Fruit juices including lemon, lime and grapefruit juice – Freeze well on their own or within recipes.

Oranges – Do not freeze well, but segmented orange sections do freeze well within recipes.

Grapes – Can only be frozen if you are planning to eat them frozen.

Apples and pears – Core, peel and slice, then place in lemon juice in re-sealable freezer bag to keep from browning for use in future baking.

Peaches – Peel, pit and slice peaches and place in resealable freezer bag for use in future baking.

Berries – All berries freeze well.

Cucumbers, lettuce, sprouts, and radishes – Do not freeze on their own or in recipes.

Celery, peppers and onions – Do not freeze well on their own, but work well within recipes.

Mushrooms – Can be frozen if sauteed first or if used in recipes.

Potatoes – Do not freeze well unless already frozen. Frozen hash browns and tater tots work well within recipes.

*A note about vegetables: Vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, peas, spinach, zucchini, freeze better when blanched first.

Herbs – Freeze in ice cube tray with small amount of water and once frozen, place in resealable freezer bag.

Nuts – Freeze fine if sealed well in a resealable freezer bag.

Baking chips – Seal in resealable freezer bag.

Bread – Freezes well.

Loaves such as zucchini loaf or banana bread – Freezes well.

Buns – Plastic wrap before putting in freezer bag to prevent freezer burn.

Cooking or brownies – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.

Cookie dough – Place pre-formed balls on cookie sheet in freezer until frozen and then place in a resealable bag and put back in freezer.

Pizza dough – Freezes well.

Pie dough – Freezes well.

Waffles and pancakes – Place on cookie sheet flat in freezer until frozen and then place in a resealable bag and put back in freezer or place wax or parchment paper in between.

Waffle, pancake and muffin batter – Freezes well.

Muffins – Freeze well.

Pasta – Freezes if cooked to al dente (slightly undercooked).

Rice – Freezes best if slightly undercooked.

Broths and Soup – Freeze well.

Sauces – Most freeze well, but some that have a thickener such as flour or cornstarch will separate.

Wine – Pour leftover white or red wine into an ice cube tray and then place frozen cubes in a resealable bag to be added to soups or sauces. It adds depth to dishes such as pasta sauces and chili.

Make Ahead Cinnamon Freezer French Toast

By Sharla

Last Sunday, I was making my make ahead cinnamon freezer french toast and my husband commented about how good this new recipe was. I laughed and said that this was the same recipe I always use when I make french toast for the freezer.

We soon discovered that he had never eaten a piece because in all the years of me making these, my kids eat them so quickly that my husband had never even gotten to try one! It was a bit funny, especially when one of our older sons came forward and “confessed” to being the culprit behind eating most of them.

Sure enough, that same son ate most of a double batch of these ones in just a few days with a bit of help from his younger siblings. When you have a large family, delicious food like this doesn’t last long!

If you’re looking for more of a make ahead brunch the whole family can enjoy, our make ahead french toast casserole is perfect for this.

Cinnamon Freezer French Toast Recipe:

1 loaf of bread (about 16 slices)
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1/2 an orange

Whisk together the milk, eggs, spices, vanilla, and orange zest. Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat and grease with some olive oil. Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture and cook on both sides until browned.

Lay the cooked slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Place cookie sheet in freezer. By freezing them individually like this first, they won’t stick together in the bag and will be easy to remove one at a time.

Once frozen, place slices in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal and freeze.

These make such an easy weekday breakfast. The french toast slices can be taken out one or two at a time and popped in the toaster or toaster oven. Top with syrup or fresh fruit.

When I make this, I use cinnamon bread from a local bakery and double or quadruple the recipe so that I can fill many bags with french toast in the freezer for busy morning. My kids love these and eat them almost as quickly as I can make them!

Make Ahead Cinnamon Freezer French Toast

When I make this, I use cinnamon bread from a local bakery and double or quadruple the recipe so that I can fill many bags with french toast in the freezer for busy morning.

Servings: 8

Calories: 278 kcal

Ingredients

1 loaf of bread about 16 slices
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1/2 an orange

Instructions

Whisk together the milk, eggs, spices, vanilla, and orange zest.
Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat and grease with some olive oil.
Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture and cook on both sides until browned.
Lay the cooked slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
Place cookie sheet in freezer. By freezing them individually like this first, they won't stick together in the bag and will be easy to remove one at a time.
Once frozen, place slices in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove excess air, seal and freeze.
These make such an easy weekday breakfast. The French toast slices can be taken out one or two at a time and popped in the toaster or toaster oven. Top with syrup or fresh fruit.

You can find this recipe along with other easy freezer breakfast ideas with printable shopping lists and labels in our Freezer Breakfast Meal Plan.

You may also be interested in these make ahead breakfast ideas:

Pancake Mini Muffins

Taco Breakfast Cups

French Toast Casserole

Best Ever Freezer Meal Spaghetti Sauce

By Sharla

Spaghetti is one of those no-fail meals in our house. All our kids like it. We like it. It’s hearty comfort food that is sure to please. That’s why I always keep the best ever freezer meal spaghetti sauce stocked at all times.

This recipe makes one to two bags of sauce, but I always double or triple it so that I can have a lot of these in the freezer for easy weekday meals.

My neighbour Christie makes freezer meals with me. She didn’t initially understand why I would want to make spaghetti sauce as a freezer meal. In her mind, spaghetti was easy enough to make by just opening a jar of store-bought sauce.

That was before she tried this recipe!

The first time that I insisted we add this to the freezer meals we were making, she went along with it only to appease me, but now, it’s on the list every single time because their family loves it as much as we do!

How to Freeze Homemade Spaghetti Sauce:

Freezing spaghetti sauce is so simple. You don’t even have to set aside a separate time to do it.

The next time you’re making spaghetti sauce for your family, double (or triple) the recipe. Allow the extra sauce to cool. Transfer it to a large resealable freezer bag. If you want to be able to take out smaller portions, you can use several medium sized freezer bags.

Remove the excess air from the bag. Seal and freeze. Then reheat the sauce on the stove, in the Crock Pot, or even the Instant Pot on the day you’re serving spaghetti.

Can you freeze the noodles with the sauce?

Yes, you can freeze cooked spaghetti noodles and sauce together. If you’re going to do this, I recommend you leave the noodles quite al dente. That is, make them slightly undercooked so that when you’re reheating them, they don’t get mushy.

However, your pasta will have a better texture and be easier to reheat if you freeze just the sauce and then cook the noodles on the day of serving. Considering how easy it is to boil water and toss the noodles in, I suggest you make the sauce ahead and the noodles the day of.

Best Ever Freezer Spaghetti Sauce:

1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2x 14 oz. can tomato sauce
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. melted honey or sugar
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
dash pepper

Before assembling this freezer meal, brown the ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Chop the onion and green pepper. Mince the garlic.To assemble this freezer meal, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into a large resealable freezer bag or put all the ingredients directly into the bag and then squish together. Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag of spaghetti sauce out of the freezer and thaw. Heat in a large pot on stovetop over medium until desired heat is achieved or cook in the crock pot on low for 2-4 hours. Serve over spaghetti noodles or gluten free noodles, cooked according to package directions.If you want to make this taste even better, top with crushed chili flakes and grated parmesan or asiago cheese. Yum! Serve with garlic bread.

Best Ever Freezer Meal Spaghetti Sauce

This recipe makes one to two bags of sauce, but I always double or triple it so that I can have a lot of these in the freezer for easy weekday meals.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. browned ground beef
1 onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
2 x 14 oz. can tomato sauce
5 1/2 oz. can tomato paste
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. melted honey or sugar
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper

Instructions

Before assembling this freezer meal, brown the ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces as it cooks.
Chop the onion and green pepper. Mince the garlic.
To assemble this freezer meal, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into a large resealable freezer bag or put all the ingredients directly into the bag and then squish together.
Remove the excess air, seal and freeze.
On the day of cooking, take the bag of spaghetti sauce out of the freezer and thaw.
Heat in a large pot on stovetop over medium until desired heat is achieved or cook in the crock pot on low for 2-4 hours.
Serve over spaghetti noodles or gluten free noodles, cooked according to package directions.

Recipe Notes

If you want to make this taste even better, top with crushed chili flakes and grated parmesan or asiago cheese. Yum!

This recipe is included in our Family Favourites Freezer Meal plan which also includes printable shopping lists and labels along with other delicious recipes.

You may be interested in some of our other make ahead pasta sauces:

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

Saucy Sausage Pasta

Garlic Butter Shrimp