Freezer Meals 101

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Freezer Meal Dump Recipes

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

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Oh, man! You’re going to love this Dr. Pepper pulled pork recipe! It has just a bit of kick from the peppers that plays so nicely with the sweetness in the soda.a bun sits on a white plate with shredded meat on top of it and a green salad beside it with a few tomato pieces. The text reads "Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork - freezer meal - crock pot" #freezermeals101 #pulledpork #crockpotfreezermeal This freezer to Crock-Pot®  recipe is all kinds of tasty. I like to serve it on buns with a bit of garlic mayo, but just plain old buns are fine too.

I take this with us when we go camping if there is a plugin for my crockpot. Just pop the freezer meal in the cooler for the drive there and then on the day you want to serve it, throw it in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Recipe:

  • 5-7 lb. pork shoulder or butt
  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (11 oz.) chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
  • 2 cans Dr. Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the pork in a large resealable bag.
  2. Toss in the chopped onion, can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
  3. Pour in 2 cans of Dr. Pepper soda pop, holding the bag up to prevent spills.
  4. Remove the excess air, seal the bag, and freeze. collage of Dr Pepper pulled pork in the crockpot and on a plate with salad

Cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
  3. Shred and serve on buns.

Check out some of our other freezer to slow cooker meals:

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Beans and Cornclose up of cilantro lime chicken with corn, black beans, salsa, sour cream and guacamole

Freezer to Slow Cooker Beef  Stewclose up of beef stew made in a crockpot, served in a bowl

Easy Beef Dipclose up of beef on a bun with a side bowl of dip

Print
Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Recipe
Prep Time
5 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Keyword: pork
Servings: 12
Calories: 510 kcal
Ingredients
  • 5-7 lb. pork shoulder or butt
  • 1 large onion coarsely chopped
  • 1 can 11 oz. chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
  • 2 cans Dr. Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:
  1. Place the pork in a large resealable bag.

  2. Toss in the chopped onion, can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

  3. Pour in 2 cans of Dr. Pepper soda pop, holding the bag up to prevent spills.

  4. Remove the excess air, seal the bag, and freeze.
Cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.

  2. Place in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

  3. Shred and serve on buns.

Salsa Chicken Freezer Meal

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It truly doesn’t get more simple than this salsa chicken recipe. Not only is this an easy freezer meal, but it is also tasty! You can customize it to your own tastes by the type of salsa you use.

Salsa Chicken Dump Freezer Meal #freezermeals101 #freezercooking #chickendumprecipe #easyfamilymealsAs with other dump recipes, it is just as fast to make several at a time as it is to make one. If you choose to make multiples, just set the bags up, put the chicken in each bag, and then add the other ingredients.

If you’re new to making dump meals, watch the video below to see step-by-step instructions and get helpful tips:

If you want to kick things up a notch, use spicy salsa. You can also vary things by using a chunkier salsa or using a homemade one.

Salsa Chicken Recipe:

  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup salsa, your choice of mild, medium, or spicy
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

collage of salsa chicken served with Caesar and rice

Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken in a large resealable freezer bag or reusable silicone freezer bag.
  2. Toss the rest of the ingredients into the bag and squish to mix around.
  3. Take the air out of the bag and seal before freezing.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake in a casserole dish for 55 minutes.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Cook in a skillet on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside, flipping occasionally. close up of salsa chicken with salad and rice

What to serve with salsa chicken:

  • taco chips with guacamole
  • refried beans
  • rice
  • salad
  • corn

Check out these other chicken dump recipes:

Honey Sesame Chicken Dump Meal

close up of honey sesame chicken with salad and carrotsLemon Garlic Chicken Dump Close up of lemon garlic chicken with rice and slices of lemonMahjong Chicken Dump Recipe close up of mahjong chicken with salad and rice

 

Print
Salsa Chicken Recipe
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken, salsa
Servings: 4
Calories: 307 kcal
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup salsa your choice of mild, medium, or spicy
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
Instructions
Assembly instructions:

  1. Place the chicken in a large resealable freezer bag or reusable silicone freezer bag.

  2. Toss the rest of the ingredients into the bag and squish to mix around.

  3. Take the air out of the bag and seal before freezing.

Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Take the bag out of the freezer. Thaw.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake in a casserole dish for 55 minutes.

Skillet cooking instructions:

  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.

  2. Cook in a skillet on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside, flipping occasionally.

Mahjong Chicken Dump Recipe

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This easy-to-make recipe has a unique flavor. We call it Mahjong Chicken and it’s a must-try.

Using the dump recipe method, this meal can be assembled in minutes and then frozen. It can be cooked in the crockpot or in the oven.

Mahjong Chicken with rice and broccoli salad #freezermeals101 #mahjongchicken #mealdumprecipe #freezermeal My neighbor and I loved the taste of this recipe, but we weren’t sure what to call it. Given some of the Asian flavors like the fish sauce, Chinese 5 spice, and Thai sweet chili sauce, we decided to name it Mahjong after the game that originated in China.

Mahjong Chicken Dump Recipe:

  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (alternately, you can use 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

collage of mahjong chicken with sides of salad and rice

Assembly instructions:

  1. In a large resealable freezer bag, place the chicken breasts and then dump all the other ingredients on top.
  2. Squish to combine.
  3. Remove the excess air before sealing the bag. Freeze.

Oven cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a casserole dish and bake covered at 350° for 55 minutes.

Crockpot® cooking instructions:

  1. Thaw.
  2. Place chicken and sauce into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

close up of mahjong chicken with salad and rice on the side

Suggested side dishes for Mahjong Chicken:

You can find other simple-to-make chicken recipes in our Chicken Dump Recipes cookbook. It includes printable labels and grocery lists, making it easier than ever to get dinner on the table. 

Print
Mahjong Chicken
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken, chicken dump
Servings: 6
Calories: 258 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup thai sweet chili sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic minced
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
Instructions
Assembly instructions:

  1. In a large resealable freezer bag, place the chicken breasts and then dump all the other ingredients on top.

  2. Squish to combine.
  3. Remove the excess air before sealing the bag. Freeze.
Oven cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Dump the bag contents into a casserole dish and bake covered at 350° for 55 minutes.
Crock pot cooking instructions:
  1. Thaw.
  2. Place chicken and sauce into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Recipe Notes

Instead of chicken breasts, you can use 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.

Some of our other easy chicken freezer meals for you:

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe close up of lemon garlic chicken served with riceHoney Sesame Chicken Dump Recipe close up of honey sesame chicken served with carrots and salad

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.

collage of honey sesame chicken served with rice and honey maple glazed carrotsThis 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. close up of honey sesame chicken with honey maple glazed carrots

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. 

Print
Honey Sesame Chicken
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken
Servings: 5
Calories: 346 kcal
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 close up of chili glazed chicken served with beets and riceLemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe close up of lemon garlic chicken served with rice and slices of lemon

Shredded BBQ Chicken collage of shredded BBQ chicken in the slow cooker and with a bun on a plate

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken on Buns

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The first time I made this shredded buffalo chicken on buns for dinner, I didn’t get to taste it. My kids were so in love with it, that some of them went in for seconds and thirds before I realized what was happening. When I went to scoop up myself, there was nothing left!

Gotta love an awesome tasting meal that goes from the freezer to the crock pot! Buffalo Chicken on Buns #freezermeals101 #crockpotrecipes #buffalochicken #makeaheadmeals #freezertocrockpotLooking at the inside of that empty crockpot could have made me angry, but instead, I was thrilled! I love when I find a meal that every single one of my kids will eat with no complaints. We had a winner on our hands!

I was slightly less thrilled with the notion of warming up leftovers for myself for supper, but I knew I would get to try it the next time. I also knew how easy it had been to put together. It was an easy decision to put it into the regular freezer meal rotation.

This recipe takes minutes to throw together, so it’s easy to make several at a time so that you always have one on hand to pull out of the freezer.

I love freezer to slow cooker recipes because they combine two things that make getting supper on the table easier and faster.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken on Buns:

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 oz. package of cream cheese
  • 1 bottle of Frank’s Red Hot sauce
  • 1 envelope of dry Ranch seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions for assembly:

  1. Put the chicken breasts into a large resealable freezer bag or silicone reusable freezer bag.
  2. Dump the other ingredients into the bag.
  3. Take out any extra air. Seal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

If you are using a slow cooker liner, add it to the slow cooker. They are not necessary but make clean-up so simple.

  1. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
  2. Cook in the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours. Shred the chicken.
  3. Spoon the chicken mixture onto buns to serve.

This mixture would also be great for making cute little buffalo chicken sliders to serve at a potluck or Super Bowl gathering or birthday party.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me how much my kids loved this recipe. They devour my buffalo chicken dip and request that I make it often. This shredded buffalo chicken has many of the same flavors as the dip does.

Possible Toppings for Buffalo Chicken Buns or Sliders:

  • blue cheese (slice or crumbles)
  • Mozza or cheddar cheese (sliced or shredded)
  • pickles
  • Ranch dressing
  • lettuce
  • tomatoes
  • coleslaw

Find more freezer to slow cooker recipes in our Slow Cooker Freezer Meal Plans. It includes recipes, a shopping list, and printable labels, making it so easy to get dinner on the table for your family.

Check out some of our other make-ahead crockpot® recipes that can be served on buns:

BBQ Pulled Pork close up of pulled pork on a bun with sauceSlow Cooker Beef Dip close up of beef on a bun with dipBBQ Shredded Chicken with Garlic Mayo on Buns collage of BBQ shredded chicken on a bun plated and in the slow cooker

Print
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken on Buns
Course: Main Course
Keyword: buffalo, chicken
Servings: 6
Calories: 300 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 oz. package of cream cheese
  • 1 bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce
  • 1 envelope of dry Ranch seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
For cooking day:
  • buns
Instructions
Directions for assembly:

  1. Put the chicken breasts into a large resealable freezer bag or silicone reusable freezer bag.

  2. Dump the other ingredients into the bag.
  3. Take out any extra air. Seal and freeze.
Cooking instructions:

  1. If you are using a slow cooker liner, add it to the slow cooker. They are not necessary but make clean-up so simple.

  2. Take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.

  3. Cook in the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours. Shred the chicken.

  4. Spoon the chicken mixture onto buns to serve.