Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe (Freezer Friendly)

Finding simple ways to spice up plain chicken isn’t always easy – especially when you’re meal prepping. But with this simple lemon pepper chicken recipe, you can put together a quick and easy main course with just a few minutes of prep work. After seasoning your chicken, store it in the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy it. Then, prepare it one of three ways – in the oven, on the stovetop, or on the grill.

This simple recipe came about because our oldest daughter is picky, picky, picky, but loves lemon pepper. If we put lemon pepper on something, there’s a good chance she will eat it. 

Chicken dump recipes are so fast to put together. Some of our favourites include:

• Chili Glazed Chicken Dump Recipe
• Citrus Chicken
• Gingery Salsa Chicken
• Honey Sesame Chicken
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Freezing instructions:

1. Add the chicken to a large freezer bag and top with the lemon juice, garlic, lemon pepper seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
2. Squeeze the bag together to mix the sauce into the chicken, remove the excess air from the bag and seal. Place it in the freezer until you’re ready to prepare it.

Serving instructions:

1. Thaw the chicken in the refrigerator.
2. When ready to cook in the oven, preheat the oven to 350° and grease a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the chicken and sauce to the baking dish and cover the pan. Cook for one hour, removing the cover for the last 10 minutes of baking.
3. To cook the chicken on the stovetop, pour the chicken and sauce into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.
4. To grill the chicken, remove the meat from the bag and cook over medium high heat on the BBQ. Continue cooking until the center of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

What is Lemon Pepper Seasoning Made of?

The delicious combination of lemon and pepper in this classic chicken seasoning is the perfect way to top your poultry. But if you’re wondering what lemon pepper seasoning is made of, you’ll be happy to know that the recipe is pretty simple. This delicious seasoning blend is made by combining dried lemon zest, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.

This simple recipe uses premade lemon pepper seasoning for faster prep work. But if you don’t have any on hand or prefer to make your own seasoning blends, whipping up this classic combination of seasonings is pretty simple.

To make your own lemon pepper seasoning at home, combine:

• ¼ cup dried lemon peel
• 1 Tbsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Stir the ingredients together and use what you need for your recipe. Then, store the rest of the seasoning in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it again.

Does Lemon Pepper Chicken Freeze Well?

Most chicken recipes are perfect for freezer cooking, which means this lemon pepper chicken is a great option for meal prepping. That’s because it’s so simple to prepare! Just combine all the ingredients in the freezer bag, then store them flat in the freezer until you’re ready to cook them.

To ensure you prepare you chicken before it goes bad, make sure to write the name of the recipe, the date it was frozen, and the expected expiration date on the outside of the bag before you place it in the freezer. When stored properly, this lemon pepper chicken will stay good in the freezer for up to three months.

When you’re ready to cook your chicken, make sure to transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw the night before you plan to cook it. That will give the meat plenty of time to unfreeze safely.

Is it Better to Freeze Raw or Frozen Chicken?

Figuring out the best way to make use of your freezer is one of the biggest problems many cooks face while meal prepping. So, if you’re wondering whether it’s better to freeze raw chicken or frozen chicken, you’ll be happy to know that you’ll have best results when freezing your chicken raw. That’s because moisture is lost when cooking your chicken, which means it may become dry after it’s stored in the freezer for an extended period of time.

When using chicken for freezer cooking, it’s also important to remember that frozen chicken should not be refrozen after it’s been thawed. That means you’ll need to make sure to cook the chicken after removing it from the freezer to avoid wasting your poultry.

How Do You Properly Freeze Chicken?

The key to making your frozen chicken last as long as possible is to properly store it in the freezer. With these freezing tips, you can ensure your chicken tastes amazing no matter how long it’s been stored.

• Choose the proper container. Airtight containers and freezer bags are the best option when storing chicken in the freezer.
• Remove all the air. To keep the chicken from getting freezer burn, removing excess air from the container is essential. Make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible before storing for the best results.
• Label the container. To keep track of the recipes inside your freezer, it’s always a good idea to label your containers. Write the name of the recipe, date of freezing, and expected expiration date clearly on each container. I also like to include the cooking instructions.

Print

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Prep Time

3 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, chicken dump

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3-5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Add the chicken to a large resealable freezer bag and top with the lemon juice, garlic, lemon pepper seasoning, and cayenne pepper.

2. Squish to combine, remove excess air, and seal. Freeze.

Oven cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Transfer the chicken and sauce to the baking dish and cover the pan. Cook for one hour, removing the cover for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Stovetop cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. To cook the chicken on the stovetop, pour the chicken and sauce into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.

BBQ cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. To grill the chicken, remove the meat from the bag and cook over medium high heat on the BBQ. Continue cooking until the center of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.