Freezer Meals 101

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Sheet Pan Recipe

Finding quick and easy dinner ideas isn’t always easy. That’s why we love sheet pan meals so much! This simple sweet and sour meatballs recipe is the perfect one-pan dinner. Just prepare the ingredients ahead of time, store them in the freezer, and spread everything out on a big pan when you’re ready to cook dinner! After a few minutes of prep and a few minutes of cooking, your family will have a flavourful dinner to enjoy – even on a busy weeknight.

We’re on a bit of a sheet pan kick. Being able to take a freezer meal out and transfer it to the oven on a cookie sheet makes things so easy. Our other sheet pan dinners include Pesto Chicken and Veggies, Cajun Sausage and Root Vegetables, and Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Sheet Pan Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds frozen meatballs, pre-cooked
1 cup green beans, frozen
1 onion, sliced
14 ounces pineapple slices, drained
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup

Assembly Instructions:

Place the meatballs, green beans, onion, and pineapple slices in a large resealable bag.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Stir in the vinegar, water, soy sauce, and ketchup.
Pour the sauce mixture into the bag with the meatballs. Squish the ingredients to combine the sauce, meatballs, and vegetables. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Transfer the frozen ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw.
Spread all of the ingredients in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

How Long Can You Freeze Sweet and Sour Meatballs?

After preparing your sweet and sour meatballs ingredients, you can store the meal in the freezer for up to three months. To ensure you enjoy your sheet pan dinner before it expires, make sure to label your freezer container with the name of the recipe, date of freezing and expected expiration date.

What Type of Meatballs Should I Use for Sweet and Sour Meatballs?

Since this dinner is made with frozen meatballs, it’s important to know what style of meatballs is best for this particular recipe. While Italian style meatballs are great for pasta dishes, the Italian seasoning and herbs used in this variety won’t blend well with the sweet and sour sauce.

Instead of choosing Italian meatballs, look for “homestyle” meatballs. This variety is made with neutral seasoning, which matches perfectly with the rest of ingredients in this recipe. If you can’t find meatballs labeled “homestyle,” simply check the ingredient list on the package to see what type of seasoning is used. Avoid options made with Italian style ingredients, like oregano and basil, which may clash with the sweet and sour ingredients in the sauce.

How Do You Store Leftover Sweet and Sour Meatballs?

Once you’re finished enjoying your meatball dinner, you can store your leftovers in the refrigerator. Transfer the cooked ingredients to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to four days.

Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave, oven or over low heat in a small skillet.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe Ideas

Your family is going to love the delicious combination of sweet and sour sauce with meatballs in this dinner. But if you’re looking for ways to change up this recipe, check out these easy substitutions and adjustments to try.

Serve over rice or pasta. This simple sheet pan meal can be served as a dinner all on its own. But if you want to bulk up the meal a little more, try serving the sheet pan ingredients over white rice or cooked pasta. You can prepare the rice or pasta while the meatballs are cooking in the oven for a quick and easy addition to your dinner.
Add more veggies. The combination of pineapple, green beans, and onions makes the perfect meal for your family. If you want to add even more flavor to your dinner, try mixing in a few more veggies before freezing the meal. You can add sliced bell peppers, corn, sliced carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, or peas.
Make your own meatballs. Using pre-cooked frozen meatballs is a great way to speed up the prep work on this quick sheet pan dinner. But if you have some extra time on prep day, you can also make your own meatballs from scratch. Just prepare the meatballs according to the recipe, cook them, and allow them to cool completely. After that, you can transfer the cooled meatballs to the bag with the rest of the ingredients and follow the instructions in this recipe for freezing and reheating.
Reheat in the slow cooker. If you have some extra time to cook your meal, try reheating your sweet and sour meatballs in your crockpot. Just transfer the thawed ingredients to the bowl of your slow cooker and cook them on low for six to eight hours.
Serve as appetizers. With the help of some toothpicks, this quick sheet pan dinner also makes a great appetizer. Just stack a pineapple chunk and green bean on top of a cooked meatball, add a toothpick, and serve as bite-sized snacks at your next party.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs Sheet Pan Meal

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: meatballs

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs. frozen meatballs pre-cooked
1 cup green beans frozen
1 onion sliced
14 ounces canned pineapple slices drained
2 cups brown sugar packed
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. ketchup

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Place the meatballs, green beans, onion, and pineapple slices in a large resealable freezer bag.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and flour. Stir in the vinegar, water, soy sauce, and ketchup.
Pour the sauce mixture into the bag with the meatballs. Squish the ingredients to combine the sauce, meatballs, and vegetables. Remove excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Spread all of the ingredients in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400° for 20 to 30 minutes.

The Best Containers for Freezer Cooking

By Sharla

Choosing the best containers for your freezer meals is more important than you may think. With the right containers, you can avoid freezer burn, conserve space in the freezer, and have the best chance for freezer cooking success.When freezer cooking, it’s best to choose a container that was designed for cold storage. Using an empty sour cream tub or sandwich bag will likely result in freezer burn.

In the video below, I share my thoughts on the best meal prep containers and the pros and cons of some of the options available.

Best Containers for Freezer Meals:

Hands down, my favourite containers for freezer meals are resealable freezer bags. They are convenient, you can see at a glance what’s in them, they hold up well, and when frozen flat and stacked, they take up very little space.

Use gallon sized bags for family size freezer meals and quart sized bags for individual sized meals or dinners for two.

Bags prevent freezer burn as long as you ensure you get all the air you can out of the bag before sealing.

I encourage you to use brand name freezer bags for this because I have had issues with the no name brand bags leaking.

Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Freezer Bags Ziploc Quart Food Storage Freezer Bags

If you have smaller items that go with the meal but need to be packaged separately such as shredded cheese for topping, we put them into a quart sized resealable freezer bag and staple them above the seal to the gallon size resealable freezer bag that the full freezer meal is in.

Note: It’s really important to staple above the seal so as not to create small holes in the bag itself.

Alternately, you can use reusable silicone freezer bags.

Space saving tip:

If you have a small over the fridge freezer, it can help conserve space if you first lay your freezer meals flat to freeze and then once frozen, stack them upright in your freezer as you would books on a bookshelf.

Best Freezer Storage for Individual Meals:

When making individual freezer meals, there are several good options. Quart sized resealable freezer bags work well for these meals.

For meals that need to go into the oven, I like to use the foil pans with cardboard lids. You can easily write the cooking instructions on the lid and everything is ready to be put in the oven. This works especially well for things such as lasagna, manicotti, and enchiladas.

If you want to be able to reheat the meals in the microwave, you can find plastic containers that are both freezer safe and microwave safe.

Ziploc Quart Freezer Bags Freshware Meal Prep Containers Freezer Safe Microwave Safe Dishwasher Safe Aluminum Foil Pans with Cardboard Lids for Meal Prep

Best Containers for Layered Casseroles:

For family sized layered casseroles, I like to use a 9×13 foil pan. You can find them at the dollar store or the grocery store. Sometimes they have cardboard lids and sometimes I just use foil. To prevent freezer burn, I will first cover the casserole in plastic wrap, and then add the foil but be sure to make a note to yourself to remove the plastic wrap before heating in the oven! You can find deep dish foil pans that are suitable for lasagna and more shallow pans, that will fit a layer of manicotti or enchiladas, or if your casserole is on the smaller side.

Sometimes, acidic contents can eat a hole in a foil pan, such as rhubarb crisp, or even the tomato sauce in lasagna if it’s left too long. An alternative to a foil pan is to use a glass casserole dish. Again, I cover it in plastic wrap before adding to foil, just to give it one more layer of protection against freezer burn.

Never put a glass dish directly from the freezer into the oven. I recommend instead to let your casserole thaw at least part way, if not completely, before putting in the oven. You can always cook it a bit longer too if it’s still a bit frozen in the middle.

If you want to use a glass container but don’t want it to be held hostage in your freezer until it’s time to cook your meal, there is another solution. Line your container with parchment paper, add your meal, freeze it, and then once frozen, take the meal out of the container by lifting up the parchment paper and transfer it to a large freezer bag. On the day of cooking, your meal will retain the shape of the container and can be transferred directly from the freezer bag to the container to thaw and then cook.

Best Freezer Containers for Sauces and Soups:

One thing that I’ve found that works well for freezing sauces, soups, or stews is Souper Cubes. Souper Cubes allow you to portion the food and freeze and then you can reheat in individual portions or all at once.

When my husband was doing Keto, I used to freeze his chili this way. I’ve also used them to freeze soup.

While it can be tricky to zip up a resealable freezer bag with a lot of liquid in it, with a bit of practice and maybe a bit of help, it works well. The advantages of using freezer bags are that they will then lay flat to freeze, which saves space, and they will thaw quickly and evenly.

Best for Freezing Baby Food:

When making baby food, it can be pureed and poured into ice cube trays. You can find ice cube trays at any grocery store or dollar store. Souper Cubes has a tray in just the right size that includes a lid so it is perfect for freezing baby food.

Once frozen, you can pop them out and add them to a resealable freezer bag to store in your freezer. You can use a gallon size or a quart size depending on how many cubes you end up with.

Typical ice cube trays hold 2 Tbsp. of liquid in each “cube”. Two cubes will equal a quarter cup. As your baby grows and can eat more, you can add more cubes to defrost for him or her. Also, as your baby grows and can eat chunkier food, you can save and freeze leftovers into the ice cube trays. It will thaw quickly and reheat quickly.

Breast milk is also safe to freeze as long as it is stored properly. Freeze breast milk in a breast milk storage bag or freezer tray with a secure lid. It’s important to follow the proper guidelines when freezing breast milk.

Souper Cubes 2 Tablespoon Freezing Tray with lid Ice Cube Trays For Freezer Silicone Baby Food Freezer Tray with Clip-on Lid Also works for Breast Milk Philips AVENT Breast Milk Storage Bags for Freezer

Best Part of Using a Vacuum Sealer:

While I haven’t used a vacuum sealer for freezer meals often, some people love them and swear by them. Their biggest advantage? Almost zero freezer burn! They can be a bit expensive up front. You have to purchase the machine and the bags. However, it is so effective at removing the air during the vacuum and sealing process, you almost never have to throw out food due to freezer burn. FoodSaver claims that food in their vacuum sealed bags will be good for two to three years!

Vacuuming solid food is fairly straight forward, but when you are including a sauce or wanting to vacuum seal soup or chili, the best method is to freeze it first. Use a container that you know will fit inside a vacuum seal bag. Freeze your meal. Pop it out of the container and transfer it to your bag for sealing. Some people will freeze their food in the shape of their instant pot or slow cooker so they can truly go from freezer to cooking!

If you do manage to find a way to get soup into a vacuum seal bag, be aware that liquids expand when they freeze. Expansion can ruin the seal on your bag, causing your food to spoil faster than it should and potentially make a mess!

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Machine for Airtight Food Storage Food Saver Vacuum Seal Rolls and Vacuum Sealer Bags

Best Foods to Freeze Flat:

There are times when you will want to freeze foods that are used individually, such as pancakes, waffles and French toast. If you freeze them in a bag altogether after cooking, you can try put wax paper or parchment paper in between each pancake to prevent them from sticking together. However, the simplest solution is this: using a cookie sheet.

Place some parchment paper down first, and then lay your pancakes flat on the pan. Place it in your freezer for 20-60 minutes. Once frozen, transfer the pancakes to a resealable freezer bag and they won’t stick together when you go to use them. Our kids have been eating breakfast foods this way for years, by just taking one or two out of the bag and them popping them in the toaster!

Other foods that freeze well by this method:

hamburger patties
uncooked meatballs
quesadillas
fresh produce, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and even bananas!
appetizers, such as bacon wrapped anything
squares, cookies, and other baking

Easy Chicken Curry Make Ahead Recipe

By Sharla

Curry is a delicious Indian dish that’s packed with flavour. But since traditional curry often takes hours to prepare, it’s not the best option for a busy weeknight dinner. With the help of this easy chicken curry recipe, you can put together a simple make-ahead dinner with just a few minutes of prep work. Simply store the ingredients in the freezer until you’re ready to start cooking, then pop the curry in the oven to bake for dinner.

Easy Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons minced ginger
pinch salt
1 cup chicken broth

Freezing instructions:

Place chicken in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the minced garlic, diced onion, red pepper, curry powder, minced ginger, salt, and chicken broth in the bag with the chicken.
Seal the bag and squeeze the ingredients together to mix and coat the chicken with sauce.
Open the corner of the bag to remove the excess air, then reseal and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Transfer the chicken curry to the refrigerator to thaw.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and pour the contents of the bag into a large casserole dish. Cover and cook for one hour.
To prepare the chicken curry on the stovetop, pour the contents of the freezer bag into a large skillet. Simmer the curry until the sauce and chicken are heated through.

You can find this recipe in our Chicken Dump Recipes cookbook.

Can Chicken Curry Be Made in Advance?

Making your meal ahead of time is a great way to speed up meal prep on a busy weeknight. One of the easiest ways to prepare this make ahead meal is to combine all the ingredients in a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to prepare it.

When you’re ready to start cooking, simply thaw the frozen chicken curry and heat it up in the oven or skillet.

Easy Chicken Curry Serving Ideas

You’re going to love how quick and easy this recipe is to prepare! Once you have your dinner cooked and ready to go, try some of these serving suggestions to prepare a delicious dinner for your family.

Serve your curry with rice. Rice makes a great side dish to this spicy chicken dinner. Traditional white or brown rice is a great option. Or add even more flavour to your curry with a side of jasmine or basmati rice.
Top with fresh herbs. Adding a sprinkling of fresh cilantro or chopped parsley is a simple way to add some freshness to your make ahead dinner. Before serving your chicken curry, sprinkle a few fresh herbs over the top to enhance the flavour.
Add a side of vegetables. To round out your meal, try serving this easy chicken curry with a side of veggies, like peas or broccoli. Or substitute regular rice with cauliflower rice for a low carb dinner option.

Chicken Curry

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, chicken dump

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3-5 chicken breasts boneless, skinless or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 clove garlic minced
1 onion diced
1 red pepper diced
1 Tbsp. curry powder
2 tsp. minced ginger
pinch salt
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Place chicken in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the minced garlic, diced onion, red pepper, curry powder, minced ginger, salt, and chicken broth in the bag with the chicken.
Seal the bag and squeeze the ingredients together to mix and coat the chicken with sauce.
Open the corner of the bag to remove the excess air, then reseal and freeze.

Oven Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 350° and pour the contents of the bag into a large casserole dish. Cover and cook for one hour.

Stovetop Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Pour the contents of the freezer bag into a large skillet. Simmer the curry until the sauce and chicken are heated through.

Some of our other easy chicken dump recipes:

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Freezer Meal

By Sharla

There’s no reason to leave home to enjoy a delicious Mexican meal at your favourite restaurant! When you prepare these sheet pan chicken fajitas, you can eat your favourite Mexican restaurant meal at home with just a few minutes of prep work! And since you can make this simple meal ahead of time and freeze it for later, it’s perfect for dinner any night – no matter how busy you are!

Sheet pan meals are all the rage and I’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Because who doesn’t love having less dishes to do?!

We’ve already put our Sheet Pan Cajun Sausage and Root Vegetables and Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies into our regular recipe rotation. These chicken fajitas have joined them.

If you’re wanting to make a stack of sheet pan freezer meals, I invite you to join us in making some for yourself. We have created a free sheet pan meal plan for you that includes the recipes, prep list, shopping list, and printable labels.

Once you download that and get your ingredients, watch the video below to cook along with us. You’ll walk away with 10 sheet pan dinners including this fajita meal.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 purple onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons fajita seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

For day of cooking:

6 8-inch flour tortillas
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese

Assembly Instructions:

Prep the ingredients for your fajitas by cutting the chicken breast into strips, slicing the peppers and onions, and mincing the garlic.
Combine the prepared chicken, peppers, onions, garlic, seasonings, and olive oil in a large resealable freezer bag.
Seal the bag and give it a squish to combine all the ingredients.
Open the corner of the bag and squeeze to remove the excess air, then reseal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Transfer the fajita ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Spread all the ingredients in the bag out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve in flour or corn tortillas with optional toppings.

Do Fajitas Freeze Well?

Since all the ingredients in these sheet pan chicken fajitas are freezer-friendly, this recipe is perfect for meal planning! On top of being simple to cook, this quick recipe is also easy to put together.

And because there’s no cooking involved in preparing your fajitas for the freezer, all you have to do is slice the meat and veggies and combine everything in a freezer friendly container. You can store your make-ahead fajita ingredients in a freezer bag or airtight container until you’re ready to cook them.

When you’re ready to start cooking, it’s important to plan for plenty of time to allow your chicken to thaw. The day before you plan on cooking, transfer the frozen ingredients to the refrigerator so it can safely thaw overnight.

Can You Freeze Cooked Fajita Meat?

The beauty of freezer cooking is that most meat can be frozen raw or cooked. Deciding which preparation method you’ll use when putting together your fajitas depends on how much time you want to spend cooking the fajitas at dinner time.

If you would rather spend less time prepping the meal on prep day, freezing the chicken raw is the best option. But if you would rather spend less time cooking your fajitas when you’re ready to eat them, try cooking the chicken before freezing it.

You can cook your sheet pan chicken fajitas on prep day by following the instructions in the recipe. Once the chicken and veggies are cooked, allow the ingredients to cool completely. Then, transfer the cooked meal to a freezer bag or container and store in the freezer.

When you’re ready to cook your fajitas, transfer the frozen ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw. Then, you can reheat your cooked meal in the oven, skillet, or microwave.

How Long Are Fajitas Good for in the Freezer?

After storing your fajita ingredients in the freezer, they’ll stay good for up to nine months. To make sure you enjoy your dinner before it goes bad, take the time to label your bag with the name of the recipe, date of freezing, and expected expiration date before placing the ingredients in the freezer.

How Do You Store Leftover Fajitas?

After you prepare your sheet pan fajitas, any leftovers must be stored in the refrigerator. Transfer the meat and veggies to an airtight container and keep them refrigerated. The ingredients will stay good for up to three days when stored properly.

When storing your leftovers, it’s a good idea to keep the meat and veggies stored separately from the tortillas and toppings. That’s because the meat and vegetables could make the tortillas soggy if they’re stored together.

Are Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas Healthy?

Since the main part of this quick meal is made up of low-fat chicken and healthy peppers and onions, this is a great dinner option when you’re searching for a healthy meal for your family.

When served alone, these chicken fajitas are low carb. To keep them low carb, you can add sugar-free toppings, like cheese, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, and guacamole.

In addition to being healthy, the filling ingredients in this sheet pan meal are also gluten free. Make sure to serve your chicken and peppers with gluten free tortillas or corn tortillas.

clear bag with chicken and bright vegetables

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, fajita

Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 yellow pepper sliced
1 purple onion sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 to 3 Tbsp. fajita seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil

For day of cooking:

6 8 inch flour tortillas
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

Prep the ingredients for your fajitas by cutting the chicken breast into strips, slicing the peppers and onions, and mincing the garlic.
Combine the prepared chicken, peppers, onions, garlic, seasonings, and olive oil in a large resealable freezer bag.
Seal the bag and give it a squish to combine.
Open the corner of the bag and squeeze to remove the excess air, then reseal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

Thaw.
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Spread all the ingredients on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve in flour or corn tortillas with optional toppings.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Legs Freezer Meal

By Sharla

BBQ chicken doesn’t have to be reserved for the summer if you have a slow cooker at home. With the help of this freezer-friendly crock pot BBQ chicken legs recipe, you can enjoy the delicious flavours of grilled chicken without the need for a grill at all. And since this simple recipe can be prepared in a matter of minutes, it’s a great option for a busy weeknight dinner at home.One of our sons is a huge fan of drumsticks, so I was thrilled to figure out a way to cook them at home that allowed them to be that perfect blend of tender and crispy.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken drumsticks
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¾ cups BBQ sauce, divided

Freezing instructions:

Stir together the paprika, cumin, and salt in a small bowl.
Place the chicken legs in a large freezer bag and add the spice mixture. Shake the bag to coat the chicken legs in the seasoning.
Add the minced garlic and one cup of the BBQ sauce to the bag. Squeeze the bag to combine the ingredients and coat the drumsticks in sauce.
Seal the bag leaving a small opening at the end. Remove the excess air from the bag and seal it completely.
Pour the remaining BBQ sauce into a medium freezer bag. Staple the bag to the bag with the chicken legs in it above the seal. Place both bags in the freezer.

Serving instructions:

Allow the chicken to thaw completely in the refrigerator.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker and set it to cook on low for four to six hours.
When the chicken is cooked through, transfer the chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the chicken with half the reserved BBQ sauce.
Place the chicken under the broiler for one to five minutes, until the sauce starts to brown.
Remove the pan from the oven and flip the drumsticks over. Brush with remaining sauce and return the pan to the oven to broil an additional one to five minutes.

How Long Do I Cook BBQ Chicken Legs in the Crock Pot?

Cooking chicken in your slow cooker is a great way to help speed up the prep time. But since the chicken cooks slowly, you’ll need reserve several hours for cooking your drumsticks. Depending on how large your chicken legs are, they will be done cooking between four and six hours when cooked on low.

Can You Freeze Chicken with BBQ sauce on it?

Adding sauce and spices to your chicken before freezing is a great way to add some flavour to your drumsticks. That’s because marinade allows the flavours of your sauce to soak into the chicken. To prevent the acid in your sauce from breaking down the meat too much, it’s usually not recommended to marinate chicken for more than 12 hours.

But since the marinating process stops when the sauce is frozen, there’s no reason to worry about the breakdown process occurring in the freezer. That means it’s completely safe to freeze your chicken legs in BBQ sauce.

When you’re ready to cook your BBQ chicken drumsticks, simply transfer the freezer bag to the refrigerator to thaw. After that, you can prepare them on the grill, in the slow cooker, or in the oven.

Can You Cook Frozen Drumsticks in the Crock Pot?

Frozen drumsticks can be prepared in the slow cooker, but the cook time will need to be increased to ensure your chicken is cooked through. If cooking the chicken legs from frozen, allow for 8 to 10 hours of cooking when using your crock pot.

But while it’s possible to cook chicken from frozen in your crock pot, for best results I recommend thawing the drumsticks before cooking them. On top of being a safer method of cooking, giving your drumsticks time to thaw is the best way to ensure that they’re not stringy or rubbery when you’re ready to eat them.

BBQ Chicken Legs Tips & Tricks

This freezer-friendly chicken recipe couldn’t be easier to prepare! And with these baking tips and tricks, you’ll be on your way to prepping a delicious dinner for your family to enjoy in the future.

Always label your freezer bag. These frozen chicken legs will stay good for up to 9 months. Before you add the ingredients to your freezer bag, make sure to label the bag with the name of the recipe, the date it was frozen, and the estimated expiration date.
Try different cuts of chicken. These BBQ drumsticks are delicious in the slow cooker, but you can easily adjust this recipe for other chicken cuts. Chicken thighs or boneless breasts are also great options for freezing and cooking in the crock pot.
Keep an eye on the broiler. As you’re browning the chicken legs in the oven, it’s important that you watch the drumsticks closely as they cook under the broiler. The heat from the broiler can quickly burn your chicken and sauce, so make sure to stay close to the oven during this step of the cooking process.

Drumstick side dish suggestions:

BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

Broiling

10 mins

Total Time

4 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs. chicken drumsticks
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1 ¾ cups BBQ sauce divided

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Stir together the paprika, cumin, and salt in a small bowl.
Place the chicken legs in a large freezer bag and add the spice mixture. Shake the bag to coat the chicken legs in the seasoning.
Add the minced garlic and one cup of the BBQ sauce to the bag. Squeeze the bag to combine the ingredients and coat the drumsticks in sauce.
Remove excess air and seal.
Pour the remaining BBQ sauce into a medium freezer bag. Staple the bag to the large bag above the seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

Thaw.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
When the chicken is cooked through, transfer the chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the chicken with half the reserved BBQ sauce.
Place the chicken under the broiler for one to five minutes, until the sauce starts to brown.
Remove the pan from the oven and flip the drumsticks over. Brush with remaining sauce and return the pan to the oven to broil an additional one to five minutes.