Italian

Baked Italian Chicken (Freezer Meal)

Who doesn’t love a freezer meal that includes the protein AND the veggies?! This baked Italian chicken recipe has all that and more. It is especially delicious served over pasta. Sometimes when you bake chicken in the oven, it can dry out, but this recipe has a sauce, so the chicken stays nice and juicy.

This dish can also be cooked in the Crock-Pot® (which I know then technically is no longer called “Baked” Italian Chicken, but it still tastes just as good. And the slow cooker option is nice for a day when you need to be out of the house and come back to dinner waiting.

What I like best about this meal is that it includes some fresh-tasting vegetables as well as the chicken so I know my kids are getting a balanced meal and yet it’s so easy to throw together. Plus, when you serve it over pasta, it gets that homemade comfort food aspect down as well.

Baked Italian Chicken Recipe:

8-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini with peel, cubed
1/2 cup onion, diced
24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Assembly instructions:

Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you can instead serve this over rice. You can also serve this with a side salad if you want more greens.

Variations on this recipe:

Substitute 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs.
Add some crushed chili flakes either before cooking or when serving if you like to spice things up a bit.
You can substitute a can of sliced mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, but I really suggest you use fresh. It’s hardly any extra work to slice them up and it tastes so much fresher.
Use whichever red pasta sauce is your favorite. By experimenting and trying different types of pasta sauce, you can change up the flavors of this meal.

Other chicken freezer meals:

Baked Italian Chicken

Prep Time

7 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked chicken, chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 428 kcal

Ingredients

8-12 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini cubed with peel
1/2 cup onion diced
24 oz. jar pasta sauce

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

Cut the zucchini and onion and slice the mushrooms.
Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the seasoning, vegetables, brown sugar, and pasta sauce.
Remove all the air you can from the bag, seal it, and freeze.

Oven Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the contents of the bag in a casserole dish.
Bake in the oven at 375° for 50 minutes.

Crock Pot Cooking Instructions:

Thaw. Put the bag contents into the slow cooker.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

Serve over pasta and sprinkle with shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese.

Easy Chicken Marsala

By Sharla

This easy Chicken Marsala can mostly be made ahead as a freezer meal. It is then heated on the stove in a skillet. This is such a quick recipe to make.

Chicken Marsala is named for its use of Marsala wine. This wine originates in Western Sicily. This dish is a variation of the traditional Italian Scaloppine.

Its bold flavors come from the reduction of the wine as it cooks.

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe:

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup flour
1 cup mushrooms, sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup shallots, diced extremely fine
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
¾ cup marsala wine
⅓ -½ cup heavy cream (1/3 cup if using 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup if using 3)

For the cooking day:

2 Tbsp. of olive oil
optional: more rosemary and parsley for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. Put the flour onto a plate and place each chicken breast into the flour, flipping it over so that both sides are covered. Place the dredged chicken into a large resealable freezer bag. Seal.

In another freezer bag, add the mushrooms, finely diced shallots, 1/2 of the rosemary, wine, and the heavy cream. Take out the excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.

Place 1 Tbsp. of oil into the skillet on medium heat and heat. Once the oil is heated up, place the floured chicken breast into the pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the contents of the other bag with the chicken.

Lower the heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, cooking until it is nice and fragrant.

Keep a careful eye on the sauce because of the cream, making sure that it doesn’t break. If the sauce does break, add more cream.

Remove skillet from the heat. When you plate the chicken, cover it with the sauce. Garnish with leftover rosemary and parsley.

Serve over angel hair noodles or with rice and a side of vegetables. Asparagus goes beautifully with this meal.

Check out these delicious freezer meals:

Make-Ahead Apple Pork Chops Make-Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken Marsala

Servings: 4

Calories: 409 kcal

Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
½ cup flour
1 cup mushrooms sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup shallots diced extremely fine
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped coarsely
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
¾ cup marsala wine
⅓ -½ cup heavy cream 1/3 cup if using 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup if using 3

For the cooking day:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
optional: more rosemary and parsley for garnish

Instructions

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. Put the flour onto a plate and place each chicken breast into the flour, flipping it over so that both sides are covered.
Place the dredged chicken into a large resealable freezer bag. Seal.
In another freezer bag, add the mushrooms, finely diced shallots, 1/2 of the rosemary, wine, and the heavy cream. Take out the excess air and seal. Staple the bags together above the seal and freeze.
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Place 1 Tbsp. of oil into the skillet on medium heat and heat. Once the oil is heated up, place the floured chicken breast into the pan. Cook the chicken on each side for 5-8 minutes per side. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the contents of the other bag with the chicken.
Lower the heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Allow the wine to reduce slightly, cooking until it is nice and fragrant.
Keep a careful eye on the sauce because of the cream, making sure that it doesn't break. If the sauce does break, add more cream.
Remove from the heat. When you plate the chicken, cover it with the sauce. Garnish with leftover rosemary and parsley.

Recipe Notes

Serve over angel hair noodles or with rice and a side of vegetables. Asparagus goes beautifully with this meal.

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

By Sharla

In the mood for hearty, rich, comfort food? This Italian sausage pasta sauce fits the bill. It has a delicious blend of flavors and you can easily adjust the spice level according to your tastes. This recipe is one that we invented after I accidentally miscalculated the amount of sausage for a freezer meal session. I bought double what I should have, so I had to come up with recipes to use the extra meat.

One of the recipes I came up with was a simple Sausage and Peppers Skillet Freezer Meal. Another was an Italian Wedding Soup. I still had sausage left after making a few bags of those, so I came up with this sauce.

It was so good that it has gone into our regular freezer meal rotation. The second time we made it, we experimented with throwing some capers into the sauce. Amazing! I only thought of it because we had extra capers leftover from another freezer meal we had made, but it was the perfect addition.

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce Recipe:

1 lb. Italian sausage made into meatballs and cooked*
3 cups salsa
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. capers, drained

Depending on your family’s preference, you can use mild or spicy sausage. We prefer the spicy variety! You can also adjust the spice level of this recipe by using mild, medium, or spicy salsa.

If you’re unsure about the capers, you can try making it without them and adding them to individual plates for those who like them. I was a bit nervous about how they would go over the first time I added them, but my family loved them. They give just the right amount of tang and saltiness to bring this sauce to the next level.

To put this meal together, put the cooked sausage meatballs (see instructions below) and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove all the excess air you can and seal the bag before freezing.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw and heat in a large skillet until heated through. Serve over your favorite type of pasta.

I also like to sprinkle with Parmesan or Asiago cheese and red pepper flakes. A simple salad and some garlic bread would round out this meal nicely.

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce Recipe:

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta sauce, sausage

Servings: 6

Calories: 322 kcal

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage made into meatballs and cooked
3 cups salsa
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 Tbsp capers drained

Instructions

Cooking the sausage:

Remove the sausage meat from the casing and cut into 1/2″ slices or squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with your fingers. The squeezing method is messier, but it is easier to remove the casing that way and I find it faster.
Place the sausage meatballs on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. You may want to flip them once during baking. Blot the cooked sausage meatballs on a paper towel to remove some of the grease. Allow them to cool a bit before placing them in the freezer bags.

Freezer bag assembly:

put the cooked sausage meatballs and all the other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag.
Remove all the excess air you can and seal the bag before freezing.

Cooking instructions:

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Heat in a large skillet until heated through.
Serve over your favorite type of pasta.
Sprinkle with Parmesan or Asiago cheese and red pepper flakes.

How do I make and cook the sausage meatballs?

*Remove the sausage meat from the casing and cut into 1/2″ slices or squeeze out sausage meatballs and flatten them a bit with your fingers. The squeezing method is messier, but it is easier to remove the casing that way and I find it faster.

Place the sausage meatballs on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides. You may want to flip them once during baking. Blot the cooked sausage meatballs on a paper towel to remove some of the grease. Allow it to cool a bit before placing them in the freezer bags.

You may also like these great freezer cooking recipes:

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff

Chicken Cacciatore Freezer Meal

By Sharla

This make-ahead chicken cacciatore has a nice blend of flavors. This is an easy family-friendly dish that can be served on pasta or on its own. This recipe is also gluten-free.

Don’t you love it when recipes can be cooked multiple ways! I find that gives me the freedom to choose the cooking method depending on our plans that day. This meal can conveniently be cooked in the oven or in the slow cooker.

If we are going to be out all day, I throw it in the Crock-Pot® but otherwise, I cook it in the oven. Nice and versatile! I know the pictures aren’t awesome, but this is a nice dish. When we are tired of the usual pasta sauces, I will pull out one of these freezer meals as a welcome change.

The blend of Italian flavors goes well with any pasta. I usually use rotini or penne, but even a long noodle would work.

If your kids (or your husband!) absolutely will not eat the mushrooms, then just leave them out. It is more authentic with them, but it can stand up without them too.

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed*
1 cup onion, diced
1x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1x 5 1/2 can tomato paste
1x 10 oz. can mushroom pieces (or substitute fresh mushrooms)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup white wine (or substitute non-alcoholic wine)

*You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs without cubing if you prefer.

Place the chicken in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the other ingredients. Remove the excess air and seal.

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour or in the slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

If you want this meal to be gluten-free, serve it with rice or on gluten-free pasta.

You can serve the chicken and sauce on pasta if you wish with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

This Chicken Cacciatore recipe is included in our Gluten Free Freezer Meal Menu Plan. You’ll find other great recipes there along with handy printable shopping lists and labels.

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe:

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

Calories: 242 kcal

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or thighs, not cubed)
1 cup onion diced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
5.5 oz can tomato paste
10 oz can mushroom pieces (or substitute fresh mushrooms)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup white wine (or substitute non-alcoholic wine)

Instructions

Place the chicken in a large resealable freezer bag.
Add the other ingredients.
Remove the excess air and seal.

Cooking instructions:

On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
Bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour or in the slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours.

Serving instructions:

If you want this meal to be gluten-free, serve it with rice or on gluten-free pasta.
You can serve the chicken and sauce on pasta if you wish with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

These recipes may interest you as well:

Drool-worthy BBQ Shredded Chicken in the Crock-Pot

Make-Ahead Spaghetti Sauc e

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

By Sharla

My kids love meatballs. I knew that they would think it was fun to have meatballs in soup. I also like to use alphabet pasta in this soup for the same reason. Between the meatballs and the alphabet pasta, I can make this Italian wedding soup recipe kid-friendly while still being healthy.

This is an easy recipe but such a great soup. Being able to make it ahead makes it even easier. As with most freezer meals, it’s just as easy to make several of these at once.

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe:

1 lb. Italian sausage, formed into meatballs and cooked
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. parsley
salt, pepper to taste
1 cup small pasta like alphabet or orzo
day of cooking: 2 cups spinach, sliced or chopped

The fastest way to make the sausage meatballs in bulk if you’re using them for several recipes (such as in the delicious Sausage and Peppers recipe), is to form the balls and place them on a cookie sheet then bake in the oven. If you’re only making one recipe, you can instead fry them in a skillet.

You can use regular Italian sausage or the spicy variety depending on what your family’s spice tolerance and preferences are. We like the spicy type and the bit of kick that provides.

Place the cooked sausage meatballs, chopped carrot, seasonings, and chicken broth in a large resealable bag. Remove excess air and seal. Put 1 cup of small pasta in a medium-sized resealable bag and staple the bags together. Freeze.

On the day of cooking, take the bag of soup out of the freezer and thaw it. Remove the staples and set aside the bag of pasta. In a large pot, heat just the soup on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low. Add in the pasta and spinach and continue cooking for another 5 – 10 minutes until the pasta is fully cooked.

Ladle soup into bowls. If desired, you can sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Italian Wedding Soup

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: italian, soup, wedding

Servings: 6

Calories: 314 kcal

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage formed into meatballs and cooked, regular or spicy
1 carrot chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp parsley
1 cup small pasta like alphabet or orzo
1 pinch salt and pepper
2 cups sliced or chopped, for the day of cooking

Instructions

The fastest way to make the sausage meatballs is in bulk if you’re using them for several recipes. Form the balls and place them on a cookie sheet then bake in the oven. If you’re only making one recipe, you can fry them in a skillet.
Place the cooked sausage meatballs, chopped carrot, seasonings, and chicken broth in a large resealable bag.
Remove excess air and seal.
Put 1 cup of small pasta in a medium-sized resealable bag and staple the bags together. Freeze.

Cooking Instructions:

On the day of cooking, take the bag of soup out of the freezer and thaw it. Remove the staples and set aside the bag of pasta.
In a large pot, heat just the soup on the stovetop over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low. Add in the pasta and spinach and continue cooking for another 5 – 10 minutes until the pasta is fully cooked.
Ladle soup into bowls. If desired, you can sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Check out these other kid-friendly freezer meals:

Best Ever Spaghetti Sauce

Mini Pancake Muffins