Marinate Ahead Freezer Italian Chicken Breasts Recipe

"These are so easy; but, the perfect prepare ahead method for chicken breasts. Simply add the marinade to the ziploc bag along with the chicken, freeze; then, when ready to cook - thaw over night in the fridge and grill. They come out full of flavor, delicious, and moist. Now, this is meant to be a quick and easy meal plan; so, if you want to make your own salad dressing, you can. But honestly, I have found your favorite bottled dressing works just as well. I happen to use Kens Steakhouse Italian Dressing; but, I am sure Wishbone, or any other brand would work just fine. Just use your favorite. Note: You could also do this using pork chops or a pork tenderloin."

Original is 8 servings

Metric US

I've Tried It

Ingredients

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8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (never been frozen)
16 ounces Italian Salad Dressing (one 16 ounce bottle, your favorite brand)
1 onion, large (cut in quarters - then each quarter in half and thin sliced)
4 garlic cloves, minced

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Nutritional

Serving Size: 1 (183.5 g)
Calories 252.6
Total Fat - 5.3 g
Saturated Fat - 1.5 g
Cholesterol - 119.6 mg
Sodium - 420.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 4.4 g
Dietary Fiber - 0.5 g
Sugars - 3.1 g
Protein - 44 g
Calcium - 36.6 mg
Iron - 1.7 mg
Vitamin C - 1.6 mg
Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Marinade ... Add 1/4 cup of the salad dressing, 1/8 of the onion thin sliced, 1/2 of a garlic clove, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to a FREEZER ziploc bag; and, 1 chicken breast. Seal, pressing out as much air as possible, and shake or "squish" the bag to combine all the ingredients. I prefer to add only 1 breast per bag; it just seems to work better. But, I then add 4 of the bags into 1 large gallon ziploc bag. They don't get any freezer burn; and hold up very well for 3 months in the freezer. And, the individual bags are perfect for just 1 or 2 people. Simply thaw what you need.

Step 2

Done ... Simply freeze Your bag flat until solid. Then I stack them up until ready to use. Believe it or not. A shoe box or small tupperware box is a great item to use in the freezer. You can stand up frozen bags of soup, sauces, and vegetables; and, keep them organized to save space.

Step 3

Thaw and Cook ... Remove from the freezer, and lay flat in the refrigerator to thaw. I usually do this the night before. Then, in the morning, flip the package over. At dinner time, they are ready to grill. I really love the grill for this; but, an indoor grill pan, would also work very well. Season the chicken with salt and pepper before cooking. Cook using any method you like.