Making freezer meals is always a productive use of my time, but it’s when I make chicken dump recipes that I feel the most accomplished because I am able to make so many meals in such a short period of time. I call them “dump recipes” because I dump all the ingredients into the bags, seal them up, freeze them, and then on the day I want to cook them, I take them out, thaw them, and then dump them into a baking dish or crockpot. They couldn’t be simpler.
These time-saving recipes are just a sample of the ones found in my ebook, Chicken Dump Recipes.
The last time I found myself with some spare time on my hands (with 7 kids, believe me, I rarely have extra time!), I decided to assemble twenty chicken dump meals. I put together 10 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon by doubling five recipes each time. In my morning session, I made Chicken Hurry, Caribbean Chicken, Lemon and Garlic Chicken, Sticky Chicken, and Cantonese Chicken.
Later that afternoon, I got ready to make the next ten meals by getting everything that I needed out. The key to successful chicken dump meals is having all your ingredients out before you start assembling. This saves time and frustration!
You can also purchase Chicken Dump Recipes which includes 25 recipes, printable grocery lists, and printable labels.
Before I get into the recipes and instructions, I thought I would address a concern that came up when I published the first set of chicken dump recipes. Because of the popularity of the recipes (more than 2 million people read that article in its first month!), there was a lot of discussion about them on social media and the biggest issue seemed to be with some of the recipes having sugar in them. When you read the recipes below, you will find that this second set also has some recipes that have ingredients that have sugar. I can’t help but laugh when I think of how people will react to one of these recipes calls for maple syrup! Here is my response to all the concern about the sugar included in some of the recipes:
It’s true that if you are on a sugar-free diet, these may not be the recipes for you. I want to make a difference for busy families, busy moms, busy women. I want to see people eating as a family around the kitchen table instead of eating on the run or eating fast food in a vehicle. When paired with a salad or vegetables as a side dish, these recipes (even the ones that contain sugar) are going to be healthier than eating fast food.
The moms who are cooking frozen pizzas or chicken nuggets and fries because it’s all that they have time for are the ones I am reaching out to with these recipes. By taking an hour on a Sunday afternoon or in an evening after the kids have gone to bed to prepare these meals, you can have healthier (note that I did not say the healthiest!) meals that your whole family can enjoy. The bulk of the work will be done already so that you can relax at the end of the day and actually have time to talk while you eat dinner together.
And since I’m still a recovering people-pleaser, I am working on trying out healthier dump-style recipes. I will be publishing ground beef dump recipes and healthier dump recipes in the coming months so watch for those! 
Steps to making Chicken Dump Meals:
- Get out all ingredients.
- Label resealable freezer bags (you can use a permanent marker or print labels to stick on) with the name and cooking instructions.
- Prop the bottom of the bags and fold over the top so that they will stay open.
- Add chicken into each bag. You can use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts.
- Once the chicken is in all of the bags, dump the ingredients for the recipe into the bag.
- When all the ingredients are in each bag, remove the excess air, seal the bags, lay flat, and freeze.
Teriyaki Chicken
- 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup honey, melted
- 3 tbsp. soya sauce**
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking instructions:
Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours. **if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soya sauce.
Lemon Mustard Chicken
- 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon pepper
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Cooking instructions:
Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered, uncover last ten minutes, or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
French Canadian Chicken
- 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp. soya sauce**
- 3 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp. pepper
Cooking instructions:
Thaw. Bake in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours or bake at 350° for an hour, covered, uncovering for the last 15 minutes. **if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soya sauce.
Pepper Lime Chicken
- 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp. lime zest
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. olive oil
Cooking instructions:
Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
Cindy’s Chicken
- 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- one bottle of Russian salad dressing (don’t use Creamy Russian dressing. If you can’t find this, you can substitute with Catalina dressing)
- 1 1/4 cups apricot jam
- 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix* *I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix.
Cooking instructions:
Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
Notes:
- Each recipe listed is to make one bag. To make 2 bags, you will need to double both the chicken and the other ingredients.
- The recipes work best with 3-5 chicken breasts or 8-10 thighs per bag. If you are adding a lot more or a lot less chicken, you may need to adjust the recipes accordingly.
- If you plan the meals so that they have some common ingredients, it saves even more money.
- All these recipes can be made gluten-free by following the notes indicated.
- I heard from a reader who suggested using slow cooker liners. I had never heard of such a thing, but it sounds like a way to save even more time because it eliminates the cleanup of the crockpot.
- Don’t forget to check out the first 5 Chicken Dump Recipes!
To get the Chicken Dump recipes listed here along with a free printable shopping list and labels, sign up for our emails.
Buy my Chicken Dump Recipes book which includes 25 recipes divided into 5 plans. Each plan comes with printable grocery lists and printable labels. Read the list of included recipes.
You can also purchase both the Beef Dump Recipes and Chicken Dump Recipes together for more meal options and savings!
- 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup honey melted
- 3 tbsp. soya sauce**
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger grated
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
-
Thaw.
-
Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
**if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soya sauce.
- 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon pepper
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
-
Thaw.
-
Bake at 350° for an hour, covered, uncover last ten minutes, or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
- 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 Tbsp. soya sauce**
- 3 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp. pepper
-
Thaw.
-
Bake in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours or bake at 350° for an hour, covered, uncovering for the last 15 minutes.
**if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soya sauce.
- 3-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp. lime zest
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. olive oil
-
Thaw.
-
Bake at 350° for an hour, covered or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
- 3-5 chicken breasts or 8-10 thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 bottle Russian salad dressing (don't use Creamy Russian dressing. If you can't find this, you can substitute it with Catalina dressing)
- 1 1/4 cups apricot jam
- 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix*
-
Thaw.
-
Bake at 350° for an hour, covered or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.
*I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix. Each recipe listed is to make one bag. To make 2 bags, you will need to double both the chicken and the other ingredients. The recipes work best with 3-5 chicken breasts or 8-10 thighs per bag. If you are adding a lot more or a lot less chicken, you may need to adjust the recipes accordingly. If you plan the meals so that they have some common ingredients, it saves even more money. All these recipes can be made gluten-free by following the notes indicated. I heard from a reader who suggested using slow cooker liners. I had never heard of such a thing, but it sounds like a way to save even more time because it eliminates the cleanup of the crockpot.
you’re doing a great job. I love to cook and we rarely eat out… 5 kids, so schedule and budget make dining out an impossibility, but I run out of dinner ideas on a regular basis. I really appreciate some simple combinations that I can assemble in advance. This leaves me extra time to spend helping with homework, really listening to the kids talk about their days, or reading with a little one. Looking forward to following your future posts. Many blessings to you.
Thanks so much Kirsten! That’s really encouraging to hear.
Hi Sharla! Thanks for these recipes, I plan to try them out this week-end. Question about ingredients? Do you look for sales on your chicken, shop at Costco or another place like that? I am looking to reduce our grocery bill…so am excited about money saving, easy dinners!
I usually buy my chicken on 15% off day, which one of the grocery chains in our town has on the first Tuesday of every month. I also look for it on sale at Costco and in store or online fliers. Sometimes, one of the grocery stores here has a two for one sale on huge boxes of chicken and I take advantage of that every time.
We buy our boneless skinless chicken beast at Sam’s for $1.99 all the time. I buy it in Tennessee, Maryland and Florida (these are the places I live and visit regularly). We save the amount of the membership on the chicken and beef savings. I Put the freezer meals together when we get home form SAMs and the grocery, and freeze some of the chicken with 1 or 2 breasts per bag, because there are only 2 of us. If I need to feed more, I take out more bags.
When reading about crock pot recipes, the experts say cooking chicken in a crock pot raw is not the best idea because the chicken doesn’t get and stay hot enough to ward off bacteria (salmonella) They say it is best to pre brown the chicken before putting into a crock pot. But cooking these recipes in a pot would work because you can get the heat higher. thanks great ideas
The older style crock pots didn’t reach high enough temperatures but any crock pot made in the last eight years or so is made to get hot enough to ward off salmonella so it does depend on the age of your crock pot but good tip for those with older appliances.
I have put raw chicken in my crock pot for decades. Never an adverse outcome.
Because I have a home office, I am able to keep watch on the crock pot. And no matter what I cook, I start on high for this very reason about raw meats. Then turn down 20-30mins later. Or, I often just cook on high. I did have a question. Do you put any liquids in with these recipes?
No additional liquid needed.
Anything to simplify dinnertime sounds good to me! Thanks for sharing these ideas. I’m a new food blogger and found you on a link party. I’ve followed your social sites and hope we can connect on those. Can’t wait to read more of your blog. Becky
Thanks Becky! Welcome to blogging…I’ll be checking out your site today!
I love freezer recipes! And, I love that your recipes call for simple ingredients, most of which I already have! I am pregnant and need to start packing away from freezer meals for post baby over the next couple months. Thanks for the inspiration! I love ways to save time and money. 🙂
I love freezer recipes! These look great and easy. Thank you for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.
Thanks Jenny!
I have been trying these and LOVE them! The crock pot liners are great and sold at Wal Mart! I really love the Gluten-free recipes as I have Celiac disease. Thank you so much for these recipes!
I’m really glad to hear you’re enjoying them!
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These are awesome recipes! I bet they help simplify things at dinner time! I have to give that French Canadian recipe a try. It has everything that I love in it! Thanks for bringing these great recipes to the Sunday’s Recipe Wrap-up!
Hi Sharla! I have a question about your onion soup mix. Can you tell me the name brand of the MSG-free onion soup mix? I have a member of my family with a severe allergy and I can’t seem to find anything without MSG. The one I tried to make myself didn’t turn out very good. Any info would be appreciated! I’ve tried a couple of these recipes and they were a hit! I’m adding a bunch into my regular rotation!
I find when I include the sauce in the freezer bag it becomes very thin when I actually cook. How can I thicken it up?
Be sure to keep the dish covered when cooking so that the sauce doesn’t evaporate. If you are still having the issue even with covering while cooking, I would suggest making more of the sauce. It’s hard to say without knowing which recipe specifically as some of the sauces are thicker than others.
Love these, I just purchased the chicken dump recipe book, do you know when the beef version will be available?
I love these ideas and can’t wait to start trying them. I look forward to all the time saved cooking especially with summer here and the hassle of planning on what to cook is out of the question. Love cooking but hate having to think n decide what to cook so thank you for this suggestions. How long can you freeze this meals in the freezer. Thank you and have a blessed day
These look great! How many servings come in each bag?
Firstly I just want to say I’ve looked through your website and want to commend you on being such an amazing mother and thank you for these brilliant ideas! I just wanted to say (as a dental nurse) that ketchup, and one and a half cups of jam/maple syrup contains a whole lot of sugar, of which we all have far too much in our diets these days – it might be worth skipping these sorts of meals and sticking to entirely savoury where possible – especially if dessert is being eaten afterwards. Just thinking of dental and health benefits, not putting you down at all – just an idea. I will be borrowing a few of these ideas though, they are brilliant! I got a slow cooker and cookbook for it for Christmas and I’m officially obsessed too! 😀
What size bottle of Russian dressing do you use for the Cindy’s Chicken?
I have been looking for freeze ahead meals for my household as well as my daughter’s. I’ve noticed that your “meals” only include meat. Where are the vegetables and starches?
Hi Dawn. The meals in the Chicken Dump post are for the meat portion of the meal only. You can add side dishes such as rice, potatoes, salads, and vegetables on the day of serving. I do have many freezer meals that include starches and vegetables right in the freezer meal. You can find some of these in my freezer meal plans https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/product-category/freezer-meal-menu-plans or you can check out the freezer meal category on my site https://www.thechaosandtheclutter.com/archives/category/freezer-meals where you will find dozens of recipes and many of the casserole or soup style include veggies and/or starches. Let me know if you have any further questions.
I would love some ideas of what to serve with these meals. Sides are the hardest thing for me!
Some of our common sides are rice, potatoes (mashed, roasted, baked, scalloped), pasta, risotto, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, Caesar salad, Greek salad, garden salad, sauteed mushrooms, roasted vegetables, corn on the cob, spinach and feta, raw vegetables.
There are new findings coming out in the medical journals relating Gluten Free eating with a rise in Diabetes. What are your thoughts on this?
I use a food saver system to package my meals. I mark them carefully on the edge with a marker. I also have an Instant Pot which does everything even a slow cooker. I cooked the chicken frozen and it came out over cooked on high for six hours. So need to use the conventional crock pot.
I did not know about the temperature concern as I have two older crock pots and a new one. I have never had any problem with the older ones but I noticed that the new one cooked much hotter. So that answers my question because I thought there was something wrong with the new one. lol
I haven’t even finished going through your dump slow cooker recipes but so far they look good. I want to comment because of the sugar/honey/maple syrup comment. I think people would be surprised to see that there are small amounts of sugar in a lot of different things. Like bread for example. I never realized that until making my own bread. Great job and thank you for the recipes
Thanks Melissa!