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:

1. Get out all ingredients.
2. Label resealable freezer bags (you can use a permanent marker or print labels to stick on) with the name and cooking instructions.
3.  Prop the bottom of the bags and fold over the top so that they will stay open.
4. Add chicken into each bag. You can use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts.
5. Once the chicken is in all of the bags, dump the ingredients for the recipe into the bag.
6. 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!

Print

Teriyaki Chicken

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, Teriyaki

Servings: 6

: 253 kcal

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. Thaw.

2. 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.

Print

Lemon Mustard Chicken

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, lemon, mustard

Servings: 6

: 218 kcal

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered, uncover last ten minutes, or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Print

French Canadian Chicken

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

: 268 kcal

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. Thaw.

2. 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.

Print

Pepper Lime Chicken

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, lime, pepper

Servings: 6

: 206 kcal

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Print

Cindy's Chicken

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

: 367 kcal

Ingredients

• 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*

Instructions

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for an hour, covered or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

*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.

Usually, when I make freezer meals, I make a variety of different things including casseroles and various meat and seafood dishes. This method works well when I have a lot of time and have prepared ahead of time. But when I just want to throw some meals together quickly and don’t want to spend hours planning and shopping for ingredients, I make chicken dump recipes. Most of them can be cooked in the crockpot which saves even more time!

These time-saving recipes are just a sample of the ones I have in my ebook, Chicken Dump Recipes.

Chicken dump recipes are fast to make and they often include ingredients that I already have in the house. They are perfect to make if I happen to find some spare time. These dump dinner recipes are perfect for freezing and make a wonderful gift for someone who has just had a baby, is experiencing an illness, or going through a hard time.

To get the recipes in this article along with free printable labels and full shopping lists, sign up here.

Last week, I had some appointments booked for Wednesday but then found out that my sitter for that day couldn’t make it. I had to cancel my appointments and found myself with sort of an extra day. I went on Tuesday and bought a lot of chicken and Wednesday made two sets of ten chicken meals. Since each session took me about an hour so, subsequently  I had 20 meals made in two hours!

In my morning chicken dump session, I made Chicken Hurry, Caribbean Chicken, Lemon and Garlic Chicken, Sticky Chicken, and Cantonese Chicken. I made two of each of the five recipes, therefore, I had ten meals in one hour. In the afternoon, I made Teriyaki Chicken, French Canadian Chicken, Cindy’s Chicken, Pepper Lime Chicken, and Lemon Mustard Chicken.

It is such a feeling of accomplishment to look in your freezer and see so many meals ready for busy weeknight dinners!

For all of my chicken dump recipes, printable grocery lists, and printable labels, you can purchase my Chicken Dump Recipes. You can read more about it here.

You asked and it is now available! Beef Dump Recipes!

You also have the option to purchase all the chicken dump recipes and beef dump recipes together at a saving!

The key to successful chicken dump meals is having all your ingredients out before you start assembling. This saves time and aggravation!

Steps to making Chicken Dump Meals:

1. Get out all ingredients.
2. Label resealable freezer bags (you can use a permanent marker or print labels to stick on) with the name and cooking instructions.
3.  Press the bottom of the bags to lay flat and then fold over the top in order to keep them open.
4. Add chicken into each bag. You can use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts.
5. After the chicken is in all of the bags then you dump the remaining ingredients into the bag.
6. After all the ingredients are in each bag, you then remove the excess air, seal the bags, lay flat, and freeze.

Chicken Hurry

• chicken
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 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 or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Caribbean Chicken

• chicken
• 8 oz. can pineapple chunks with juice
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup raisins

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Lemon and Garlic Chicken

• chicken
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp. of olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Sticky Chicken

• chicken
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce**
• 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp. ketchup

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes. **if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce

Cantonese Chicken

• chicken
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup melted honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce**
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Cooking instructions:

Thaw. Bake at 350° for one hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Notes:

• The recipes work best with 3-5 chicken breasts or 8-10 thighs per bag. If you use a lot more or a lot less chicken, you will then need to adjust the recipes accordingly.
• Plan the meals so that they have some common ingredients, which saves even more money, given that there is less waste.
• All dump dinner recipes can be made gluten-free as long as you follow the notes indicated.
• I heard from a reader who suggested using slow cooker liners. I had never heard of such a thing, however, given that it eliminates the cleanup of the crockpot, these are another time-saving strategy.
• Don’t forget to check out the other chicken dump recipes for even more options!

To get the recipes in this article along with free printable labels and the shopping lists, simply sign up here.

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!

Print

Chicken Hurry

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 6

: 255 kcal

Ingredients

• chicken
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. dry onion soup mix*

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Place all ingredients into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Recipe Notes

*I use an MSG-free, gluten-free dry onion soup mix

Print

Caribbean Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Keyword: Caribbean, chicken

Servings: 6

: 295 kcal

Ingredients

• chicken
• 1 can 8 oz pineapple chunks with juice
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Place chicken and all other ingredients in a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for an hour or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Print

Lemon and Garlic Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken, garlic, lemon

Servings: 6

: 280 kcal

Ingredients

• chicken
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Add the ingredients into a large resealable freezer bag. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.

Print

Sticky Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cantonese

Keyword: Cantonese, chicken

Servings: 6

: 264 kcal

Ingredients

• chicken
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce**
• 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp. ketchup

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large resealable (gallon sized) freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes. 

Recipe Notes

**if you are making these gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce

Print

Cantonese Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

 

Ingredients

• chicken
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup melted honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce**
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions

Assembly instructions:

1. Place the chicken and other ingredients to a large resealable freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Bake at 350° for one hour or in the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.

Last week, I shared with you my grandma’s famous pumpkin muffin recipe. There is really no substitute in my books for the memory that I have associated with her recipe, but unfortunately for my son Einstein, he can’t eat them since he is on a gluten free diet.

My friend Molly came to the rescue with this super easy gluten free pumpkin muffin recipe so that now he can enjoy his pumpkin muffins too!

The thing that makes this recipe so simple is that it uses gluten free cake mix. It’s so easy in fact that it could easily be made by older kids.

We used the cake mix from a bin at Bulk Barn which also makes this recipe more affordable. You can half this recipe and use a small can of pumpkin if you’d like. The small cans aren’t available where we live, plus with a family our size, we never half recipes!

Pumpkin Muffins Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of gluten free vanilla cake mix or 6 cups of gluten free vanilla cake mix
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
• 1 796 ml can of pumpkin (the large can)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of raisins or butterscotch chips
• optional: 1/2 cup pecans

Directions:

1. Stir the pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon into the cake mix.
2. Add the pumpkin and eggs and mix together.
3. Stir in the raisins or butterscotch chips and if wanted, the pecans. Our daughter is allergic to nuts, so we of course didn’t add those.
4. Pour the batter into well greased muffin tins or use cupcake liners.
5. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

My kids voted for butterscotch chips over raisins, so I wouldn’t recommend giving your kids a vote!

These got eaten so quickly at our house that I didn’t get the chance to see if they freeze as well as my usual pumpkin muffins, but I assume that they would.

Of course, if you are looking for a non-gluten free pumpkin muffin recipe, check out my grandma’s famous (and delicious) one:

My grandma was the best baker I have ever known. She won ribbons at the county fair for everything from her buns to her cakes to her pies and of course, for these delicious muffins. I can still remember the smell in her kitchen.

I spent about a week with her one summer learning how to bake. I don’t know how well I retained what she taught me that year as I was still quite young, but I have fond memories of our time together in that kitchen.

My grandma was kind and patient and she sure would have had to be to try to teach me how to bake! We entered my offerings in the fair that summer and I won some ribbons and prize money. She was so proud.

When I was 14, my grandma lost her battle with breast cancer. Years later, I received this small recipe card, my inheritance from her:

I treasure it. It is worn and has oil spills on it, but it is in her familiar handwriting and each time I bake these muffins and then again while I smell them baking in my own kitchen, I am taken back to a time when my grandma and I shared a connection in her kitchen, where she taught me about more than just measuring ingredients. She taught me about life.

These pumpkin muffins are not the healthiest, nor are they fat or sugar free! They are however, delicious! They are my go-to for giving someone when they have a new baby or are going through a hard time and when I’ve shared the muffins, the requests for the recipe always follows. This is by far my most requested recipe.

These freeze really well and I like to have at least a dozen in the freezer so that if I’m running out the door on my way to an appointment, I can grab one as a quick breakfast.

The butterscotch chips ensure that they are a favourite among kids as well. One of my daughters, Miss Optimism, does not eat fruit or vegetables so these muffins and zucchini cake or loaf are about the only way she gets those nutrients so I reason that the pumpkin cancels out the butterscotch chips!

I had to adapt the recipe slightly by doubling most of the ingredients to accommodate for the larger cans of pumpkin because our local grocery stores stopped selling the smaller ones a number of years ago. Depending on the size you make the muffins, this makes about four dozen.

My Grandma’s Famous Pumpkin Muffins

Cream together:

4 cups of sugar
4 eggs

Then add and beat:

2 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 – 796ml can of pumpkin

Stir together in another bowl:

6 cups of flour
2 tsp. baking soda
dash of salt
4 tsp. baking powder
4 or 5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. Stir in:

one bag of butterscotch chips

Grease muffin trays (unless using a stoneware muffin tin) and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

If I’m freezing them, I let them cool and then put them in a large resealable freezer bag and then freeze.

I’ve tried to make these pumpkin muffins healthier by substituting applesauce for half of the oil and by trying other sweeteners in place of the sugar, but they have never tasted as good.

It could also be that for me, the taste is so connected to childhood memories that this is one recipe I just shouldn’t try to change so feel free to experiment.

You may also be interested in my recipe for Gluten Free Granola Muffins or Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins.

I think my quest for gluten free snack options is well documented! When we took a road trip to the mountains last week, I was packing snacks for the drive and feeling frustrated by the lack of variety for Einstein (our son on a gluten free diet), so I decided to make up a fun snack mix.

This was simple to make but very popular with my kids. I threw everything into a bowl, gave it a quick mix and then divided it into little containers for the road. Okay, well, not all of it made it into the little containers. The kids saw me making it and convinced me to let them snack from the bowl first!

What I included:

• peanuts
• dried cranberries
• raisins
• Annie’s cocoa and vanilla gluten free bunny cookies
• Panda Puffs
• Whole O’s gluten free cereal

Other ideas of what you could include:

• almonds or other tree nuts
• mini marshmallows
• chocolate chips
• dried fruit
• M+Ms
• popcorn
• sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Glutino pretzels
• coconut flakes

My kids loved the mix. I liked that it was something a bit more exciting than a gluten free granola bar and easily portable. Of course, if you don’t have small containers, you could also send it in resealable sandwich or snack sized bags. This gluten free snack mix would be great for sending in school lunches.

Be sure to check out our full list of kid friendly gluten free snack ideas.