Quick Tip: Freeze Leftover Cooked Chicken

Whether we're grilling chicken breasts or braising legs and thighs, we find it just as easy to cook a large batch all at once. (Or just cook a whole chicken!) Any leftovers not immediately eaten get shredded and packed away in the freezer to await reincarnation as a later meal...

We like to shred the chicken instead of leaving it in whole pieces because the smaller pieces thaw more quickly. We freeze the shredded chicken in one cup portions and label the package with any spices or flavorings used during cooking.

These single servings of pre-cooked chicken are great for weeknight meals! We can throw the frozen chicken directly into a quick soup, pasta sauce, or even a stir-fry. We also use the thawed chicken in things like frittatas, chicken salad, and burritos.

Give it a try next time you have some leftover chicken meat!

(Image: Flickr member FotoosVanRobin licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (3)

I like to make a hash with all my frozen leftover soup chicken.

posted by rosasharne on March 23rd 2009 at 11:09am
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I've found that chicken frozen with a little bit of broth or sauce stays more moist than it does without broth.

posted by heather77 on March 23rd 2009 at 11:26am
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Thanks for the extra tip about shredding the chicken! I freeze cooked chicken often, but never thought about how I could get it to thaw faster. Thanks!!

posted by MegsH on March 23rd 2009 at 12:49pm
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