Freezer Meal Recipes: Pecan-Crusted Chicken Strips

5 / 5 (1 review) 4 Comments
Feb 23, 2014 The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure

Easy Pecan-Crusted Chicken Strips Freezer Meal Recipe!

I recently decided to start a little freezer group with some ladies on my street. I personally haven’t been in a group before and there are lots of great reasons why I wanted to try it out now. (Some of the other fabs are already pros! See their great tips on how you can start a freezer meal group.) I will go into more detail about how and why I decided to organize our group in a future post. For now, I want to share this great freezer meal recipe…

pecan crusted chicken strips freezer meal recipe

These chicken strips are easy to put together and easy to bake. They have a great honey-mustard flavor and pecan/panko breading. You don’t even need a dipping sauce if you don’t want one. My whole family loved them, so this freezer meal recipe is a keeper and I will be making them again. And I’m sure the other families in the freezer group will love them too.

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pecan crusted chicken strips freezer meal recipe sauce ingredients 1

First, I rinse a bunch of fresh, raw chicken and slice each piece in half horizontally so they are not quite as thick. Then cut the chicken into strips lengthwise, and divide it into bags. Keep in mind that you don’t want to thaw and re-freeze meat before cooking it, when possible. It is best to start with fresh not-frozen chicken OR to keep frozen chicken frozen during the prep.

Then whisk together the simple, but delicious, sauce and divide it into the bags with chicken.

pecan-crusted chicken strips for the freezer 1

Measure the panko and pecans into 1-quart bags. (I grind up the pecans in my food processor.) Stick the panko bag and the chicken bag into a labeled 1-gallon bag and that’s it! Just fold over the top inch or so of the chicken bag and it will fit right in there. It is helpful to freeze the meal while it is lying flat in order to save space in the freezer.

pecan-crusted chicken strips freezer meal packages 1

 

Recipe from Fix, Freeze, Feast

pecan crusted chicken strips freezer meal packages 1

Learn more about Freezer Meal Cooking:

Freezer Meal Recipes: Pecan-Crusted Chicken Strips

5 / 5 (1 review)
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2-6 lbs | Serves: 1-3
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • For One Entree:
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken half-breasts
  • 2/3 cups honey
  • 1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 1/2 cup pecans, finely ground
  • 2 one-gallon freezer bags, label 1
  • 1 one-quart freezer bag
  • For Three Entrees:
  • 6 pounds boneless, skinless chicken half-breasts
  • 2 cups honey
  • 1 cup spicy brown mustard
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 3 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 1 1/2 cups pecans, finely ground (8 ounces)
  • 6 one-gallon freezer bags, label 3
  • 3 one-quart freezer bags

Instructions

  1. Preparing For the Freezer:
  2. Rinse and trim chicken. Cut each half-breast lengthwise into three strips. Divide chicken evenly into the unlabeled 1-gallon freezer bags.
  3. Whisk together honey, mustard, oil, salt, garlic, and pepper in a medium bowl. Divide the sauce evenly over the chicken.
  4. Squeeze air out and seal the bags.
  5. Into each 1-quart bag, measure 1 cup panko and 1/2 cup pecans; seal. Place one bag of chicken and one bag of panko mixture into each labeled 1-gallon bag. Seal, lay flat, and freezer.
  6. Prepare after Freezing:
  7. Completely thaw the entree in the refrigerator, about 24 hours.
  8. Preheat oven to 350. Shake to combine the panko and pecans, then empty it onto a plate. Let excess sauce drip off of each piece of chicken, then roll in crumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet (or one lined with a silicone baking mat).
  9. Bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken pulls apart easily and is no longer pink in the thickest part, and crust is golden.

Notes

Serve with a side of veggies or even on a salad!

Ingredients: Chicken
Categories: Make Ahead/Freezer Meal

Comments & Reviews

  • Renée
    February 23, 2014 at 11:42 am

    Loving your awesome freezer meal idea and excited to try it. I’m wondering if I should start a group for busy empty nesters!

    Reply
    • Melanie
      February 23, 2014 at 1:42 pm

      That sounds like a great idea. It’s nice to have some frozen meals around and homemade are way better than the store-bought ones!

      Reply
  • Elaine
    January 28, 2015 at 7:53 am

    Would it be possible to coat the chicken in the crumbs and place them on a cookie sheet to freeze? Or perhaps flash freeze them and throw them into a freezer bag? I want to make this for when our baby is born!

    Reply
    • Melanie
      January 30, 2015 at 9:09 am

      I have only prepared these chicken strips as in the recipe, so I am not sure if prepping them a bit further before freezing will affect the end result. I wonder though…seems like it could work. Let me know how it goes if you try it!

      Reply

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