Today is the last day you’ll thaw out plain chicken breasts that need a little TLC before creating epic meals because you can freeze marinated chicken and you’ll be ready to go!
With today’s post, you’ll learn the secret to freezing marinated chicken and have access to some of the best marinades for chicken.
Regardless of the cooking method you choose, juicy and great-tasting chicken awaits!
How to Freeze Marinated Chicken
In a few easy steps, you’ll achieve the maximum flavor from y our frozen marinated chicken.
- Prep the Marinade
In a freezer-safe container or directly inside a zip bag, mix your marinade ingredients.
- Clean the Chicken
Whether you want to freeze chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless or with bone-in and skin-on, remove any fat and skin you don’t want to cook later. This will save you time later.
- Combine the Chicken and Marinade
Place the chicken in the freezer-safe container or zip bag and combine with the marinade so all sides of the chicken are coated. Place the lid in the freezer container and seal or, press down to remove all the air from the zip bag, seal and fold over.
- Label the Chicken and Marinade
One often overlooked step is to clearly label your freezer-safe container or zip bag.
- Freeze
Freeze the chicken with the marinade for up to 9 months. Read below on thawing.
How Long to Freeze Marinated Chicken
You can freeze marinated chicken for up to 9 months in a zip bag or freezer-safe container. It’s important to remove as much of the air as possible to prevent frost on your chicken.
Does Freezing Cause Over-Marinating?
Once frozen, chicken stops absorbing the marinade; so no, freezing will not over-marinate your chicken and it’s perfectly ok to do!
Check out this quick video where I go over all the freezer marinating details in under a minute!
Thawing Marinated Chicken
Thawing marinated chicken in the fridge overnight is always the best idea since the temperature is both stable and controlled.
Here are other ways you can thaw chicken quickly and safely.
Can You Refreeze marinated chicken?
No. Do not refreeze marinated chicken since temperatures tend to not be stable during the thawing process and can cause bacteria to grow or spoil the chicken.
It’s best to freeze portions you’ll be able to consume or cook all your chicken and freeze leftover cooked chicken.
Read: How to Bake Frozen Chicken
Best Marinades for Freezing
If you can dream of it, you can freeze it and the same goes for any and all chicken marinades. This includes chicken marinated in lemon and citruses as well as chicken marinated in buttermilk or yogurt.
Here are my favorite marinades to freeze:
- Orange Chicken Marinade
- Quick Lemon Marinade
- Spicy Chicken Marinade
- Chicken Fajita Marinade
- Korean Chicken Marinade
- Cilantro Lime Marinade
Love great-tasting chicken recipes? Check out the Chicken, It’s What’s for Dinner eBook!
THE Only Chicken Cookbook You’ll Need
The 70+ recipes inside Chicken. It’s What’s For Dinner will make everyone’s favorite white meat more exciting to eat!
Whether you’re just learning to cook or know your way around the kitchen, the recipes inside the eBook are simple and delicious.
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