How to Batch Cook Chicken Breasts

If you batch cook chicken breasts early in the week, you will always have a 15 Minute Meal in the works. Chicken Meal Prep is one of the easiest and best timesavers in the kitchen. It is so smart to cook your chicken breasts ahead of time, so you can feed your family healthy meals instead of eating out.

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I’m always dashing into the kitchen on a time crunch – trying to get a meal on the table in a hurry. At our house, if I don’t have dinner ready at 6:00 o’clock then my husband doesn’t get to eat dinner. He works a graveyard shift and wakes up just in time to shower, eat dinner, and head out the door.

So, I’ve got to be able to pull off some fast meals.

I do that by having a standard list of 15 Minute Meals. And, by always having some food prepared ahead of time and in the fridge.

The thing that is going to save the most time is to have meat made ahead since it is generally the thing that takes the longest to cook. Once it’s cooked, you can easily store it in the refrigerator and add it to quick meals during the week.

The most versatile meat is chicken breast. Nearly everybody eats chicken so it’s very easy to find recipes for your cooked chicken. For several ideas read Cook Once, Eat Twice (Chicken Breast Edition).

Another reason to batch cook chicken breasts is that by buying them in bulk you can easily save 50% of the cost. I buy mine when they go on sale for around $1.50 per pound.

And, of course, the third reason? Having cooked chicken on hand will keep you from grabbing burgers or tacos when your kids are hungry.

Related Reading:

10 Easy Recipes for Shredded Chicken
How to Make a Big Batch of Spaghetti Sauce for the Freezer

How to Batch Cook Chicken Breasts

You have several options for batch-cooked chicken. A couple of these options you don’t even have to do the cooking. If you’re in a pinch, let someone else do the cooking for you. Here are the ways that I recommend:

Baked Chicken Breasts
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Slow-Cooker Chicken Breasts
Rotisserie Chicken (buy pre-cooked)
Pre-Cooked Chicken Breast Meat (buy frozen or fresh from the deli)

How to Make Baked Chicken Breasts

Place the Chicken Breasts on a rimmed cookie sheet and sprinkle well with seasoning salt, salt & pepper, or rotisserie seasoning.
Bake at 450 degrees for 20 Minutes. Chicken is finished when it registers 165 degrees internally.

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Season Chicken Breasts with seasoning salt, salt & pepper, or rotisserie seasoning and place into the Instant Pot.
Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth to the pot.
Seal the lid and close the vent. Press the chicken button, or adjust the time to 15 minutes.
When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then vent.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts

Season Chicken Breasts with seasoning salt, salt & pepper, or rotisserie seasoning and place them in your slow cooker.
Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth to the pot.
Close the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6. Chicken is finished when it registers 165 degrees internally.

How to Store Batch Cooked Chicken

Get Ready for Storing:

There are a lot of ways to store your chicken once it has been cooked. If you store it a couple of different ways then it’s easy to use in recipes during the week.

Odds are, when I use it later in the week I’m not going to be serving whole breasts. To make my meals super-quick during the week I go ahead and cut up the chicken so it can go straight into another meal without any additional chopping or cutting.

I slice half of it and I dice half of it. If you dice it and a recipe calls for shredded chicken, don’t pay any attention – just put in what you have.

Storage Ideas:

Just use whatever you like. Most people probably use Zipper top storage bags but I prefer this type of reusable plastic containers or glass ones like these. The zipper bags get expensive to use and they’re pretty awkward to store in the fridge.

Glass reusable containers are nice to see through, can go in the microwave, and easily go in the dishwasher. After buying them initially, they’re basically free to use over and over.

If you cook more chicken than you can use during the week, feel free to freeze it. You’ll be able to pull it out anytime you need it.

How to Use Batch Cooked Chicken Breasts

Generally, all of your recipes that call for chicken can be modified in some way to use your cooked chicken.

Here are some suggestions:

Soups: Add the chicken after the rest of the soup is fully cooked so it doesn’t get overcooked.
1. Tortilla Soup
2. Instant Pot Green Chicken Chili
Casseroles: This chicken is ideal in casseroles
1. Enchiladas
2. Mexican casseroles
3. Chicken and Noodles
4. Chicken Pot Pie
Pasta: An excellent addition to
1. Pasta salad
2. Pesto Noodles
3. Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Alfredo,
4. Macaroni and Cheese
Sauce Mix-ins: Some of the simplest recipes just need a sauce and they can be served on a bun, pizza crust, tortilla, or on top of a baked potato.
1. Alfredo Sauce
2. BBQ Sauce
3. Pizza Sauce
4. Salsa
5. Gravy
6. Sloppy Joe Sauce

Here you can get 10 Ways to Use Shredded Chicken Breast

Want something great to serve with your Chicken? Take a look at these:

Wow, can you see that you can make some incredible meals from batch cooked chicken breasts? And, imagine all the time you’ll save in the kitchen, the money you’ll save, and the sanity you’ll save. It’s a winner all the way around.