What the Heck Do I Do with 40 Pounds of Chicken?
Don't be scared to buy in bulk! What the Heck Do I Do with 40 Pounds of Chicken is a collection of THE BEST boneless skinless chicken recipes to fill your meal planning needs all year long.
I have never been one to buy in bulk. I grew up in a house with 5 kids, 4 dogs, too many cats, and parents that worked all. the. time. My mom worked nights as a waitress and then hit the grocery store on the way home. Whenever time to cook dinner rolled around we usually ended up making another quick trip for whatever items we were missing. When you get paid every day, you shop every day and that's how it goes.
As an adult I sort of followed suit; especially when I was still working in restaurants. These days, I don't mind all the grocery trips when I am shopping for work because hellooooo - buying things like S'mores Oreos is pretty fun.
But Oh. My. GAH. Shopping every day for dinner is completely exhausting. Especially when it comes to buying protein. I do not love the meat aisle in the grocery store. If there's a sale, there is always some lady that got there 3 seconds before me and now has to inspect every package while I stand there trying my best to be patient. Or there's the dude that looks completely lost because he hasn't been grocery shopping in 5 years and he's overwhelmed by all the everything.
Then there's the cost. In my house of hungry dudes, I'd say I cook boneless skinless chicken breasts 3 -4 times a week. That's 1 - 2 pounds of chicken a minimum of 3 times a week. If I buy quality chicken I'm looking at $6 - $8 every time I shop. Sometimes it's more like $10. That adds up!
I'll admit that I was intimidated by buying 40 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts all at once. We have a french drawer fridge with a drawer freezer - no chest freezers over here - and I was worried about where I'd fit the ice cream (#priorities). But at $1.69 a pound (that was $67.60 for the whole 40 pounds) I really couldn't not give it a try, you know?
And with this terrific list of recipes here, there's no shortage of ideas on what the heck to do with 40 pounds of chicken.
Pickle Chicken with Garlic Fries and Spicy Pickle Dip
Easy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Barbecue Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Chicken Fingers with Crunchy Almond Crust
Easy Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Chicken and Apple Cheddar Dumplings
Easy Chicken Cutlets with Pan Sauce
Greek Chicken Salad with Tangy Greek Dressing
Pesto Chicken and Provolone Sandwiches
Healthy Dill Chicken Salad Wraps
Here are some favorite recipes from some favorite food bloggers using boneless skinless chicken...
Sesame Chicken & Snap Pea Stir Fry
Spicy Honey Sriracha Chicken with Rice Noodles
You are a chicken ninja! I will keep this handy for easy reference!
Chicken Ninja. Hahahahha
We eat a ton of chicken because my girls prefer it - glad to have some new recipe ideas!
Thanks Sara!
Awesome collection of chicken recipes! I tend to buy in bulk too, I won't buy chicken if it's over $2 a pound (I know, I'm cheap). Thank you for compiling!
Thanks, Michelle!
SEND ME HALF OF YOUR CHICKEN STASH!!! 😉
$1.69/lb??? I'm calling Zaycon!
What a great list of recipes! I couldn't imagine buying 40 lbs of chicken all at once. You did a great job cooking it all up~
You know, buying chicken in bulk like that is a great idea. Chicken is the most popular meat and there is so much you can do with it. I have a chest freezer so I could definitely freeze it. I am so going to look into this!
These are all making me drool, big time! Especially that cajun crispy chicken.
That cajun chicken is a major favorite! Especially on a biscuit. YES.
I love a good deal, and the whole idea of having all that chicken whenever I needed it sounds great! These recipes look so fabulous too!
Jaren it has made dinner hour SO MUCH EASIER. I can't say enough good things! And clearly I have chicken recipes to infinity, so... 🙂
It has been a few years since I bought the Zaycon deal, so next time I do, these recipes will come in handy! So many of these I can easily adapt to gluten-free!
I had no idea about the Zaycon deal until just a month or so ago. I am so impressed! And dang we cook chicken a lot. So glad some of these recipes will fit your needs!
At this point in my life I shop almost EVERY day because I fail to plan ahead and I hate it. I SO needed this post! Thank you!
I am ALWAYS at the grocery store! I am so glad to have a freezer full of chicken -- it has solved so many of my daily dinner problems!
What a fanatics bunch of ideas! Especially saving a ton of $$ buying quality meat in bulk. It's my dream to one day buy a full size freezer to feed by hungry boys. Pinned.
We might buy a chest freezer one day. But for now my drawer has been more than sufficient -- I was surprised at how much I was able to fit in there!
Awesome chicken recipes roundup!! I want to make and eat them ALL!!!! 🙂 Thanks for putting this together, Heather!
Thanks so much Kimberly!