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A tasty freezer meal that is easy to double, triple or quadruple, so you have plenty of meals when you need one! And it has bacon!
Update: This post was originally posted in 2014 and has been updated to improve reader experience
Hi there! If you’re looking for freezer meals/cooking, or weeknight wonders – you’re in the right place!
I originally posted this when I was expecting my second son, C. I was so worried that I’d be unable to cook while recovering from abdominal surgery, and chasing a toddler (spoiler: I was right). Having a few freezer meals stocked in the freezer meant that I really could lay on the couch and rest vs stand in the kitchen trying to make something edible.
Love Freezer Meals? Tweet it!How to make this freezer meal:
(full printable recipe below – just scroll!)
- Grease 2 8×8 foil baking pans.
- Divide ingredients in half – you are making 2 pans, so half of the ingredients goes in each pan.
- In both pans, layer ingredients in this order: potatoes, chicken,broccoli, bacon, onion and cheese.
- Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Repeat the layers and seasoning.
- Pour heavy cream over ingredients and sprinkle butter pieces over the dish.
- Cover with foil.
To eat today:
- Bake at 350 for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.
Freezing directions:
- Assemble as directed above but do not bake. Make sure the potatoes are covered by other ingredients if possible (so they don’t blacken). Cover tightly with foil, label, and freeze. Freeze 1/2 cup cheddar with each dish.
To cook from frozen
- Thaw overnight.
- Bake covered for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.
Stocking up with quality freezer meals can be a little daunting
If you haven’t done it before, and see all the “all day” cooking sessions, with 40 meals at a time etc – it can be somewhat overwhelming! It doesn’t actually have to be that way. It has to work for YOU and what time and resources you have.
For me – I like to cook once, eat twice (eat tonight, repurpose leftovers for tomorrow), as well as make one for eating tonight, and one for the freezer. It doesn’t require a big time commitment and fills your freezer as you go. I throw this together on a Sunday afternoon – bake one, freeze one 8×8 pan.
It gets bonus points for being appealing to the kids as well as husband, and me!
Freezer Meal: Chicken, Broccoli Bacon & Potato Bake Ingredients:
- Red potatoes – you are welcome to sub regular potatoes, of course! Dice them small and when freezing, try to make sure they are below the surface of the dish as much as possible. Potatoes can turn black when frozen, but do okay when covered well.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – thighs are also a good choice. Dice them the same size as the potatoes, for even cooking
- Broccoli florets – this can be switched out to be a mix of broccoli and cauliflower for a little variety!
- Bacon – it’s half a cup AFTER it’s been cooked and crumbled. About 3 slices of bacon
- Onion – this is an essential ingredient and brings lots of flavor to the dish
- Cheddar cheese – sub monterey jack or pepper jack for a kick!
- Seasonings: salt & pepper,garlic powder – do this to your own taste
- Heavy cream – half and half is a good substitute here, but the “sauce” won’t be as thick
- Butter – I use salted butter
Kylee’s Top Tips for Freezer Meals
- ALWAYS label your containers. No one likes a mystery meal!
- When freezing potatoes, ensure they are not on the surface of your dish. They have a tendency to turn black, so this really helps.
- Triple or quadruple this easily, or do an assembly line with a friend!
If you love freezer friendly meals- check these out!!
- Baked Ziti – Comfort food at its very very finest. Cheesy, gooey, and absolutely delicious. This baked ziti has a tasty meat sauce, mixed with pasta, cheese and sour cream – this dish is a winner!
- Simple Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas – a very easy recipe made with a creamy homemade green & white sauce. A family-friendly weeknight winner!
- Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Shells – Large pasta shells, stuffed with ricotta, spinach, sausage and … more cheese, these stuffed shells are a make ahead/freezer cooking DREAM.
See this post – How to cook mashed potatoes, rice and steel cut oats in the pressure cooker/instant pot
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Freezer Cooking: Chicken, Broccoli, Bacon & Potato Bake
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 4½ cups red potatoes diced
- 2½ cups boneless skinless chicken breast diced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup bacon cooked crumbled
- 1/4 cup onion sliced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cracked pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup heavy cream (can sub half & half)
- 2 Tbs butter chopped
For the top
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Grease 2 8×8 foil baking pans.
- Divide ingredients in half - you are making 2 pans, so half of the ingredients goes in each pan.
- In both pans, layer ingredients in this order: potatoes, chicken, broccoli, bacon, onion and cheese.
- Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Repeat the layers and seasoning.
- Pour heavy cream over ingredients and sprinkle butter pieces over the dish.
- Cover with foil
To eat today:
- Bake at 350 for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.
Freezing Directions:
- Assemble as directed above but do not bake. Make sure the potatoes are covered by other ingredients if possible (so they don't blacken). Cover tightly with foil, label, and freeze. Freeze 1/2 cup cheddar with each dish.
To cook from frozen:
- Thaw overnight.
- Remove bag of cheese, set aside and recover with foil.
- Bake covered for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.
- Devour.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
Recipes written and produced on Kylee Cooks are for informational purposes only. Kylee is not a certified nutritionist. Nutritional data provided on Kylee Cooks has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.
Shi says
Love this idea and trying soon. I realized that I’ve often already frozen meat and thawing to make meals for later. Can this be cooked cooled and frozen? For a family to take down and reheat?? Help!
Lilly says
This sounds good… im wondering can we substitute potatoes with sweet potatoes? Just wondering if it will go well with the dish.
Kylee says
I think it sounds awesome!
Rachelle says
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. This recipe will be on our menu. Thanks!
Annette says
This was a big hit in my house. Thank you for the recipe.
Stephanie says
Have you tried making this using the diced hash browns? Hash brown casseroles are so yummy…I wonder if it would taste as good using them.
Cathy Letourneaux says
It turned out great! The whole family loved it, especially with the extra cream. The family’s feedback is to double the broccoli (they loved the creamy cheesy-ness of it and wanted more broccoli!) and said it needed a new name. After telling them about Kylee, they named it Kiwi’s Chicken! My kids are 8 and 12, a definite hit! Thank you!
Kylee says
I’m so glad you liked it, Cathy!
CC Mills says
I made this and it was delish! Husband liked it too. I had some yellow squash I chopped small and added to it. Vegetables were tender and cheesy, chicken was done but not dry. When I make the next batch I might try a little Cajun seasoning but it is very good just as it is.
Shawn says
Hi Kylee. This sounds delicious and I’m excited to try it. I’m not quite sure if I understand the recipe. It makes 2 pans that are layered, so each ingredient needs to be divided into 4, (for each layer) correct? The cream just in half, 1/2 C into each pan?
Sara says
Hi! That is what I did. I got all of the ingredients – not realizing it was for 2 pans. When it was time to construct the dish I saw that it was meant for 2 pans and used only 1/2 cup of cream for each. I did not divide into 4. I just layered the potatoes, chicken, bacon then cheese!