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Freezer Meal: Chicken, Broccoli, Bacon & Potato Bake

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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.

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How to make this freezer meal:

(full printable recipe below – just scroll!)

  1. Grease 2 8×8 foil baking pans.
  2. Divide ingredients in half – you are making 2 pans, so half of the ingredients goes in each pan.
  3. In both pans, layer ingredients in this order: potatoes, chicken,broccoli, bacon, onion and cheese.
  4. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
  5. Repeat the layers and seasoning. 
  6. Pour heavy cream over ingredients and sprinkle butter pieces over the dish.
  7. Cover with foil.

To eat today:

  1. Bake at 350 for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.
  2. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.

 Freezing directions:

  1. 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

  1. Thaw overnight.
  2. 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.

freezer meals

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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3.78 from 414 votes
freezer meals
Print
Freezer Cooking: Chicken, Broccoli, Bacon & Potato Bake
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 5 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 

A tasty meal that is easy to double, triple or quadruple, so you have plenty of freezer meals when you need one! And it has bacon! 

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 399 kcal
Author: Kylee
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 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
Directions

  1. Grease 2 8×8 foil baking pans.

  2. Divide ingredients in half - you are making 2 pans, so half of the ingredients goes in each pan.

  3. In both pans, layer ingredients in this order: potatoes, chicken, broccoli, bacon, onion and cheese.

  4. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

  5. Repeat the layers and seasoning. 

  6. Pour heavy cream over ingredients and sprinkle butter pieces over the dish.

  7. Cover with foil

To eat today:

  1. Bake at 350 for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

  2. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Freezing Directions:

  1. 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:

  1. Thaw overnight.

  2. Remove bag of cheese, set aside and recover with foil. 

  3. Bake covered for one hour or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender. 

  4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly.

  5. Devour.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes 2 8x8 pans each serving 4.

Nutrition Facts
Freezer Cooking: Chicken, Broccoli, Bacon & Potato Bake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 399 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 45%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 124mg 41%
Sodium 526mg 22%
Potassium 508mg 15%
Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 1g
Protein 22g 44%
Vitamin A 22.1%
Vitamin C 30.3%
Calcium 34.2%
Iron 5.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • How do you think this would work if baked before frozen. Hubby works alot if hours out if town so I cook up meals to freeze so he can easily warm up when ready.

    • Wow!!! That looks delicious. Ididn’t realize you can use those containers for freezing.
      I will be making this very soon…Thx!

    • I haven’t, but I bet it could easily be adapted. I’d probably leave the broccoli out until the last 15 minutes of cooking though – so it doesn’t go mushy and gross.

  8. Very nice, lovely flavour. Might add a packet of chicken noodle soup with it next time, although it really didn’t need anything extra for flavour. Also added capsicum, diced pumpkin and half broccoli and half cauliflower. Easy prep all in one pan!! Fantastic! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

  9. my 14 year old daughter loved it so much she went back for seconds and she is quite the picky eater 🙂 so thank you!

    • Nope. I found if I mixed them well enough, and there weren’t too many on the surface, they did just fine!

    • Have you tried this recipe with diced hash browns? Hash brown casseroles are so yummy…I wonder if this would taste just as good with them.

  12. Tried this the other day. My husband and I loved it. I’m going to pre-cook the chicken next time though. I never have luck with raw chicken in freezer meals, I have to cook it a lot longer to get it to fully cook.

    • Hi, Annah! Thanks for stopping by. Yep, cooking the chicken would REALLY reduce cook-day time, more reheating than cooking, I suppose. Let me know how it turns out?

    • Do you mean in a baking dish, in the BBQ, baking? I don’t see why not – but I’d assume a metal dish would be needed?

  16. Is the recipe already quadrupled? 4.5 cups of potatoes seems like a lot for an 8×8 pan, but not enough for four servings…

    • Hi Suzie – thanks for catching that! It actually makes 2 8×8 dishes. One to eat today, and one for the freezer! I’ve updated the recipe to show it, I appreciate you commenting!

    • Thaw. Remove bag of cheese 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.

  18. Sounds delish! Do you need to thaw first or can it go straight from the freezer to the oven? Thank you 🙂

    • Thaw. Remove bag of cheese 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.

  21. This looks good! Gonna try it this week! I get my foil pans at the dollar tree! Three for a buck, and they come with nice covers

  22. This is so good!!!!!!! I forgot about the bacon but it really didn’t need it. I will definitely be making 2 more for sure. Thank you so much.

    • Hi Carrie – you could, but I haven’t done it that way, so can’t attest to the quality of it! I wouldn’t freeze it for too long, up to a month, maybe, if you cooked it first.

  25. Hi Kylee. This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I know your recipe says that it needs to be thawed first before baking, but do you think it could go straight from the freezer to the oven successfully? I’m horrible at remembering to take things from the freezer in advance. Thanks.

    • It doesn’t HAVE to be, but you’d need to add a significant amount to your cooking time. I haven’t tried it, let me know how it goes!

  26. This recipe looks tasty, Using the amounts given , are they divided by 4….ie…2 layers in each pan. Seems like a very small amount of cream, onion etc.

  28. Would this be good with a different type of meat? I have friends coming over and the don’t like chicken. 🙁

  30. I love having meals in the freezer. I call them homemade convenience food LOL. With my kids back to school, guess what’s coming next? Oh yea, every germ carried in the halls of the school, and that usually results in me falling ill at least once or twice. And when mom is sick, mom doesn’t cook. I like this one particularly because it’s a bit different than most freezer meals I see. I see a lot of pasta ones, but not too many like this. I very much appreciate this post. Thanks for sharing this!

  31. 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?

    • 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!

  32. 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.

  33. 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!

  34. 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.

  37. This sounds good… im wondering can we substitute potatoes with sweet potatoes? Just wondering if it will go well with the dish.

  38. 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!