I’m a sandwich girl. Always have been. I love me a good sandwich any time of the day.
This recipe was born from my sandwich-love and my need to find ways to use up the shredded chicken I keep in my freezer. It has a nice little kick with the addition of a little hot sauce and garlic powder. Find the right loaf of bread and you’ve got yourself a family favorite – guaranteed!
Shredded chicken is a great thing to have on hand. It keeps well in the freezer, it’s easy to defrost and it’s a huge time saver. We use it to create easy casseroles, soups and sandwiches like the ones I listed HERE. This recipe is a relatively new creation, and one of my favorites.
Chicken Salad Club Sandwiches
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Recipe type: main
Prep time: 10 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 c. Cooked Shredded Chicken
1 c. Mayonnaise
1/4 c. Diced Celery
1 tsp. Chipotle Hot Sauce (I use Cholula)
1/8 tsp. Garlic Powder
Whole Grain Bread, toasted
Provolone Cheese slices
Bacon, cooked and drained
Lettuce
Tomato
Instructions
Combine first five ingredients. Spread on whole grain toast. Top with cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato and serve immediately.
2.2.1
Scroll through HERE for more meal planning ideas or HERE to read about my Gradual Make Ahead Method. Other posts you may like:
Having Grilled Chicken Strips on hand in the freezer is one of my secrets for saving time in the kitchen. Whenever I can get a good price on chicken breast I stock up, then grill 8-10 lbs at a time, slice into strips and bag in meal size portions.
I came up with this idea after falling off the once-a-month-cooking bandwagon…mostly because the idea of spending a full Saturday each month in the kitchen was something I always dreaded. I decided I could accomplish the same thing by spending a few minutes making a little bit extra whenever I prepare dinner. It has worked like a charm for us! These Chicken Bacon Quesadillas are one of our favorite ways to use up our grilled chicken strips. Head over HERE for another delicious idea.
If you’re interested, you can stop over HERE to read more about my Gradual Make-Ahead Method™.
Chicken Bacon Quesadillas
5.0 from 1 reviews
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Recipe type: Main
Author: Lori @ MomsbyHeart.net
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Tbs. Butter
8 Flour Tortillas
1 lb. Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
10 Strips of Bacon, crumbled
1 Avocado, diced
1/4 c. Fresh Salsa
8 oz. Cheddar or Pepperjack Cheese
Instructions
In a skillet, melt 1 Tbs. butter over medium heat.
Add tortilla to skillet and top with grilled chicken strips, crumbled bacon, avocado and a small amount of fresh salsa.
Top with cheese and a second tortilla.
Cover and cook until cheese is melted and bottom of tortilla is slightly brown.
Flip carefully and cook the other side until tortilla is slightly brown.
Repeat above steps with all tortillas.
Cut each into quarters and serve with sour cream and salsa (optional).
Here’s an easy recipe using my very own Gradual Make-Ahead Method. I generally buy enough ingredients to triple this recipe, then set two batches aside for future use. As you can tell from the photo, the kids love this one.
They also love sneaking their mugs into any photos I happen to be taking.
Beef Broccoli Stir-Fry (Make-Ahead Method)
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Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 3 meals of 4-6
This recipe makes three meals worth – one for dinner tonight and two for freezing!
Ingredients
6 lbs. boneless round steak or chuck steak, cut in 3 inch strips
2/3 c. water
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 tbs. corn starch
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
6 c. frozen broccoli florets
2 small onions, sliced
cooked rice
Instructions
In a bowl, stir together water, soy sauce, corn starch, brown sugar, garlic powder and ground ginger. Add beef and toss until thoroughly coated. Allow to marinade for at least one hour.
At this point, you can divide meat mixture into three. Use one for dinner tonight and freeze two for up to 3 months.
In a large wok or skillet, stir fry beef to desired doneness, adding broccoli and onions during final 4-5 minutes of cooking. Spoon over cooked rice and enjoy!
When using freezer portions, you can leave in refrigerator to thaw overnight, or just cook beef frozen in a covered skillet for a few minutes, then follow directions above.
Three dinners done at once! Just be sure to leave the broccoli and onions separate when freezing this dish so you can add them in during the final minutes of cooking and avoid sogginess.
This recipe was born to be a make-ahead meal! It is easy to prepare, freezes well, and tastes great going from freezer to crockpot to plate! Whenever I prepare it for dinner, I simply make enough for an additional three or four dinners, and then freeze the extra in meal size portions. The following recipe is one 8-serving meal.
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 1/2 cups Ketchup
1/4 cup Worchestershire Sauce
1/4 cup Mustard
1/4 cup Vinegar
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 small onion, minced
DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet, cook ground beef and onion until beef is evenly brown.
Drain beef.
Add remaining ingredients to the skillet and stir well.
Cook covered on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve on hamburger bun and enjoy!
Scroll through HERE (past this post) to view more Gradual Make Ahead Method™ recipes.
I’ve finally come up with the perfect taco seasoning recipe to use with my Gradual Make Ahead Method™! This method allows you to make your weekday meals as usual, preparing part of the meal (usually the meat) in large enough quantity for an additional 3-5 dinners!
I have found this to be a great time saving alternative to once-a-month cooking, which usually requires long days in the kitchen to do all your cooking at once. This way, I am able to stay ahead on some of my cooking without giving up an entire weekend.
With a stash of taco meat in the freezer, I am able to make an easy meal of tacos, nachos, taco salad, taco pizza, burritos or enchiladas with little effort. It even goes nicely from the freezer to the crockpot!
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Beef Bullion Granules
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Directions:
Mix together and store in airtight container until ready to use (up to one year).
To cook, add 1 lb ground beef and 1/3 cup water per 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Simmer uncovered on low for 5-10 minutes.
Gradual Make Ahead Method:
To freeze taco meat, allow to cool completely. Then add meal size portions to freezer bag or container. Label and date.
When ready to serve, remove from freezer and cook in covered skillet on low until heated through.
Alternately, you can add 2 tablespoons water to frozen contents and cook on low in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours or until heated through.
Scroll through HERE (past this post) for more Gradual Make-Ahead ideas!
I fell off the once-a-month-cooking bandwagon a couple months ago, and haven’t been able to bring myself to return full force. Since I didn’t want to lose the time-saving benefits of it, I came up with my own version. Long story short – I now have a ton of grilled chicken in my freezer so I am working my way through the recipe box to find the best ways to use it up.
This one is always a hit at my house and just about the only way I can sneak veggies in without the moans and groans from the peanut gallery.
CALIFORNIA CHICKEN ALFREDO
Ingredients:
1 lb Grilled Chicken Breast, frozen
8-12 oz bag California Blend Vegetables (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower)
2 cups Bowtie Pasta
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a skillet, add butter, garlic, frozen chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on low until chicken is heated through.
Drain pasta and add to skillet, along with heavy cream, parmesan and salt. Cook and stir until thoroughly blended.
This is even great as leftovers. Good luck with that.
A die-hard dollar stretching yankee mom of five living somewhere deep in the heart of Texas. . . . . . . I can bring home the free bacon. Fry it up in a half price pan. And show you how to never ever ever pay full price again. . . . . . . Retail is for chumps. Welcome to hard-core retail rehab. . . . . . . More about me HERE. Contact me HERE.
