How to freeze chicken breasts without freezer bags

Buying chicken in bulk and freezing it for later is a great way to save money in the kitchen. It’s not difficult to freeze chicken, and we’ve put together this handy guide to get you started. 

Table of Contents

• Freezing Chicken
• Why Freeze Chicken
• Supplies Needed For Freezing Chicken
• How To Freeze Chicken Breasts
• How To Freeze Other Cuts of Chicken
• How To Freeze A Whole Chicken
• Tips For Success
• How To Meal Prep With Frozen Chicken
• How To Prevent Freezer Burn
• FAQs
• More Recipes You May Like
• Get The How To Freeze Chicken Instructions:
• How To Freeze Chicken

Freezing Chicken

Here at Budget Delicious, we love chicken recipes. Chicken is flavorful, versatile, and best of all, it’s budget-friendly. 

We often recommend that you purchase chicken on sale or in bulk and freeze it for later use. Chicken is one of the least expensive meat options, and it also goes on sale pretty frequently. Purchasing chicken in bulk at wholesale clubs is also a fantastic way to save on chicken, and because you are buying in large quantities, the price is often lower than grocery store sale prices. 

Raw chicken will only last for a few days, and freezing can extend the life of chicken to up to a year. Using a vacuum sealer is ideal because the machine removes excess air for you before sealing the chicken. Since not everyone has a vacuum sealer, we’ve created this guide to show you how to freeze chicken using freezer bags. 

Why Freeze Chicken

• Save Money – Buy chicken in bulk or on sale and save it for later.
• Safe Storage – Chicken only lasts a few days in the fridge and then bacteria can develop. Freezing stops this process allowing you to keep chicken longer. 
• Meal Prep – Freeze seasoned and prepped chicken for easy meal prep later on. 

Supplies Needed For Freezing Chicken

• Sandwich Baggies – Look for the thin sandwich baggies that fold over rather than the zip-top bags. You can also use plastic wrap. 
• Zip-top Bags – Zip-top freezer bags are a great choice because they are thicker and usually have a double zipper, allowing you to freeze chicken longer. Gallon-sized bags will hold several chicken breasts.
• Permanent Marker – Always label each bag with the date, contents, quantity, and use-by date. 

How To Freeze Chicken Breasts

1. Gather your supplies and determine how to want to divide the chicken. 
2. Label each bag with the date, contents, quantity, and use-by date, then set aside.
3. Wrap individual chicken pieces with sandwich baggies or plastic wrap and fold over, removing as much air as possible. For mess-free wrapping, invert a sandwich bag over your hand and use it to pick up the raw chicken. Use your other hand to turn the bag over the chicken and seal without ever touching raw chicken.
4. Place the individually wrapped chicken into the large freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag, then place the bags of chicken into the freezer. 
5. When ready to use, remove what you need and place it on a plate in the fridge to defrost overnight. 

How To Freeze Other Cuts of Chicken

The exact process works to freeze other chicken cuts like chicken tenders, chicken thighs, chicken wings, and chicken legs. 

Because it can be challenging to remove all the air from bone-in chicken, you should use these cuts within 6 months. 

How To Freeze A Whole Chicken

Freezing whole chicken is really easy. Just pop it in the freezer in the packaging it came in. Whole chickens can easily be frozen for a year. 

To defrost whole chicken, place it in the fridge for at least 24 hours for every 5 pounds of chicken.

Tips For Success

• Make sure you have plenty of room in your freezer before purchasing large quantities of chicken.
• Have all of your supplies ready, then prep and label each bag before you begin working with the chicken.
• Remove as much air as possible from each bag to reduce the risk of freezer burn. 
• Make a list of what you freeze and keep it on the freezer door to know exactly what’s inside without opening the door. 
• Wrapping the chicken in the extra baggie helps protect the chicken from freezer burn and makes it easy to grab just what you need instead of having to thaw large amounts of chicken.

  Can you freeze chicken in non freezer bags?

  Even though most raw chicken is sold in plastic-wrapped containers, this packaging isn't great for the freezer and can cause freezer burn. Wrap the packaged chicken with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, or remove it from the packaging (don't wash it!), and place the raw chicken in ziplock plastic freezer bags.

  What is the best way to freeze chicken breast?

  Wrap each chicken part (or whole bird, if you bought it whole) in plastic wrap, as tightly as possible. Place those wrapped parts in a zipper-lock freezer bag in a single layer. Better yet, vacuum-seal them in a plastic bag, if you have a vacuum sealer. (Our favorite is this one from NESCO.)

  What can I use instead of freezer bags?

  Glass, glass containers with screw caps or sealable stainless steel cans are good alternatives to plastic boxes. Cardboard, paper, soft cloth or cotton bags make poor packaging material for frozen food.

  Can I freeze chicken in a container?

  Tips for Freezing Poultry Choose containers or wraps appropriate for freezing:freezer foil, wrap or bags, plastic freezing containers. To prep for freezing: Ideally wrap first in a layer of plastic wrap or freezer paper, then a layer of foil, then store in a freezer bag or plastic container.