tip for quick meals

One thing I like to do that makes meals go really fast is to precook chicken. At our house, we eat a lot of chicken meals. So I like to have a whole bunch that's ready-made, and it makes cooking a meal much faster.

Here's what I do:

I bake 2-3 pans of chicken in one day.

Preheat oven to 375.
Spray the bottom of a 9x13 or larger pan with cooking spray.
Place frozen (or thawed) chicken breasts in pan so they do not overlap. I can fit 4 large breasts in a 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle heavily with season salt.
Cover with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes until chicken is done.

When chicken is done, I cube or shred all of it.
Then I fill quart-size freezer bags with chicken.
Throw them in the freezer and you're done!

When you need an easy chicken meal, pull out one bag and let it thaw. 1 bag usually works for our family in a 9x13 casserole or with chicken a-la-king, or a pan of enchiladas. And the chicken is already cooked, so you save on all that time!

I'm sure this would work with ground turkey or ground beef as well, if your family prefers other meats. Thanks go to my sister Nicole, who gave me this great tip.