If you’re a lazy cook like me, you are going to love this idea!
I grill a lot of chicken. Usually, I just throw the boneless breasts or tenders on the grill frozen. Sometimes, I go all out and sprinkle them with salt and pepper or homemade seasoned salt. That works fine. But I really prefer the taste of marinated chicken.
However, I’m too lazy and usually in too much of a hurry to remember to thaw the chicken and get it in the marinade with time for it to sit before cooking.
But I’ve got a true short cut for you! It turns out, you can put the marinade over frozen chicken. Pop it back in the freezer and then when you’re ready pop it on the grill. Super simple and it tastes great and makes the chicken tender too.
This idea came to me when GLAD sent me some of their new Freezerware containers.
I used the large size. They are big enough for 1/2 a bag of chicken tenders to fit with room to spare for shaking to coat the meat with marinade.
I used 4 GLAD Freezerware containers and 2 bags of chicken tenders. It only took a couple of minutes to mix up each marinade. I poured marinade over the meat and snapped the lid on tightly. Then I turned the containers upside down and shook them gently to distribute the marinade. Back into the freezer they went.
For testing purposes, I took 1 tender out of the two new marinades. (I’d already tried the Italian Dressing and Soy Sauce as well as the Lemon Juice and Garlic Marinades. The Hoisin and Raspberry Vinaigrette were new though.)
I put the frozen tenders on the grill and they turned out fantastic! Full of flavor and moist too.
Since I only grilled 1 tender out of each container, I was able to pull them out frozen. However, if you’re making the whole container you might have to thaw in the microwave a bit in order to get them out of the marinade. No worries though, the containers are microwave safe. You can also put them in the dishwasher so you can use them again for your next batch.
I labeled the containers with freezer tape and a sharpie marker.
Here are the 4 marinades I used. Let these be a jumping off point for you. There are all kinds of variations to try!
Italian Dressing and Soy Sauce Marinade
This may sound strange, but it tastes great. Mix equal parts Italian dressing, soy sauce and sugar together. I used 1/4 cup of each.
Lemon Juice and Garlic
Mix 1/2 cup lemon juice with 1-2 crushed garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper.
Raspberry Vinaigrette
It doesn’t get easier than this. Pour bottled raspberry vinaigrette over the frozen chicken. I used fat-free. The grilled chicken had a barely sweet flavor and tender texture.
Hoisin Sauce
Stir together 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce with 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar. This would be really good as part of an Asian inspired meal, but don’t let that keep you from trying it at other times too. It’s got a great taste that will go well with all kinds of side dishes.
Disclosure: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received GLAD Freezerware products. I was also compensated for my time.
I do this with chicken and it makes life a lot easier. I’ve got to check out those containers because I need new ones and those look like they’d be great.
I love what marinades can do for chicken or meat. These sound great, and I will have to give them a try. I have a few pieces of Gladware, and I like them very much. Thanks for sharing.
What a fabulous idea! I always forget to thaw and marinade beforehand as well. This is the perfect solution.
I think you are brilliant! All of these marinades sound great…and freezing them first would be sooo handy. The Lazy way is awesome. =)
what a great idea! i’ll have to try this! thanks for sharing!
You can tell the glad folks that we bought 6 packs of these containers tonight. I caught chicken breast tenders at 1.99 (that is our best sales price) and I am getting ready to portion out 24 chicken meals with marinades on them. We mostly eat chicken so that is like a month of easy grill meals.
I tried the soy sauce-Italian dressing one tonight. My husband loved it! Thanks for the marinade idea.
When you say you put the marinade over frozen chicken, you mean the chicken is already frozen BEFORE you put the marinade on? Thanks for the help!
Audrey, I usually buy chicken tenders that come in the bags already frozen, so I just pour the marinade over the frozen chicken. But you can use the marinade with fresh chicken too.
Thank you!
That’s what I do with my Zaycon orders. In fact, I just used four marinades with 36 pounds of the 80 I picked up. 🙂
http://thelandofcurlyhair.blogspot.com/2014/11/eighty-pounds-of-chicken.html
How do you separate the frozen marinade from the chicken? Wouldn’t it all be frozen together?
I thaw it in the microwave, just enough to get it apart. I usually grill at that point, and put the tenders on still partially frozen.
Awesome! I’m having a baby soon and want some easy-ish things prepped… but I hate freezer casseroles! 😀 These look perfect!
We don’t own a grill. Have you ever tried a different cooking method besides grilling with these marinades?
Yes, you can use the marinade when using the oven or slow cooker or even skillet.