Get 7 days of chicken meal prep ideas with this FREE meal plan, which includes recipes, a grocery list, AND meal prep specifics so you can get dinner on the table fast! Enjoy a week’s worth of delicious, healthy chicken dinners for the whole family. Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken or All-Purpose Slow Cooker Chicken to get started!
Do you ever feel like you spend all day in the kitchen? Yeah, me too.
Anytime I can use a shortcut to get dinner made faster – whether using my Instant Pot or making some freezer meals – I’m all in.
Having a meal plan in place is vital, but having a meal plan specifically with meal prep recipes that let me cook once and eat all week? That’s the icing on the cake!
In this post, I will share 7 of my favorite chicken meal prep ideas so you can feed your family healthy food and spend LESS time in the kitchen!
The best part is that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to eat real food! All you need are a few simple ingredients, and you can make full meals for the entire week!
Save money, save time, and eat yummy, good-for-you food? Sign me up!
7 MEAL PREP CHICKEN RECIPES
We are working on two types of meal prep this week: the prep during dinner (everything you need for tonight’s dinner) and the prep ahead (everything you need for the week besides today).
For the prep during dinner, you’re doubling (or tripling!) parts of your meal so that you can “cook once, eat twice” as the week goes on. For the prep ahead, you’ll need to set aside some time before dinner on Sunday (or whatever day you start these meal prep chicken recipes) to get the extra food ready for the week.
You’ll find detailed instructions for both the “prep during dinner” and the “prep ahead” in the download. We’ve also included the specific prep instructions for the recipes on the recipe pages themselves, so you don’t have to keep flipping back through the meal plan.
When choosing the best meal prep recipes that let us cook once and eat all week – FOR A FAMILY THAT EATS REAL FOOD – you can’t completely escape cooking all week long.
Yes, we’ll use recipes that are quick and easy, but we still might spend 20 minutes boiling pasta or melting cheese one night.
However, with these 7 chicken meal prep recipes, you’ll spend most of your time getting ready on Sunday, then minimal time in the kitchen the rest of the week (30 minutes MAX each night).
HEALTHY CHICKEN MEAL PREP
I don’t find chicken on sale as often as say, ground beef or pork loin, but when I do, I like to stock up. Sometimes I’ll just throw that extra sale chicken in the freezer or prep an easy marinade before freezing it, but sometimes we’ll just have a chicken meal prep week.
But these healthy chicken meal prep ideas aren’t just plating up a chicken breast with some side dishes every night or filling meal prep containers for reheating through the week.
Those meals are yummy, but when you’re feeding a family, passing out an entire chicken breast to each person every meal means you’ll run out of chicken fast! Instead, the recipes in this chicken meal prep plan will help you intentionally use your chicken to get the most bang for your buck.
We’ll get 7 meals from two whole chickens. And if you happen to have extra cooked chicken, I’ve got bonus chicken meal prep ideas for you too!
WHY I LOVE THESE EASY CHICKEN MEAL PREP IDEAS
- You are using chicken as a condiment more than a main component. By this, I mean that while all of the easy chicken meal prep ideas DO have chicken, we’re using it in a way that stretches it to feed your family several meals.
- If you eat gluten-free, most of these recipes for healthy chicken meal prep will still work for you! You’ll need to replace the fettuccine with gluten-free pasta, use gluten-free flour for the biscuits, and choose an alternative tortilla. I suggest making a big batch of Corn Tortillas or Paleo Cassava Flour Tortillas instead.
- The key to any good meal plan is variety. I’ve made sure to include a soup, a pasta dish, and family favorites like quesadillas and tacos. All of them are easy, all of them are healthy, and all of them will help you answer the question “What’s for dinner?” and get cheers instead of groans.
- Also, if your people are picky when it comes to their meals, I purposely chose some meals where your picky eaters can choose their toppings or separate the components of their meals, like the baked sweet potatoes bar and chicken tacos.
Don’t forget to review the meal plan as a whole and substitute appropriately, so your family enjoys what you’re making for dinner tonight!
ONE WEEK OF MEAL PREP IDEAS FOR CHICKEN
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- 100% real food recipes that are simple, straightforward, and family-friendly.
- A week’s worth of chicken meal prep ideas that feed the average family of 4 for around $50-75.
- Recipes that are quick to make – each recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less after a bit of prep which is great for busy weeknights!
- A week’s menu that stretches 2 whole chickens into 7 meals!
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:
- Breakfast and lunch. This meal plan is packed with meal prep chicken recipes, so there’s a good chance you’ll have some left over. But we’re not specifically planning for breakfast or lunch here.
- If you need easy meal prep ideas for breakfasts, you can use this freezer-cooking breakfast meal plan to make a week’s worth (or more!) of breakfast recipes in an hour.
- If you need lunch meal prep ideas, try this two-week lunch menu.
- Precautions for food allergies. Because my family is blessed to not have food allergies, I don’t plan for them in my meal plans. However, ALDI has a fantastic line of gluten-free foods if you need those options. With a few tweaks, I think this one-week ALDI meal plan would work in most food allergy families, too.
HEALTHY CHICKEN MEAL PREP
Before we can make a week’s worth of meal prep chicken recipes, we need chicken.
I find my organic whole chickens at Costco, but if you’re having trouble finding quality chicken locally, or you just want the ease of food delivery, check out Butcher Box.
Butcher Box delivers grass-fed beef, pasture-raised and organic chicken, and heritage pork directly to your front door each month. You can read my honest review of Butcher Box here, and how to make Butcher Box worth the cost here.
The search for high-quality meat ends here. Amazing taste. Humanely raised and delivered to your door. Sign up today! Click this link to claim the current offer!
Wherever you get your chicken, you’ll need 2 whole chickens to make these meal prep chicken recipes. I suggest using an Instant Pot to cook the chickens, but you could also make All-Purpose Slow Cooker Chicken or roast the chickens in the oven. (Instructions to cook your whole chickens are included in the FREE meal plan download.) Then you’ll be ready to make some yummy chicken dinners!
7 EASY MEAL PREP CHICKEN RECIPES
SUNDAY
BBQ Baked Sweet Potatoes with Topping Bar // Steamed Green Beans & Carrots
MONDAY
Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas // Spanish Rice // Roasted Broccoli
TUESDAY
Quesadillas with Topping Bar // Spicy Citrus Black Beans
WEDNESDAY
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo // Roasted Broccoli
THURSDAY
Chicken Noodle Soup // Drop Biscuits
FRIDAY
Buffalo Chicken Tortilla Pizzas // Dinner Salad
SATURDAY
Chicken Tacos with Topping Bar // Spanish Rice // Spicy Citrus Black Beans
Get all of these meal plan exclusive recipes, plus the shopping list and all of the specifics for making these chicken meal prep ideas work with your schedule, right here!
Chicken Meal Prep Plan
Sign up to get instant access to my Chicken Meal Prep Plan, complete with recipes and shopping list!If you have any leftover meal prep chicken at this point, here are some additional healthy chicken meal prep recipes to use it in:
- Chicken Pot Pie – you can also add any extra veggies to this meal. Prepare the pot pie or just make the filling and serve leftover biscuits on the side.
- Chicken Southwest Salad – perfect for leftover chicken and taco seasoning, plus whatever salad fixings you have.
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili – have extra beans? Throw them in the chili.
- Bacon Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap – use up leftover tortillas and chicken with a different flavor than the other meal prep ideas in this meal plan.
- One Bowl Buffalo Chicken Salad – use extra chicken, extra buffalo sauce, and extra salad fixings to make a yummy main dish or side.
- Weeknight Chicken Stir Fry – cook up chicken and whatever vegetables you have remaining with stir fry sauce. Serve over Brown Rice or Cauliflower Rice.
- Or check out these 40+ Rotisserie Chicken Meals for more ideas on what to do with leftover cooked chicken!
TIPS FOR THESE CHICKEN MEAL PREP IDEAS
- This meal plan was created for the average family of 4. You may need to halve or double (or triple!) recipes to best fit your family.
- I focused on whole chickens in this meal plan because they’re the most affordable protein available. If you have chicken breasts on hand, this Sheet Pan Chicken Breast Recipe is super easy. Feel free to experiment with chicken thighs too – use whatever cut of chicken you have on hand or find the best deal.
- Make substitutions based on what you have on hand and what your family prefers. This post has 25+ food substitutions to get you started!
- With some of these recipes, you’ll have leftovers for a healthy lunch, but not all. You might want to have a few lunch ideas in your back pocket, just in case. Or choose one of the lunch meal prep ideas in this post.
- Read through the entire menu AND the section on How to Meal Prep for the Week BEFORE you start making anything. You’ll see that we are intentionally making extra and using leftovers. If you’re not careful, you’ll accidentally eat the vegetables needed for another dinner or end up having to spend more time in the kitchen than necessary. You can also determine what you can make later if you’re short on time on Sunday. You may find an easy way to incorporate lunch meal prep without too much extra work!
MEAL PREP CHICKEN FAQS
How much chicken should I meal prep for a week?
These chicken meal prep ideas help you to stretch 2 whole chickens into 7 meals! You can choose how to prep your chicken – using the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or roasting the whole chickens.
How do you meal prep chicken for the fridge?
Batch cook your chicken in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Save your cooked shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it in resealable freezer bags. You can also meal prep raw chicken with a variety of marinades and refrigerate or freeze those until you’re ready to cook them.
What are some high-protein chicken meal prep ideas?
We like meals like Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Cacciatore or Tortilla Soup with added chicken, both of which have multiple protein-rich ingredients. However, there are plenty of ways to add more protein to your diet without just focusing on meat. Read 25+ Cheap and Healthy High Protein Foods to learn more.
MORE YUMMY MEAL PLANS
Adding these chicken meal prep ideas to your meal plan will save you time and money, and you’re sure to find some new winner recipes for your family along the way. If you want something different than chicken, try one of these other meal plans – each with recipes, instructions, and a shopping list!
- Budget-Friendly Whole30 Meal Plan
- One Week Meal Plan: Slow Cooker Recipes
- Stretch Chicken into Multiple Meals
- Leftover Pork Roast Recipes: 7 Meals from One Roast!
- Ground Beef Recipes: 1 Week Meal Plan
- One Week $50 Aldi Meal Plan
Your website is too hard; too busy. I have to read too much to get to the information for which I’m looking. I tried for 15 minutes to find Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas and never did.
You list the recipe in your seven day food plan but don’t give access to it.
I finally gave up.
When I put the title of the recipe in the search bar, it would not find it.
What am I doing wrong? I just wanted the recipe.
Your new frustrated fan,
Barbara
PS – I’m working your Five Days to a Fresh Start. It’s Awesome.
Hi Barbara! You didn’t find that recipe because I’ve never shared that. 😉 If you take my chicken and spinach enchilada recipe and use black beans instead of chicken, you’ll come close!
Is there a way to download or access the separate meal plans without having to re-enter my name and email every time? Like can I register somehow and obtain access?
Not at this time Rebecca, but we’re looking into how to make this happen!