I’m so stinkin’ excited to bring you my very first Aldi Freezer Cooking Plan! This has truly been a labor of love over the last few months, so I hope it will be a huge blessing to many! I know I have been enjoying having dinner pretty much done for the next few months, and my shopping trips have been a lot lighter too!
I tried to anticipate whatever questions you might have in the post below, but if I missed anything please let me know!
Why 40 lbs of Chicken?: I am about to pick up my second order of Zaycon Chicken, and I cannot tell you how much I love this company! Basically, you get super fresh all natural chicken breasts for $1.89/lb, which is the cheapest I’ve ever been able to find it!
The only “small” problem is that you have to order and entire case, 40 lbs! That’s a lot of chicken to process at one time. So this time, I’ve got a plan! Inspired by I Am That Lady’s Awesome Aldi Menu Plans, I have created an Aldi menu plan of my own to come alongside my 40 lbs of Zaycon Chicken.
Why Aldi?: Because Aldi is awesome! It has amazing prices without ever having to clip a coupon! Check out all my Aldi Recipes! The Aldi shopping list is set up in the order of my Aldi store, but one of the great things about Aldi is that it is so small, so even if your store is set up a little differently, you should still be able to find this pretty easily with my list. You can, of course, shop for this plan at another store and use whatever brands you like!
What is a freezer slow-cooker dump plan?: Basically you put all your recipe ingredients into freezer bags, defrost the day before you want to make a meal, and dump it into the slow-cooker on the day of! Easy peasy! Some recipes call for an ingredient that doesn’t taste super great after being frozen, like potatoes. So for those meals you’ll have a few minutes of prep to do the morning of.
How much does the plan cost?: Approximately $115 + cost of chicken. (Approximately $75 + Tax if you purchase from Zaycon. This price is based on my local Aldi in Edmond, OK in late summer/early fall 2015. So about $200 for 24 – 27 meals.
How long is this going to take?: When I did this plan, I actually had 80 lbs of chicken to process, and I did it over 2 afternoons. I would guess that if you were just dong 40 lbs it would take you about 2-3 hours of kitchen prep . . . if you are distraction-free. (bahahahahahaha! right?)
How many meals does it make?: 24+ Meals, for a family of 4-6
To make this plan, you will make each of the 12 recipes twice, making a total of 24 meals. If you weigh your chicken and put in exactly 1.5 lbs of chicken in each bag, you will end up with 4 lbs of chicken left over.
I’m guessing most of us will probably have a little less. I figured it would be hard to get it down the exact pound.
This is where the marinades come in. Whatever chicken breast you have remaining, Freeze in dinner size portions with store bought marinade OR with homemade marinade. (Here are some awesome homemade marinades to try!) When the time comes you can grill, pan fry, oven bake, or crock pot your marinated chicken!
Is it Gluten-Free: Unfortunately this plan is not 100% Gluten-Free. Several of the recipes are 100% Gluten-Free, but not all. I have not forgotten you sweet GF friends and readers though, and I am working on getting a Gluten-Free Zaycon Chicken, Aldi-Friendly”ish” plan soon!
Are they one pot meals?: Most of them are one pot meals, with simple sides like rice or potatoes. A few are completely one-pot meals.
What recipes are in this plan?: I have included links to the recipes used in this plan, so you can check them out to see if you think you’ll like them, or need to make any modifications! The first four are mine. If you love the other recipes, be sure to visit the other recipe authors and tell them how awesome their recipes are!
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken from Mrs. HappyHatter
- Slow Cooker Terriyaki Chicken from Mrs. HappyHatter
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos from Mrs. HappyHatter
- Slow-Cooker Indian Chicken from Mrs. HappyHatter
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas from Simple Saving Savvy
- OMG Best Crock Pot Chicken from Serendipity & Spice no image permission
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken from Strength and Sunshine
- Rustic Chicken Slow-Cooker Stew from Who Needs a Cape – no image permission
- Slow-Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken & Veggies by Damn Delicious
- Crockpot Chicken Dinner from Simplee Thrifty
- Easy Crock-Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls from Two Healthy Kitchens
- Mango Salsa Slow-Cooker Chicken from Homemaking Hacks
Sounds neat, what do I do now?:
Download my FREE printable Aldi Shopping list and freezer menu plan below, and get cooking!
**Please share the link to this post with anyone who might be interested, but please do not share the files directly. Thank you!**
Aldi Freezer Meal Plan 1 – Shopping List and Instructions PDF
And don’t forget to check out all of my Aldi Friendly Recipes!