Meal Prep Chicken
Meal Prep Chicken is one of the best ways to get a healthy and delicious dinner on the table for busy weeknights. This simple method is a great project for the weekend and is budget friendly.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 436kcal
Ingredients
- 4 whole chickens 3 - 5 pounds each
For the Brine:
- 1 quart boiling water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups ice
- 3 quarts cold water
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 2 garlic cloves sliced in half
- 1 lemon cut into quarters
For the Chicken:
- ¼ cup softened salted butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
Brine the Chickens:
- Combine boiling water with sugar and salt, whisking together until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Pour mixture into a deep pan or large bowl. Add ice and cold water, stirring until mixture is cooled.
- Add pepper and sliced garlic.
- Cut lemon into quarters and squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture with the lemon rinds.
- Add rosemary if desired.
- Lower chickens into the brine.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- We also like using brine bags for multiple chickens or turkeys. They can be placed in a cooler for the brining period.
- Drain chicken well and discard the brine.
Grilling the Chickens:
- Pat the chickens dry with paper towels and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Mix butter with granulated garlic and smoked paprika.
- Carefully loosen the skin from the breast and rub butter mixture under the skin.
- Truss the chickens with butcher twine.
- Prepare a grill fire to about 350° using pecan or hickory for smoke flavor.
- Cook chickens over indirect fire with the grill closed for one hour.
- Check chicken with a digital meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone. Continue to cook chicken until internal temperature reaches 165°.
- Remove chicken to a clean baking sheet and allow to rest 30 minutes before carving.
Meal Prep:
- Cut the wings from each chicken. This makes a great dinner on it's own or game day snack on Sunday afternoon.
- Cut whole chicken legs, the drumstick and thigh from each chicken.
- This can be a dinner serving or the meat can be separated from the bones, chopped and stored in a zip top bag or deli container.
- Reserve the bones if separated.
- Cut down each side of the chicken breast to make whole chicken breasts.
- Store in a zip top bag or airtight container.
- Pick the remaining meat from the chickens. This can be added to the chopped dark meat or chopped chicken breasts.
- Reserve the chicken carcass for homemade stock. (Recipe below)
Notes
Storage:
- Store cooked chicken in the refrigerator in airtight containers up to 4 days.
- Freeze up to 6 months in a freezer safe container.
- Be sure to label with the contents and the date. We prefer using vacuum sealer bags for the best results but zip top freezer bags and deli containers work as well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 3937mg | Sugar: 13g