One of the biggest chunks of my food budget, is meat {and unless you are a non-meat eater, I’m sure you’re in the same boat}. While you can shop sales and markdowns, or barter with neighbors, one of the best ways to save on meat is buying in bulk.
This time I picked up 40lbs of chicken. So you know what that means: I’ll be elbow deep in chicken all day. While it might seem like quite the task, I love that I can process the chicken, cook some of it and make a bunch of freezer meals all in one day. It really saves so much time in the long run even though my kitchen is a chickeny disaster at the end of the day!
Here’s what I plan to do with it:
Process it. The first step is to trim the fat off the chicken and cut it if necessary. A bunch of the chicken will be placed in freezer bags in preparation of recipes to come. I put 3 breasts per bag because I know that’s what my family of 4 eats when using chicken as my main protein in a meal. Adjust that according to your family size.
Of course freezing chicken this way means I still have to come up with a recipe, but I’ve already saved so much time by having the chicken processed and bagged up exactly as I need it. So I can pull it out, throw some sauce on it and throw it on the grill. Just eliminating a few steps saves time.
Shred it. I’ll also throw a bunch of chicken in my slow cooker and let it cook while I’m processing the rest. I’ll fill my 2 favorite crock pots with 8 chicken breasts each and add a batch of my DIY Taco Seasoning to one of the crock pots and let them cook on high for about 4 hours. When the chicken is done, I’ll season the other crock pot with salt and pepper and shred it in my stand mixer. Then I’ll bag up the shredded chicken to freeze for soups and all sorts of meals.
Cook it. I might also throw in an easy crock pot meal so my family will actually have something to eat besides raw chicken tonight! I’m thinking either my Mushroom Chicken or my Savory Chicken with Tomatoes Slow Cooker meal because they’re both so simple, yet so good. You can find more of my favorite crock pot recipes HERE.
Freezer meal it. My favorite thing to do when I get bulk meat is to make a ton of freezer meals. I’m already slaving away in the kitchen, so busting out a few meals makes perfect sense. I’m not sure who the inventor of the freezer was, but he single-handedly changed my life {and the life of pretty much every meal preparer I know!}. Freezer meals are the coolest thing since sliced bread {probably even more awesome than that because, really, how hard is it to slice your own bread?! Way easier than cooking a whole meal from scratch!}.
Links to freezer pans I commonly use:
- Aluminum Foil Pan Containers with Lids 8.5″ x 6″ x 3″
- Aluminum Foil Deep Pans 9″ x 13″
- Round 9 Inch Aluminum Foil Pans with lids
You can find my extensive list of Freezer Meals HERE. But here are a few of our favorites:
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
- Maple Dijon Chicken
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
- Spinach Lasagna Rolls
- Chicken Casserole with Mashed Potato Topping
Ashley says
Mavis, thanks so much for posting this! I pick up my very first order of Zaycon chicken on Monday, and I’m already getting nervous about processing that much chicken. Appreciate your ideas! You rock!
Mavis Butterfield says
You can do it. 🙂
Heather says
Thank you for the shredding tip in my Kitchen Aid from a previous post. I picked up my chicken too and processed all my chicken last night. I made up 40 meals before my head hit the pillow last night. I had a lot of fun, but it was a lot of work.
Mavis Butterfield says
Wow! Way to go Heather!!
Pat says
Heather
Care to share some of your ideas. I am picking up my order the 23rd.
Monique says
Wow, lucky you picking yours up already!! My pick up was supposed to be monday, they told me they sold out too fast, so switched me to another local pick up city for today. Then today, like an hour ago, I get an email saying there was an issue “at the farm” and they cant deliver today, so instead my pick up date is now NEXT Monday. I am SOOO annoyed.
arah says
Monique, I am so sorry to hear that your date was pushed back, in all honesty, it is to ensure that you get fresh chicken. I work for Zaycon, so if you have any questions I’d be happy to answer for you. We did have a truck break down, which backs up our pick up for the farm. My apologies.
Monique says
Maybe that is what happened, its just frustrating. The email they sent me barely was a sentence long, no punctuation to elaborate the “problem at the Farm” and was full of spelling errors. It just means I took time unpaid off from work, and rearranged my schedule and now I have to do it again, which is NOT going to go over well with my boss.
Makes it not really worth the savings on the cost.
Gwenn says
When our chicken came in I had to work but my husband was home that day and picked it up. He put 4-5 pieces of chicken in the crock pot with carrots/celery/onions/garlic/chicken stock and let it cook then shredded it. He used the vacuum sealer to package up the rest into single meal packages for the freezer. I got home from work and it was all done and the house smelled so good cause of the chicken in the crock pot!! It was a good day 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
That was a good day! And dinner too. I’m impressed.
karin carson says
wow thats a lot of chicken, I can never find it fresh(live in Canada)our fresh chicken breast are a good price at $4.00 a pound unless u get the pre fozen but I don’t like the extra water in them, I have done the shredding with my kitchen aid and love how it make the chicken go so far. I have a Tila Foodsaver and couldn’t live with out it for freezing , we are a family of hunters and I grew up on a farm and have had the meat safely in my freezer for more then a few years and love the reusable bags . I just did 50lbs of apple pie filling and over 300lpd of moose. Love your site and the info, I did 65lbs of canned toms this year for the first time.
Dennis says
Been buying 40lbsers for about 5 years now! Use to be 1.19 a lb. , now I pay 1.99 lb.! Still a lot better than store price! Pork ribs are about. 6.00 a rack when you buy by the case! Pays to have a freezer for sure! Like the shredding idea in the crockpot , will be trying that next time. Thanks!
Heidi P says
Thanks for the post. I love reading about what others do with their bulk chicken. I picked up 40lbs last Saturday. I’d never had a pick up on the weekend before. I ended up processing it and putting most straight into the freezer. Took me about 45 minutes. Not too bad. I usually buy 120lbs so this was a piece of cake!
I butterfly most of the chicken breasts and cut off a chunk for tenderloins. The breasts are often very large and butterflying them helps on cooking time. Plus if you make chicken burgers they will fit better in the bun. When I butterfly them my family eats less. Kinda funny. They are welcome to eat until they are full but everyone assumes that each piece of chicken is a full breast. Only I know the truth 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! Very clever Heidi.
Karen says
I have heard great things about Zaycon and was ready to order but when I got online, my sight and practically all the sites in my state were sold out! I was going to order on Tuesday for a pick up this coming Saturday, so I guess this proves what a great deal and product they provide! I will try again the next time they offer the chicken breasts. How often do they offer it?
arah says
twice a year, Spring and Fall
Lisa says
Karen – depending on your area. We usually get chicken offers twice a year – April and October. Bacon comes more often as does milk and other items
Sara says
Karen I have noticed if you do not order when you get your email they sell out real fast. I ordered 120 pounds this time. It was so much fun finding receipes to make meals freezing whole dinners and I have a 17 year old boy who loves to shred meat. He did 40 lbs. I love that boy.
Mary Ann says
I’m picking up my first order of chicken next Wednesday! Can’t wait! Need to start making a list of the freezer meals I want to make so I can get a lot done in a short amount of time–we leave for vacation the next day! 🙂
Mary Ann says
Oh, another Mary Ann! I rarely see other Mary Ann’s spelled the same way. 🙂
I picked up 120 pounds on the 5th and processed it all in a little over 3 hours. I never cook any of it then — don’t care too much for reheated chicken. I clean it all up and cut the giant breasts into 2 smaller pieces (and that is a pretty big portion) and vacuum seal them in meal portions.
I still have a big box of Zaycon ribs and two of their hams in the freezer, so with everything else my garage freezer is pretty packed!
Mavis Butterfield says
Awesome!!
Beverly says
I am so glad to have learned about Zayson foods. They are an awesome organization. Very together. Love your freezer meal recipes too. Thanks !
Jennifer says
We pick up our first order from Zaycon next week and I am nervous so I greatly appreciate this post! We are splitting the 40 lbs with my parents because we dont have the freezer space unfortunately, but it is too good of a deal to pass up. I used your link to zaycon so I hope you get some kind of discount or something, you deserve it for all of your hard work! Thank you Mavis!!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Jennifer! I split my Zaycon orders all time with neighbors and friends. I love, love, love making freezer meals too. 🙂
Pat. says
Mavis; understanding that it varies…. could you give me a rough estimate of how many breasts in the box…. or even per bag? Just trying to get a feel for how much work I’m getting myself into next week 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
That is a great question, I have never counted though. I’ll have to do it next time.
pat says
I’ll let you know what I end up with.
Susan says
My order arrived on Wednesday. One of my 10lb bags had 9 whole and and one half breasts . . . so, almost 20 pieces when I cut them apart. Amazed at how large they are.
Pat says
Thanks Susan. Ehhhh that’s about 25 meals for us. That helps with planning on what I am doing.
Donna Johnson says
I just registered tonight, but noticed there are no chicken events for this year in Oklahoma, only pork products. Do you know why that is?
Brenda says
Donna,
I’ve been ordering from Zaycon for a few years now and it appears that the event dates are scheduled regionally. Mavis lives in Washington State so maybe Oklahoma has events at different times of the year. Usually, the chicken events are every 6 months or so. I would definitely keep checking back on their website for events in your state or sign up for their emails and they will let you know when an event is coming up.
Lynn T says
I just got done processing 80# of Zaycon chicken. I had to laugh while reading your post…I did the exact thing as you…crockpot full of chicken with taco seasoning and shredding it in the mixer. Love having good chicken in the freezer!
kimberly says
80 lb here too. jealous you can pre cook some of yours, always tastes off for me. We make up for that with a lot of quick skillet meals so it works. Never thought I’d find it to taste different than any other chicken but this was wonderful
Margie says
Mary Ann; my sister changed her spelling to Marianne about 60 yrs ago. I agree with you, we don’t like warmed up chicken either, or any other meat for that matter (except meatloaf). I live in SE Oklahoma; am picking up my first Zaycon order (bacon) in Ft Smith, AR on Nov 2nd, also a Saturday which surprised me. Bacon is nearly $6 a lb here, so Zaycon’s price is great. Am wondering if it’s as good as it looks. Have shopped at Sam’s for many years, and always get some of their chicken. My HH doesn’t like chicken much. Raised, butchered, cleaned, packaged & ate it about 5 days a week during the depression & then had to eat it again for years while in the Army, so don’t blame him. Fed it to him tonite and felt guilty. HMM, long winded rant, sorry.
destini says
the bacon is fantastic
Jessica Johnson says
I decided to pass on the Zaycon chicken in favor of Sams Club. If you ask for a case (40-55lbs) you get the ‘case price’ which usually is between $1.80-$1.90 a pound for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I love that I can get it when I need it and I don’t have to make a special Zaycon run when my order comes in.
Ellen says
I am trying the Cilantro Lime Chicken today…thanks for such great recipes!
Cassie says
I dislike preparing chicken greatly! However it would be nice to do a day of work and have a lot of food prepared to save time later!
PonyRyd says
Just a quick note of thanks, based on your recommendation we ordered from Zaycon and got it a couple of weeks ago. We vacuum sealed and froze most of, but like others we had chicken for dinner that night.
Was going back and forth on the beef and bacon after getting their email, but by the time we decided to order it was all sold out. Lesson learned!
Pam P says
Hi Mavis,
Roughly how many breasts are in 40 lbs? There are only two of us at home but it seems like I run out frequently. I may want to buy on the next go round.
Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
I will count them today as I am processing the meat.
Storm says
Cash and carry sells a box of breasts year round . If you watch for hot sheet specials they usually beat zaycon in price. $45 to $55 depending on the season. The only negative is it IS flash frozen, so before processing you have to thaw the whole mess. I’m going to try my hand at home ground chicken for meal versatility, and because I loathe paying the price.
Crystal Kind says
We picked up our first box of Zaycon chicken this past week and were totally amazed at how big some of them were. My husband and I processed it all in about an 1 and a half but only by cutting and freezing in the portions I think we will use. I never even thought of shredding it though so thanks for that tip. Personally I loved the fact that it came very partially frozen to help make cutting it up easier for what we needed. We will see how long this 40 lbs lasts our family of four to decide if we need to order more next time around. Thanks for the awesome freezer meal idea’s too!
Molly R. Moody says
Mavis I’d love to order from them but since there’s only one of me I’d have chicken running out my ears, so to speak. Not only that but I don’t own a freezer. I’ve asked around but haven’t been able to find anyone who would go shares on a box, I’d be happy to take just 1/4 of a box and let someone else have the rest at the same price I paid. Thanks so much for sharing what you do with the chicken as that was also something I was wondering about.
Christina says
Fabulous post! I’m picking up my first box of Zaycon chicken this Friday. I’m actually planning to pressure can mine! I have very limited freezer space and because I live in AZ, I don’t like to keep a freezer in my garage because it costs SO MUCH to keep it running during the 110F+ temps. By canning it, I’ll have ready-to-eat, shelf stable chicken that is good for a few years. When I lived in Washington, I could get the SAME 40lb boxes of chicken at the Costco Business Center for even less! (They sell them in the CBC here in AZ, but they are frozen. The ones in WA were fresh.) I’m super excited to can it. I’ve heard and read such amazing things about home canned chicken! I’m also planning to try out your cilantro lime chicken. Looks incredible!
Shakira says
what to do if you get the frozen box of 40 lbs chicken?
Mavis Butterfield says
I hope this helps! http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/40lbs-of-chicken-now-what-how-to-process-and-prepare-your-bulk-chicken/
Lisa says
I am thinking about ordering the chicken but I have a few questions for anyone who has ordered it in the past. First is this actually good quality chicken…I have gotten “deals” before but the quality show the price that was paid in the end. Also since they only do this 2 times a year how much do people order please include your family size so that I can judge how much I would order 🙂 We are just a family of two but we do use chicken in most of our meals. Does anyone know when they sell the chicken thighs? Is it the same time as the breasts?
tiffany says
I’m not sure if this was mentioned in the comments and I missed it, my apologies if so, but, how much space does this much chicken take up in the freezer? What style of freezer are you storing this in? Just trying to plan 🙂
Tia
Tiffany
April says
How long does 40lbs of chicken last for your family?
Mavis Butterfield says
About 6 months. 🙂
Julie says
I picked up my first order of Zaycon chicken yesterday, and two friends and I made some of your freezer meal recipes this morning. We are looking so forward to pulling these out of the freezer on busy days! Thanks for sharing! Now I’m looking forward to cooking some of the beef meals 🙂
Andrea says
I’m so glad I found this article. I am so sick and tired of overpaying for inconsistent and low quality chicken and I kept hearing Zaycon so I did a little bit of research. Then it occurred to me to Google “how to process 40lbs of bulk Chicken”… and here I am. I have just started looking at stand alone freezers and now this gives me a target to aim for because I have til mid October if I want to buy that much chicken. 😀 Thank you for information and yummy recipes!
Pat says
On my last order we ended up wit three boxes. We ordered two, then when my wife went to pick them up the driver said they had extras because people at the one of the previous stops had not picked there’s up, we end got the third for half off. That was five hours of hell cleaning and keeping it all cool until I could get it all done.
As far as preparations. I put four breast into gallon zip lock bags and added some marinades. Most of those marinades were store bought. I took a number of the breasts and butterflied them and marked them butterflied. I used these for chicken parm, and a number of other sauté dishes like chicken marsala. I took a bunch of breasts and boiled them in a stock pot with carrots, celery and onions. When they were done I put them in my counter top mixer and beat them with a dough pin. This shredded the chicken. I put these into no less than 5 gallon bags and marked them chicken soup prep. I also had some boiling in a croc pot with onions, pepper, and tomatoes. I also shredded these and marked them quesadilla prep.
I need to find a better way to organize the bags in the deep freezer. It can be difficult to find what your looking for and knowing what you have left with out some organization with that much in the freezer.