With that quantity of chicken, I'd do a little bit of everything! Freeze some on cookie sheets and then bag to use whole (grilled or for sandwiches or something). Some, I'd bag with italian salad dressing (or any other marinade) which you can then defrost and grill or broil for a quick dinner. For cooked, cubed chicken, here are a few things I'd make:

- chicken salad
- chef salad
- stir-fry
- chicken broccoli casserole (layer cubed, cooked chicken, fresh blanched broccoli, or use frozen, pepperidge farm stuffing in a 13x9 pan. Mix together 16 oz. sour cream, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 c. milk and pour over the stuffing. Bake at 350 until heated through, about 30 min)
- homemade chicken soup
- chicken tacos (use a packet of taco seasoning as directed on package, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and your choice of soft tortillas or crunchy taco shells)
- chicken fajitas (packet of fajita mix, sliced green and red bell peppers, sliced onions, serve with soft flour tortillas, salsa and quacamole)
- Chicken Cordon Bleu - pound to about 1/4" thick and roll with a slice of ham and swiss cheese. When ready to cook, defrost, dip in egg and bread crumbs, bake at 350 about 40 min. Can serve with a white sauce such as hollandaise if desired.

Thanks Michelle for the wonderful ideas! I take it from your post that cooked diced chicken will freeze and reheat well. I guess that was the point of my original question....I've never tried cooking before freezing...BUT...you can do that with left over turkey, so I would guess that chicken is about the same.

Yes, the cooked, cubed chicken will freeze and reheat great! Just think of all the convenience foods available that already include the cooked chicken that you just reheat (they have fajita kits, stir fry kits, even salad kits with frozen chicken!) Just be sure to cook it *just* until done. You want it to be plenty juicy and tender so that it stands up to a little more cooking in the reheating process.

Bizzybee...your Foodsaver will be perfect with this project! I haven't been able to get as much chicken at one time as you, but when it is on sale, I buy a lot. I then package into individual meal sizes, which for us is 1 lb. of meat. If I've cooked the chicken first, then I simply place a bag of frozen chicken in a pot or deep skillet of hot water to thaw and heat at the same time. A great time saver, believe me!

you can even marinate your chicken and put in the foodsaver bags and just freeze with the marinate. take out the night before, put in fridge and bam you have your meal all ready to cook. the foodsaver is GREAT!!!

Any suggestions on the best way to barely cook the chicken before freezing?

I've found that if I just put the chicken on a cookie sheet, it gets rather dried out. So I freeze a couple breasts in a single layer in a sealed freezer bag. Once there solid, I combine several bags in one.

I still have trouble with freezer burn, though. I already use good quality freezer bags, and I don't want to purchase one of those food-saver/vacuum things (I'm a single person with a tiny kitchen -- I don't think there's room nor need for it!), but I would aprreciate any suggestions on how to help the frozen chicken fare better.

on a related tangent, I can tell you that cooked chicken freezes really well...if I make a crock pot chicken, I'll pick the bones clean, put the chicken in a Ziplock baggie (I only use the brand names for freezing), and then use it in enchiladas, pot pie, etc. it makes the completion of the meal SO much easier!

Good luck! I wish I could find a deal like that! My family loves chicken!

I am the type of person to want to hurry up and get something cooked so I can have it on hand later when I need it, so my suggestion is for the fastest way to cook the chicken, but not necessarily the most flavorful. I would take my giant stock pot and just boil those chicken breasts 'til they're done. Then I would wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and freeze. That way I can just take one out at a time and reheat it for a sandwich or slice it for salads or stir frys. Of course it will be very bland, but you can always add to it later.

Allison, I've used several brands of the freezer bags (when I was feeling rich, they were on sale, and I had coupons), and found someting better (which I first used as a poor college student). LOL. I use the freezer wrap (right next to the aluminum foil, store brand is fine). I tear out a section and wrap the breasts very tightly. I use masking tape to seal, and have never gotten freezer burns with it. This way I can wrap one pound of meat for small recipes, two or more for larger recipes. And I don't have to worry about the bags being the right size or squeezing out all the air. Which I have yet to do, so I have to eat my bagged chicken rather quickly.

Just to address freezer burn -- place whatever in ziplock, zip almost closed, insert common soda straw, draw out the air, seal. Who needs a machine?