Mango Chicken Freezer Meal

Something I’ve recently started experimenting with is freezer meals. Basically, prepping several ingredients ahead of time, putting them into freezer bags and then pulling them out in the morning so I can prepare a quick and easy dinner that evening. I have found that some ingredients work better than others, meaning you want to have vegetables that freeze well so they aren’t soggy once they have been cooked.

Mango Chicken Freezer Meal checks all my boxes for a make-ahead meal that’s made even easier by putting all the ingredients into a foil pan that you can pull out any night of the week and cook for a delicious dinner. I love the combination of flavors – mango with lime and fresh chives and mint, put together with chicken and crunchy carrots, red pepper and broccoli. Not only is it delicious but it’s pretty.

Prepping the Ingredients

Mango is one of my favorite fruits but if you’ve never worked with one, it can be frustrating to figure out how to easily cut them since it has such a large seed in the middle. If you need help on how to do it, take a look at our How to Cut a Mango video tutorial.

Once you’ve got the technique figured out, use the Trimmer to easily dice the mango and set it aside.

Using a 5" Petite Santoku knife, roughly chop up the fresh chives and mint.

To dice the carrots and red pepper, use a 7-5/8" Petite Chef knife and then use the same knife to roughly chop the broccoli florets. The broccoli florets should be bite-size but not too small.

Making the Freezer Meal

Now comes the easy part. Put all the ingredients together to freeze for cooking another time. Start by spraying a 9x13 foil baking pan with some non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken flat into the pan (they should not be overlapping).

Next, place the diced mango, water and lime juice into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir the chives and mint into the mango and lime puree and pour this mixture over the chicken, making sure to cover each piece.

Scatter the carrot, red pepper and broccoli florets on top and around the chicken, and then cover the pan tightly with foil. I recommend labeling the foil with the name of the dish and the preparation date and then placing the pan directly into the freezer.

Once you’re ready to eat it, remove the pan from the freezer and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. I typically take it out in the morning, so it’s thawed by the time I’m home for dinner. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees, remove the foil and bake the mango chicken for approximately one hour or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and serve.

This is such an easy meal to prepare ahead of time that I suggest making a few of them to have in your freezer. Mango Chicken Freezer Meal is packed full of flavor and will make an easy and delicious meal any night of the week. I love the combination of vegetables, but for me it’s the mango puree that takes it over the top. Give it a try and you may find yourself preparing a few of these for future meals.