How to Meal Prep Chicken 3 Ways - Mind Over Munch (2024)

Learn how to meal prep chicken breast, thighs, and ground meat to use in loads of easy meals! With chopped, ground, and shredded chicken at the ready in your fridge, throwing together a quick meal prep dinner or lunch is a breeze. Plus, I’m sharing 3 chicken meal prep bowls for your inspiration, each with deliciously different flavors and veggies.

Generally, most people go searching for specific chicken meal prep recipes that they can follow precisely. But personally, I want my healthy meal prep to be flexible, versatile, and easy. Instead of following a recipe, I like to prep basic components—like a protein, grains, and veggies—that I can throw together to create different meals.

By learning how to meal prep chicken in a few different ways, you create loads of possibilities for your weekly prep. Protein is often the most time-consuming component to cook, so I love the convenience of having some ground, chopped, or shredded chicken prepped in the fridge. Then, I can use that cooked protein to make freshly-cooked meals quickly—even on a weeknight!

Minimum vs. Maximum Prep

The way I’ve meal prepped has changed a lot over the years. I started with maximum prep: prepping everything for the week, completely cooked meals ready to reheat and eat. And now I’ve turned to minimal prep: prepping basic components that I combine to create meals during the week. In my Mind Over Meal Prep course, you can learn how to meal prep in the style that’s sustainable and effective for your lifestyle!

Basic Chicken Meal Prep Tips

• Prep components rather than full recipes. My favorite approach to meal prep for the week is to prepare a protein, some vegetables, and a grain or carbohydrate. If you like more variety in your meals, prepare a few of each! Then, you can mix and match the components to create quick meals throughout the week.
• Find a cooking method that’s easyfor youto make and enjoyable to eat. Try a few different methods to see what suits you! Personally, I think cooking ground chicken is the easiest method and a great place to start. But, once you learn how to cook shredded chicken and pan cooked chicken, you’ll see how simple they are—and they might turn out to be your favorite to eat!
• Keep the seasonings simple on prep day. For component-style prep, I recommend sticking with simple salt and pepper when seasoning your chicken. That way, you’ve got flexibility throughout the week to add different seasonings and create different meals!

How much chicken should be in a meal prep?

As a rule of thumb, a typical serving is 4oz of raw chicken. Once cooked, the meat loses some water and fat—meaning 4oz raw chicken will become ~3oz cooked chicken. For me, generally 1 pound (16oz) of boneless skinless meat yields 4 servings. If you prefer more protein per serving, adjust the amount of chicken you prep accordingly based on the number of servings you need!

Can I meal prep chicken for a week?

Yes, but 7 days is the maximum I recommend prepping chicken ahead of time. Really, the best approach is to prepare 4-5 days worth of food to avoid spoilage. After day 5, you may notice a change in the smell and taste of the meat. It depends on your comfort level! (I’ll admit, I’ve definitely eaten 7-day old meal prep chicken before.) Keep in mind, the USDA says chicken is safe for up to 4 days stored in the fridge.

Chicken Meal Prep Bowls & Recipe Ideas

Once you’ve learned how to meal prep chicken in a few different ways, you can find some recipes or create some meals that you enjoy eating! To craft your own easy meals, try my basic mix and match method: combine a protein + vegetable + carbohydrate or vessel. Or, check out some of these meal prep bowls for your inspiration:

• Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe with Quinoa
• BBQ Chicken Bowl with Sweet Potato & Zucchini
• Teriyaki Chicken Bowl with Rice
• Healthy Sesame Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
• Buddha Bowl Meal Prep Dinners

See how to meal prep chicken 3 ways in my Chicken Meal Prep Bowls video!

How to Meal Prep Chicken Breast or Thighs, 2 Ways

First, let’s walk through how to meal prep chicken breast or thighs 2 ways: as poached and shredded chicken, or as chopped chicken on the stove. For both methods, you can use either boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs—whichever you prefer!

To see how to cook chicken breasts or thighs in the oven for meal prep, check out my other chicken burrito bowl meal prep dinners.

How to Cook Shredded Chicken

Boiled shredded chicken is my personal favorite prep method! It’s quick, easy, and perfect for crafting different meals throughout the week—like my BBQ chicken bowl. Simply boil chicken breasts or thighs for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Then, shred the meat with 2 forks, or get adventurous and shred it with a hand mixer! (Seriously, try this and see for yourself how fun it is…)

How to Cook Chopped Chicken

For a quick stovetop prep method, cut raw chicken cutlets into 1-2-inch pieces and then pan fry! You can either store the raw meat to cook fresh throughout the week, or cook it all on prep day and reheat it when you’re ready to eat. The whole process only takes around 10 minutes, and the result is deliciously juicy and versatile. Try it as part of a teriyaki chicken bowl or any meal prep dinner you enjoy!

How to Meal Prep Ground Chicken

Last but not least, ground chicken is the easiest method if you’re just learning how to meal prep chicken. Simply add ground chicken to a hot pan with oil and break it up as it cooks. Personally, I like to brown larger chunks first to get a nice sear, then gradually break it into smaller pieces until it’s cooked through. Enjoy it in my chicken burrito bowl recipe or your favorite meal prep dinner!

How to Preserve & Store Chicken for Meal Prep

After cooking your ground, chopped, or shredded chicken, keep it fresh with proper storage:

• Allow cooked chicken to cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge. This will help to limit possible bacterial growth with temperature change.
• Store meal prep chicken in airtight glass or plastic containers. If you’re freezing your prepped meat, make sure the containers are freezer safe.
• I recommend reheating all the way through before eating the prepped meat in meals throughout the week.

How can you tell if cooked chicken is bad?

Use your eyes and nose to assess whether cooked chicken has gone bad. When it’s freshly cooked, chicken is brownish-white in color, it’s relatively dry, and it smells nice and savory. When it’s gone bad, chicken can have a gray or green-gray color, some sliminess, and/or a bad, stinky smell. Personally, if I take a whiff and have doubts about it, I’ll toss out my prepped chicken rather than eat it!