Make Dinner Easier!

Like many of you, I have a regular 9 to 5 job and the last thing I want to do when I get home is start cooking dinner.  So, I have recently started precooking my chicken breast and then freezing the cooked chicken for use later.  I used to buy the value packs of chicken breast, individually wrap them, and then throw them in the freezer.  This is great, but then I still have to cook it . . .  and sometimes I just don't want to take the time to do that after work.

Now, I throw all of the chicken breasts in the slow cooker, season them, cook them until they're tender and juicy, and then I freeze them.  That way, I can just take one out of the freezer and let it thaw out while I am at work.  All ready to go when I get home!  I can throw it on a salad, put it in a stir fry, turn it into a sandwich, anything!

My method is simple:  throw onions in the slow cooker (I use whatever I have handy.  Sometimes I have to chop onions, sometimes I have pearl onions handy and can save myself some tears.)  Then I lay down the chicken breast, season it, add water, throw the slow cooker on high for 4 hours and let it go!

I like to use lots of garlic, a little bit of pepper and a good dose of both paprika and parsley.

There is an added bonus to cooking all of the chicken at once - a delicious broth!  Pick the chicken out of the slow cooker, and then pour the liquid through a strainer to remove onions or other large chunks of seasoning.

Once the chicken has cooled, I wrap each breast individually and then throw it into a freezer bag.

I like to turn my broth and one of the breasts into a chicken soup right away.  Sooooo goooood!

What's your favorite way to save time during the work week?